return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
twitter Bookmark and Share mail to a friend Email
   Summary and Book Reviews

Garbage Land: Summary and book reviews of Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte, plus links to an excerpt from Garbage Land and a biography of Elizabeth Royte.

Garbage Land

Garbage Land
On the Secret Trail of Trash
by Elizabeth Royte
Hardcover: Jul 2005,
320 pages.
Paperback: Aug 2006,
336 pages.

Publication information
Read an Excerpt
Reading Guide
Reader Reviews

Author Biography
Author Interview
Books by this Author
Critics' Opinion:   good
Readers' Rating:  Five Stars
About BookBrowse Rankings
Buy This Book
Themes Members Only Read-Alikes Members Only Add to Reading List  Members Only BookBrowse Review  Members Only

BOOK SUMMARY

Into our trash cans go dead batteries, dirty diapers, bygone burritos, broken toys, tattered socks, eight-track cassettes, scratched CDs, banana peels … But where do these things go next? In a country that consumes and then casts off more and more, what actually happens to the things we throw away?

Named one of the New York Times Top 100 Notable Books for 2005.

BOOK REVIEWS

Good BookBrowse
In a style reminiscent of Fast Food Nation, Royte investigates what happens to our garbage, balancing conversational reporting with technical details, covering both the economic and ecological perspectives of garbage.  
Full Review Members Only (253 words).

Media Reviews

Good  Publishers Weekly
All in all, this is a comprehensive, readable foray into a world we'd prefer not to heed-but should.

Good  Library Journal - Irwin Weintraub
Royte's exploration of the economic, territorial, and ecological perspectives of garbage disposal adds up to a fascinating trail of trash. Recommended for all who throw things away.

Very Good  Kirkus Reviews
While there are obvious ways to cope with waste-Royte clearly outlines them-the biggest problem is mindset: we're accustomed to the ease of the toss. Royte is a natural storyteller and skillful natural historian. Few others could have pulled off turning our feculence into fascination.

Very Good  Booklist - Donna Seaman
Starred Review. What her staggering expose tells us is that as the quantity, variety, and toxicity of our garbage increases, we must, like nature, evolve ways to reclaim and reuse everything we make.

Good  The New York Times - William Grimes
In Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, Elizabeth Royte shines a light on everyone's dirty secret. Like a garbage detective, she follows the used plastic bags, drink containers, old newspapers and, yes, bodily excretions that disappear into the trash can or down the toilet, only to reappear somewhere else, out of sight and out of mind...it's a fascinating, sometimes tiring, often depressing tour.

Good  The Washington Post - Jabari Asim
Royte discovers that alternatives, such as recyclable paperboard boxes, generate waste as well. "Which was preferable? The choices, like so many at the intersection of consumerism and environmental concern, were agonizing." The difficulty of making wise, meaningful decisions is a factor Royte often acknowledges in her praiseworthy book. But just as important as her admission that she doesn't have all the answers is her persuasive demonstration that no one does.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Marge
An Eye Opener
Elizabeth Royte takes a journey most of us never think about .. Where DOES the trash go? Who cares?? Well, as she does her personal journey and research, we learn we should ALL care. Reading the book resulted in some immediate changes (NOT...   Read More

Lists of books with similar themes


Read-Alikes


Other books by Elizabeth Royte
Buy This Book:

Become a Member
Click Here
Editor's Choice
  •  Feb 05 
  •  Feb 02 
  •  Jan 30 
Ragnarok
A.S. Byatt
Ragnarok Jacket War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
No One is Here Except All of Us
Ramona Ausubel
No One is Here Except All of Us Jacket A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Below Stairs
Margaret Powell
Below Stairs Jacket Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
The Printmaker's Daughter
Katherine Govier
The Printmaker's Daughter Jacket Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
Why We Broke Up
Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman
Why We Broke Up Jacket Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up.
BookBrowse members say ....
Recent Reader Reviews
The Healing by Jonathan Odell
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child... read more
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This book is one that will not disappoint. Although it may seem like it is "cliche" or "dull", it is not. The wonderful first... read more
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Uncommon Reader is a novella by novelist and playwright, Alan Bennett. The story starts with the Queen coming across the mobile library van... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
Book Club Recommendations
Take Me Home
by Brian Leung
Paperback (Nov/11)
City of Tranquil Light
by Bo Caldwell
Paperback (Oct/11)
Keeper
by Andrea Gillies
Paperback (Oct/11)
The Maid
by Kimberly Cutter
Hardback (Oct/11)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
No Mark Upon Her
by Deborah Crombie
Five Stars            (Feb/12)
Three Weeks in December
by Audrey Schulman
4.5 Stars            (Jan/12)
Defending Jacob
by William Landay
4.5 Stars            (Jan/12)
A Good American
by Alex George
4.5 Stars            (Feb/12)
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo
4.5 Stars            (Feb/12)
More...
   Most Recent Blog Entries
What Do a Pedophile, a Polygamist and a Tattooed Girl Have in Common?
12 Debuts to Cozy Up with This February
McDonald's Giving Away 9 Million Books With Happy Meals
Why I Read by Eva Stachniak
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
  Latest BookBrowse News
Arizona bills Amazon for $53 million in uncollected sales tax (Feb 06 2012)
The ongoing sales tax battle between many US states and large online retailers, most notably Amazon, continues with a thrust from Arizona which, last week,... Full Story
Amazon rumored to be opening bricks and mortar stores (Feb 03 2012)
There are mumblings in the blogosphere that Amazon is to open bricks and mortar stores. Launch.it offers four possible scenarios:

The first... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: How do you find out about new books? Choose all that apply
Recommendations from friends/family
Bookstore/library staff recommendation
Advertising
Search engines
Professional book reviews in print or online
Reader reviews online
Blogs
Social networks
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters

Online Book Club

More about
The Healing
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Kitchen House jacket

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"O M's M is A M's P"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Isabel Allende
Michelle Moran
Audrey Schulman
William Landay
frame bottom
HOME Submissions | Advertising | Libraries | Media Inquiries | Reviewers | Contact Us