Chronicling Compassion: Tracy Kidder Profiles Boston’s Top “Street Doctor”

In his new book, Rough Sleepers, author Tracy Kidder tells the remarkable story of Dr. Jim O’Connell, a Boston physician who has dedicated his life to providing healthcare to homeless people. Through the doctor’s eyes, Kidder also immerses us in the lives of the unsheltered population—their back stories, daily risks, survival mechanisms, and unmet human needs. In a society that has dehumanized those who live on the streets, Kidder reminds us that there are opportunities to heal the broken among us. A master of narrative nonfiction, he also talks about how he chooses his topics and crafts tales that awe and motivate us.

Jim O'Connell
Tracy Kidder
Margot Sanger-Katz

This conversation was part of Aspen Ideas: Health 2023. Aspen Ideas: Health takes place on the Aspen Institute’s wondrous 40-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains from June 21-24, 2023. The three-day event, which has opened the renowned Aspen Ideas Festival since 2014, is where
health’s biggest challenges meet its biggest thinkers. #AspenIdeasHealth #AspenIdeas