Junk : digging through America's love affair with stuff / Alison Stewart.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stewart, Alison, 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Compulsive hoarding--United States.

Compulsive hoarding.

Collectors and collecting--United States.

Collectors and collecting.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (308 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Illinois : Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"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 Cafe, 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"-- Provided by publisher.

"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? Junk details Stewart's three-year investigation into America's stuff. She rides along with junk removal teams like 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Front Cover; Front Flip; Title Page; Half Title; Copyright; Contents; Introduction; Chapter I: What is it?; 1: The 411 on Junk; 2: Pack Rats (Human and Otherwise); 3: Junk as Art: Q&A with Vince Hannemann, Creator of the Cathedral of Junk; Chapter II: Who has it? and Why?; 4: From Austin to Akron: Junk Busters USA and Trash Daddy; 5: Defining Your Terms; 6: Space Junk: Q&A with Donald Kessler, Former NASA Scientist; Chapter III: When did it become Big Business?; 7: Junk Vets: Chicago, Illinois; 8: Business and Show Business

9: TV Junk: Q&A with Brent Montgomery, Executive Producer of Pawn StarsChapter IV: Where should it Go?; 10: Annie Haul: Portland, Oregon; 11: All You Need Is Less; 12: Free Junk: Q&A with Deron Beal, Founder of FreeCycle; Chapter V: How can you Use it, Fix it, or Love it?; 13: Junk Recyclers: Regeneration Station, Asheville, North Carolina; 14: The Repair Café; 15: For the Love of Junk: Q&A with Mary Randolph Carter, Author of American Junk, Garden Junk, Kitchen Junk, and Big City Junk, Among Others; Epilogue; Acknowledgments; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Back Flip; Back Cover

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-61373-056-X