The Art of Dumpster Diving, Jennifer Anne Moses
The Art of Dumpster Diving, Jennifer Anne Moses
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The Art of Dumpster Diving

Author: Jennifer Anne Moses

Narrator: Matt Godfrey

Unabridged: 4 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/17/2020


Synopsis

From award-winning author Jennifer Anne Moses comes an incredible story of the power of family, love and the human-spirit.Sixteen-year-old James and his little brother, Danny, live in Crystal Springs, Louisiana, with their grandmother, mother, and first cousin, Lila. The family is working class, proud, strict, and church-going. When a big, clumsy boy named Gabriel moves up the street with his minuscule and mysterious “auntie,” James has a new friend who he loves and hates in equal measure. When Grandma dies and Lila runs away, James and Danny’s mother struggles to make things work, but something’s wrong, so wrong that one awful day, James finds his mother lying in her bed, dead. Panicked, he runs to the only person he can think of, his friend Gabriel. He insists that if the authorities know that there are no adults at home, they’ll send James and Danny away to foster care or worse, and ends up convincing James that the only way to maintain any kind of decent life for himself and his little brother is to carry on as if things are normal. The boys bury the body under an abandoned house, and, as James tries to make ends meet (procuring food from dumpsters) things become increasingly desperate. It’s Gabriel who comes up with a “master plan” to find a woman who looks enough like the boys’ mother that she can pass for her—and get money out of the bank. They recruit Lucetta from a soup kitchen, and she moves in. For a while, things begin to look up—and then they fall apart completely. But in the process of losing everything, James and his brother Danny gain a new family, one based on grit, faith, and hope.

About Jennifer Anne Moses

Jennifer Anne Moses is a multigenre author whose books include Visiting Hours, Bagels and Grits, The Book of Joshua, Food and Whine, and Tales from My Closet. Her short stories and essays have been widely published and anthologized. When she isn’t writing, she’s painting (www.JenniferAnneMosesArts.com) or walking her beloved mutts. For many years, she lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with her husband and children. She now lives in New Jersey

About Matt Godfrey

Matt Godfrey was raised on O'Connor, Welty, and Lee, and spent most of his teenage years in Yoknapatawpha County. But he traveled wherever the books took him, from Alabama to Tokyo, Twain to Murakami. Now he has the privilege of bringing those books to life as an audiobook narrator. He works in all genres and in a lot of accents, but specializes in his beloved Southern Gothic. He is a two-time nominee for the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences Awards and the Audiobook Reviewer Listener's Choice Awards. He has a fully equipped home studio and works with major publishers, small presses, and indie authors alike.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dianne on June 22, 2020

2.5 rounded up. This was a fairy tale look at an extremely important subject matter - the death of your parents and staying out of foster care. Why in the world did James (the elder brother) ever listen to his friend Gabriel? This was a plot device that made this go from an interesting book to a horro......more

Goodreads review by Carolyn on October 27, 2020

A little slice of tragic life told with a light touch. The writing is direct and engaging; it feels like a YA selection. The ending seemed just a bit too neat & tidy......more

Goodreads review by Mrs. Reno on August 19, 2020

While the premise is intriguing and has some interesting facets the story itself seems underdeveloped and in many ways unrealistic. While I am sure that there are kids who slip through the cracks of social safety nets when caregivers die, and while I know that there are serious flaws in the foster s......more

Goodreads review by Amanda (spooky.octopus.reads) on March 27, 2020

This book is usually outside of the genres that I read, as I am usually into horror/thriller type stories. However, I was so excited to get this book from @turnerpub to read and review for just that reason; I needed a break from my usual reading, something different. I can honestly say that this boo......more

Goodreads review by Sonia on July 20, 2021

This fiction sucked me in and I simply needed to keep reading to see how it all resolved. This is the story of newly orphaned James and Danny (brothers), Gabriel their friend, their sister/cousin Lila, who ran away from home, and a homeless woman Lucetta who came to live with pretend to be their mot......more


Quotes

“This dialogue-driven exploration of coming of age in a small town in Louisiana will have readers asking for more…While horrible things happen, it is ultimately an uplifting look at coming to grips with reality and coming home … wherever that is and whomever that’s with.” School Library Journal

“A moving and heart-felt story of family and community and the symbiotic ways the two can shape and sustain one another. Set in Crystal Springs, Louisiana, the novel explores the entire family and neighborhood dynamic through the eyes of its big-hearted narrator, fifteen-year-old James.” Jo Watson Hackl, author of Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

“Jennifer Anne Moses is a wonder, an author who can conjure the worst and yet bring the story into the light, and with it, her reader. Glorious storytelling in an authentic voice.” Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author

“Moses’s prose is lyrical and fresh…” Publishers Weekly