Junk has become ubiquitous in America today. Who doesn't have a
basement, attic, closet, or storage unit filled with stuff too good to
throw away? Or, more accurately, stuff you think is too good to throw
away.
When journalist and author Alison Stewart was confronted with emptying
her late parents' overloaded basement, a job that dragged on for months,
it got her thinking: How did it come to this? Why do smart, successful
people hold on to old Christmas bows, chipped knick-knacks, VHS tapes,
and books they would likely never reread? She discovered she was not
alone.
Junk details Stewart's three-year investigation into America's stuff,
lots and lots and lots of stuff. Stewart rides along with junk removal
teams from around the country such as Trash Daddy, Annie Haul, and Junk
Vets. She goes backstage to a taping of Antiques Roadshow, and learns
what makes for compelling junk-based television with the executive
producer of Pawn Stars. And she even investigates the growing problem
of space junk--23,000 pieces of manmade debris orbiting the planet at
17,500 mph, threatening both satellites and human space exploration.
But it's not all dire. There are creative solutions to America's
overburdened consumer culture. Stewart visits with Deron Beal, founder
of FreeCycle, an online community of people who would rather give away
than throw away their no-longer-needed possessions. She spends a day at
a Repair Café, where volunteer tinkerers bring new life to broken
appliances, toys, and just about anything. Stewart also explores
communities of "tiny houses" without attics and basements in which to
stash the owners' trash.
Junk is a delightful journey through 250-mile-long yard sales, and
packrat dens, both human and rodent, that for most readers will look
surprisingly familiar.
