I Was Looking for a Street tells the story of the author's childhood
and adolescence as an orphan, as he moves from railroad yards to hobo
tent cities, to soup kitchens and deserts around Los Angeles and across
the United States. The ensuing tale is at once a picaresque adventure
through Depression-era America and a portrait of the writer as a young
man of seemingly little promise but great spirit. Written after
Willeford's later literary success with Cockfighter, Miami Blues,
and The Woman Chaser, this memoir is the work of a writer at the
height of his powers, looking back without nostalgia or regret, and
preserving in his clear and powerful prose the great American adventure
of his youth. Writer Luc Sante contributes a preface to this volume;
director Quentin Tarantino and musician Will Oldham among his many
devoted fans.