The Definition of Junk: An Alison Stewart Book Review
I come from a family of hoarders.
There was never a moment that was worthy of landing us on the popular A&E show, unless you count sweet little Auntie Florence. At a staggering four
foot eight inches tall, this woman really knew how to pack a home full of
borderline unsanitary items. The other members of her assisted living home
called her Slow Flo from Cicero and knew that if any of her family members were
there to visit that they needed to distract her while we hauled out dozens of
garbage bags full of junk. There was toast covered by a napkin in the seat compartment
of her walker and clothes stuffed in the closet that were claimed to be hers
but were definitely from the deceased woman that lived across the hall. There
was a photo of Jesus in a Cancun souvenir picture frame and paper place mats
cut up into squares to use as a form of note taking. They made us laugh and cry
and hope to God that we didn’t end up doing that one day. But as I said, this
trait is definitely in our genes.
In Alison Stewart’s Junk:
Digging Through America’s Love Affair with Stuff, she explores the vast
amounts of junk accumulated throughout the United States. From garage sales
that span entire highways to pawn shop dealers and junk removal services, she
dives into every possible definition of the word “junk”.
It begins with the story of Stewart's parents who, similar to
Slow Flo from Cicero, grew up in the Great Depression and accumulated anything
imaginable. After their passing, Stewart and her family dealt with a lengthy
process of removing everything from her parent’s basement. As a journalist, she
saw the story behind this concept and turned it into a unique style of
reporting. Her three-year exploration took her down Route 411 for a four-day
highway garage sale, into the homes of collectors and behind the scenes of
television shows such as Pawn Stars
and Antiques Roadshow. She interviewed
professional organizers, professional junk removal services and the very first
person to send a spam email. The different varieties of the term “junk” are
expanded upon far beyond its original definition.
Her work as an investigative journalist really shines throughout
the book, making each section more informational than the last. The dedication
she spent on each section of the book is incredibly apparent in the most
rewarding way. This is a topic that translates to generations of junk
collectors to generations of junk removers. I know it’s translated to me – I’ve
been on a junk removal kick since I finished reading.
Whether you’re interested in storage boxes from The
Container Store, giving Annie Haul a call or pawning everything off on TV, Junk is the perfect read to jump start
your spring cleaning this year.
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