Trashed

Backderf, Derf. Trashed. Abrams ComicArts, 2015.

This book alternates between the story of a fictional trash collector going about his daily tasks and factual information about trash collecting, its history, recycling, etc. There is good information about the amount of trash people create each day as well as a good peek into the life of a trash collector.

I've been a cafeteria worker, a retail employee, a cashier, a college dorm custodian - all of which were low-paying, high stress jobs involving lots of "yucky" work, but I've never been a trash collector. That being said, I enjoyed the fictional parts of this story the same way I enjoy reality TV - it's fun to glance at a world completely different from my own, but it's easy to zone out and ignore it, too. The informational parts were not remotely surprising, and I do wish that there were an additional section about ways to reduce the amount of trash we create or organizations that are working on that very problem. Overall, this book was well-written, well-illustrated, and I could see this being a great book to give to reluctant teen readers.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, some new-employee hazing, alcohol use by adults
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars