Calling on a decade of participant observation at a residence for mentally retarded adults, anthropologist Michael V. Angrosino's riveting and de-mystifying account offers an insider's picture of the lives of the inhabitants of Opportunity House. Using the narrative device of a dozen fictional short stories told in the voices of various community members as well as that of the researcher, Angrosino weaves a life-histories approach to ethnography together with an innovative culture concept to tackle the complexities of representing marginalized subgroups. As opposed to traditional clinical or statistical studies, which have insufficiently conveyed the subjective and experiential perspectives of retarded people themselves, Angrosino presents an intimate and complex picture of a highly functioning community with its cast of entrepreneurs, bullies, victims, and do-gooders. This wonderfully readable and captivating account is therefore an important resource for those interested in mental illness and disability, as well as a model for those experimenting with forms of ethnographic writing.

Table of Contents:

chapter 1 Acknowledgments
chapter 2 Foreword by James Peacock
chapter 3 Preface
chapter 4 Introduction: Fellow Traveler
chapter 5 Part I: The Lay of the Land
chapter 6 1. The Ghost of Dallas Lumbley
chapter 7 Part II: Making a Living
chapter 8 1. Any Port in a Storm
chapter 9 2. The Left Stuff
chapter 10 3. On Target Enterprises
chapter 11 4. Midnight at the Budget Inn
chapter 12 Interlude: I Take Pen in Hand
chapter 13 Part III: Relationships
chapter 14 1. Where the Heart Is
chapter 15 2. A Little Bit of Warm
chapter 16 3. The Chadster Steps Out
chapter 17 4. Days of Sunshine, Days of Rain
chapter 18 5.Perfect Pals
chapter 19 Interlude: Fit to Print
chapter 20 Part IV: 1. The Boys in the Van
chapter 21 2. How Sweet the Sound
chapter 22 3. The Lonesome Trucker
chapter 23 4. By the Chimney with Care
chapter 24 Conclusion: All Told
chapter 25 Coda: Til It's Over
chapter 26 Acknowledgments
chapter 27 Foreword
chapter 28 Preface
chapter 29 Introduction: Fellow Traveler
chapter 30 Part I: The Lay of the Land
chapter 31 1. The Ghost of Dallas Lumbley
chapter 32 Part II: Making a Living
chapter 33 1. Any Port in a Storm
chapter 34 2. The Left Stuff
chapter 35 3. On Target Enterprises
chapter 36 4. Midnight at the Budget Inn
chapter 37 Interlude: I Take Pen in Hand
chapter 38 Part III: Relationships
chapter 39 1. Where the Heart Is
chapter 40 2. A Little Bit of Warm
chapter 41 3. The Chadster Steps Out
chapter 42 4. Days of Sunshine, Days of Rain
chapter 43 5.Perfect Pals
chapter 44 Interlude: Fit to Print
chapter 45 Part IV: 1. The Boys in the Van
chapter 46 2. How Sweet the Sound
chapter 47 3. The Lonesome Trucker
chapter 48 4. By the Chimney with Care
chapter 49 Conclusion: All Told
chapter 50 Coda: Til It's Over