TROOP 6000

A New York Times journalist chronicles the experiences of a Girl Scout troop founded in a shelter in Queens, New York.

The main character in the narrative, Giselle, the founder of Troop 6000 and program manager at the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, was once homeless herself. Stewart begins with the hardships and the eviction that forced Giselle and her five children to move into the Sleep Inn shelter in Queens. In an accessible narrative that encompasses a range of social justice concerns, the author chronicles Giselle’s initial encounter with the Girl Scouts and the idea to begin a troop when she realized that the girls around her would benefit from its encouraging community. Stewart also provides some light history on the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, and the author's discussions of the backgrounds of friends at the shelter who helped Giselle illuminate themes of empowerment and overcoming personal challenges. From the troop's widespread media coverage, which included an appearance on The View, to managing the social dynamics of the group ("the Scouts...were growing more and more unappreciative"), Giselle comes across as a poised, resilient organizer whose own journey toward finding a better housing solution for her kids lends the story extra tension—especially when juxtaposed against such pleasant traditions as Camp Kaufmann and cookie sales. While the melodramatic lines that close many of the chapters—e.g., “Back to being homeless and dreaming of a day when they weren’t”; "In seven months, the family would be homeless"; “What good are keys if you don’t have a home?”—don't always ring true, Giselle's life on the page unfolds in a readable fashion calibrated for emotional, uplifting crescendos. Stewart is also wise to let the Scouts tell their own stories, offering a more nuanced perspective to the story. Featuring a sensitive treatment of a still-existing homelessness epidemic, this is an impassioned look at how Troop 6000 inspired others to form in its wake.

A tale of how grassroots spirit and gritty determination can bloom into hope.