Diagnosed bipolar, homeless, and transformed by faith

—A new book by author Christopher MacDonald chronicles one man’s descent into homelessness and his remarkable journey back.

Imago Deis and Nights: True, Terrifying, Hilarious, and Spiritual Stories of Homelessness Leading into Freedom tells a story of survival, transformation, and faith.

The 330-page book, by MacDonald and contributing editor Dan Kassis offers raw, thought-provoking, and ultimately redemptive stories that illuminate the human side of homelessness with honesty and grace. It was released in April.

MacDonald is a former internet executive whose life journey has taken him from a corner office in Sacramento to managing a homeless encampment in one of Oakland’s most dangerous locations.

His life has been marked by dramatic highs and lows, including professional success in creative industries and devastating periods of homelessness and alcoholism.

In 2012, the author was diagnosed with bipolar type II disorder, a mental health condition with cycles of depression and hypomania, a milder form of mania. Unlike Bipolar I, it does not include full manic episodes. 

In spite of these challenges, MacDonald found stability through proper diagnosis, treatment, and faith. 

How does an educated, upper-middle-class internet executive with a family and a bright future react when plunged into homelessness for seven years? 

The former journalist visited 11 cities, documenting his terrifying, transformative, and sometimes hilarious experiences. His journey culminated in him running a homeless tent city under the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland. 

The book explores fears and assumptions about homelessness, the systems that prevent real solutions, and the people on the streets whose lives hang in the balance. 

MacDonald’s story is one of being reeducated through experience, changed from an insulated, fearful man into one able to use confrontational nonviolence to save lives.

Every lesson he learned helps answer real questions about homelessness from the inside out, avoiding overly simplistic assumptions to get at the heart of addiction and mental illness. 

MacDonald’s life shows there can be hope for the homeless person but not without direct involvement from a caring community willing to look past the stigma and into the eyes of a human being made in “Imago Deis”, Latin for God’s image.

“Imago Deis and Nights: True, Terrifying, Hilarious, and Spiritual Stories of Homelessness Leading into Freedom” was published by Christian Faith Publishing and is available in bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes, or Barnes and Noble.

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