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Mongo : Adventures in Trash
Mongo Adventures in Trash
Author: Ted Botha
mongo n. 1 [1970s +] an idiot. 2 [1980s +] (US, New York) any discarded object that is retrieved. 3. [1980s +] (US, New York) a scrap-metal scavenger. (The Cassell Dictionary of Slang) — When journalist Ted Botha moved to New York from South Africa, where people constructed homes out of what others considered trash, he decorated his apartment wi...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781582345673
ISBN-10: 1582345678
Publication Date: 6/6/2005
Pages: 256
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 4

3.8 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 2
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

deeda avatar reviewed Mongo : Adventures in Trash on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
this was a very interesting book. learned a lot about people who collect things from the streets, including food, books and cans. along with people who use found items to design the interior of their home. interesting read.
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reviewed Mongo : Adventures in Trash on + 254 more book reviews
A look at the various people who pick trash off the streets in New York, and what types of trash they go after. There are the canners after aluminum cans, those pulling leftover food from restaurants, those decorating their apartments, and those reselling it either as junk or as good stuff.

It was a fun overview through the world of New York pickers, but it didn't have much depth to me. I always found myself wanting more--a more detailed look at where stuff went, how common the various types of folks were, how much they help or hurt the city, etc. I do wish I still lived near the students so I could pick stuff up when they moved out, but it's perhaps better for the space in my house that I don't!

A fun read, but more of an overview and some vignettes of people rather than anything in-depth.
reviewed Mongo : Adventures in Trash on + 317 more book reviews
An interesting book about collecting items from trash in New York City and the various types of people who do this. The only chapter I did not like was the one on collecting food from the trash to eat. It opened up a whole new world for me!


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