Many Americans ignore the huge problem of homelessness we have here and in the memoir, “The Invisible Man” by Kinza Riaz, this situation is addressed. Kinza Riaz was in Union Station in downtown Toronto, looking for a place to rest, and ended up sitting next to a homeless man with a dog. As she rested, she observed the man and the people’s reactions who passed by to him. Many times, they ignored him or treated him coldly, except for this other man in the same situation as him. Ultimately, Kinza was able to realize that there was more than one “invisible” person out there and that maybe giving a little will help make the man and the conflict more clear to others. The memoir was very descriptive and strong because it made me think more about humanity and the problems in society we have nowadays.

The thing I really enjoyed about this memoir is how it talks about a major conflict in society (homelessness) and gives a perspective on the issue at hand. Kinza had first judged the homeless man as well when she was deciding whether or not to sit in the available seat next to him. She was suspicious about his appearance and thought it wasn’t safe at first, which also shows not to judge a book by its cover because the man didn’t harm her. Others still ignored him and concluded that he wasn’t a person to get involved with. This is shown when the piece states, “As the boy leaned in to pet the dog, his eyes fell on the dog’s owner, and his smile vanished. Seconds later, so did he.” Even though it might have been rude to just leave like that, it is sadly considered common treatment towards homeless people. Kinza Riaz, who “saw”  the “invisible” people, refused to just leave and ended up giving some money to the homeless man. It was very kind of her and inspired me to try my best to give to others as well because they at least deserve some attention.