An Invisible Thread

The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

By: Laura Schroff, Alex Tresniowski

Narrated by: Pam Ward

This 10th anniversary edition of the beloved #1 New York Times bestseller includes a new introduction and afterword by the author. Chronicling the lifelong friendship between a busy sales executive and a disadvantaged young boy that began with one small gesture of kindness, this is a “ray of hope for a better future, as well as an assurance that love is a stronger force than injustice and inequality” (Sybrina Fulton, mother of Travyon Martin and coauthor of Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin).

Stopping was never part of the plan...

She was a successful ad sales rep in Manhattan. He was a homeless, eleven-year-old panhandler on the street. He asked for spare change; she kept walking. But then something stopped her in her tracks, and she went back. And she continued to go back, again and again. They met up nearly every week for years and built an unexpected, life-changing friendship that has today spanned almost three decades.

Whatever made me notice him on that street corner so many years ago is clearly something that cannot be extinguished, no matter how relentless the forces aligned against it. Some may call it spirit. Some may call it heart. It drew me to him, as if we were bound by some invisible, unbreakable thread. And whatever it is, it binds us still.​

Now with new material that brings the life-changing story up to date for its tenth anniversary, An Invisible Thread is “a book capable of restoring our faith in each other and in the very idea that maybe everything is going to be okay after all” (Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay It Forward).

An amazing book

This book was our book of the month to read for our book club. I was reluctant to read it as I don't care too much for non-fiction but read it anyway. I am so happy that I did. I love both of them. I cried and smiled and felt such strong emotions for both of them. I wish them the best.

For me it was amazing

I guess I must not read much. I was easily moved and awed by the connection between Maurice and Laura. I guess that makes it even better. I bought this audiobook in maybe 2018, 2019 I started listening to it and then just stopped. I became disinterested and didn’t go back to it until one day as I was driving in my car for a long ride with my daughters and decided it’d be better for them to listen to audio and different vocabulary over screens. I was captivated yes captivated I couldn’t stop listening I thought about the next chapter every time I would exit and enter the car because it was something I was sharing with my children. My children are homeschooled I don’t have much time to sit and read much of anything forget about completing it. This is my review and I am sticking to it. I was so blessed by this story and how it moved me. I cried maybe three times. The way I see it is just as Laura put it. Maurice needed Laura and Laura needed Maurice. The two formed a bond not even her second husband would survive. I appreciate them both for sharing this story with the world. I needed this bit of nostalgia

Inspiring story

It took a bit to get hooked, but I loved this story. At first The narrators voice seemed out of place for the character, but it grew on me. Great story about acceptance, family, and impact!

Loved this

Such a great story thank you for sharing it with all of us. My faith in the goodness of people was a little restored after reading it.

Very moving.

I thought the story was very moving and involving. This is a great story and what’s even better, it’s all true.