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    Trash
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    Trash
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    Trash
    Audiobook5 hours

    Trash

    Written by Andy Mulligan

    Narrated by Full Cast

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three "dumpsite boys" make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city.

    One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It's up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat-boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money-to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

    Andy Mulligan has written a powerful story about unthinkable poverty-and the kind of hope and determination that can transcend it. With twists and turns, unrelenting action, and deep, raw emotion, Trash is a heart-pounding, breath-holding novel.

    “Rafael” read by Chris Nuñez
    “Olivia” read by Elissa Steele
    “Rat” (“Jun”) read by Everette Plen
    “Gardo” read by Ramon DeOcampo
    “Father Juillard” and “Jose Angelico” read by Fred Sanders
    “Frederico Gonz” read by Ozzie Rodriguez
    “Grace” read by Michelle Gonzalez

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 26, 2010
    ISBN9780307746788
    Unavailable
    Trash
    Author

    Andy Mulligan

    Andy Mulligan was brought up in South London and educated at Oxford University. He worked as a theater director for ten years before travels in Asia prompted him to retrain as a teacher. He has taught English and drama in India, Brazil, the Philippines, and the UK, where he has proved inspirational to many students. He now divides his time between London and Manila.

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    Reviews for Trash

    4/5

    205 ratings26 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is an interesting book. It has unlikely heroes and a mystery to solve. It's the only book I've read that is set in a garbage dump, but surprisingly, it is not depressing. I really liked it.
    • 4/5
      If you read the journalists reviews they liken this novel to Slumdog Millionaire. There are similarities in so far as the central characters are from the poorest quarters and both stories have clues and involve problem solving. Our three characters live in Behala a very poor area where all the country's trash is dumped. The only way these young boys can survive is by sifting through the trash for valuable and saleable articles and trying to earn some much needed dough. When they find a bag their lives change dramatically but not without some adventure. Using their wits and some contacts they follow the trail of clues to find the answer. Great fun read. The audience will root for these boys and gasp when they are within a hair's whisker of danger.Although this novel falls under the YA genre it did not feel that it particularly spoke to that age group. I felt it was a work of fiction that could appeal to all.
    • 4/5
      Raphael and Gardo are trash pickers in an unnamed country. The 14 year olds live in the dump and earn a meager living picking things out of the trash and recycling or selling them. Them Raphael finds something good - but an important politician and corrupt police are looking for it as well.
    • 5/5
      Before i read it i didn't know it was already made as a movie. This book is very well written.
    • 2/5
      I found this book to be really dark. I felt sad about boys making a living picking trash and living amongst it. When Raphael was tortured by the police I was aghast at corrupt law but I know it exists. I found it a good story with some intriguing twists. I did like the ending.
    • 5/5
      While scavenging the trash heap, three boys in an unnamed third world country find something that some very powerful people want. Raphael, Gardo, and Rat (Jun) are on the run trying to unravel the code that may make them rich. The characters are well-drawn, the action builds momentum, the conditions in which they live is heartbreaking and vividly described. The resolution is satisfying. A lot to talk about in this book.
    • 3/5
      14 yr old Raphael and Gardo team up with younger boy, Rat, to figure out the mysteries surrounding a bag Raphael finds during their daily life sorting through trash mountains in a dump of an unnamed third-world country. Political corruption, police brutality and the crippling poverty of the people who make their living sorting others' refuse for a profit. Setting feels like the Philippines even though not specified, probably because author spent time there. Told through the voices of the boys, the priest and school volunteer, individual voices don't feel distinct and the writing lacks some of the immediacy of the situation. Nominated for an Edgar in 2011.
    • 2/5
      Trash by Andy Mulligan is set in a Philippines inspired but unnamed nation. Rafael and his friends work in the dump, sifting through the trash heap for things the can either use or sell.One day they find something top secret and dangerous. It's immediately clear that they have to keep it away from the corrupt police.The book starts off from Rafael's point of view. He has such a strong, clear and compelling voice that he should have carried the entire story. Then other points of view are added and none of them can fill Rafael's shoes.
    • 5/5
      A fast paced, well written thriller about three poor boys who live on a trash dump in an undisclosed Third World country, who pick through the trash to find recyclables and other potential valuable items. One day, Raphael finds a wallet with cash and a mysterious note, setting in motion a treasure hunt and chase as corrupt politicians hound the boys. My quibble with the book was that it did not set the Third world country in a believable space. Some of the names, like Behala (the town) evoked Indian or Southeast Asia, while the names of the characters, Raphael and Gordo evoked Latin America. But even Raphael would have been spelled Rafael. The other name Jun-Jun had an Asian feel. So those details annoyed me every once in awhile.
    • 4/5
      This was a well written and well thought out novel with some entertaining moments - and rather a few more serious ones too. The plot was perhaps a little over-the-top, but it was enjoyable and kept me hooked as the children set about solving the mystery that they had uncovered. I believe that the youth of today need to read more about children living as these three boys did - spending their days squabbling in trash for a few coins, to really appreciate how lucky that they are. I would recommend it for ages 10 .
    • 4/5
      A compelling dystopian story with a suspenseful mystery at its center.
    • 4/5
      An unspecified-future setting in an unspecified place, likely Latin America. An intriguing mystery in which even our heroes are not precisely "good guys;" they make many unscrupulous choices in their quest to find a boatload of money that's been hidden by a modern-day Robin Hood.

      Too tired to draft a booktalk now, but really, just pass this to the teens who enjoyed Ship Breaker. Plot-wise they don't have a ton in common besides poor kids scavenging to get by, but there's a similar tone to the writing.
    • 3/5
      Raphael and his buddy Gardo live in terrible conditions - their house surround and are made out of the trash of their large city. Daily they sift through the mountains of rich garbage for anything salvagable for trade, selling, or use, until one day Raphael finds a wallet. Soon after, the police are at the dump looking for the wallet and offering handsome rewards to the dump dweller who finds it. Raphael begins to look closely at his find and discovers that something is definitely very fishy. As he, Gardo, and the loner Rat begin to solve the mystery of the Mayor's wallet, they put themselves, their families, and their community in terrible danger.As I was reading I assumed that the book was set in Mexico (the currency was pesos) and that it was set in the future because I couldn't imagine people living like that today. After reading the whole book with this mindset, I read the epilogue which stated that it was based on communities in the Philippines. It was disappointing that because I didn't have a good frame of reference for that culture that I missed out on understanding the book's background - something the author could have, and in my opinion should have, made more clear. The story was heartbreaking and riveting, but definitely not for the faint of heart.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing, supenseful read! I could not put this book down. Three boys are on the mystery of a life time, following clues left by a man they have never met, that could quite possibly change the outcome of their life. Living in absolute poverty in a corrupted third-world country, Raphael, Gardo and Rat seem like there is nothing for them to live for. Their daily job is picking through trash, hoping to find something they can sell for a meager amount of food, until one day they find a wallet, bag and clues that can change their life forever, if they can escape the police.
    • 4/5
      Raphael, Gardo, and Rat are among many people who try to eke out a living by digging through trash dumped where they live in this fictional developing country (based on the author's visit to Philippines). One day they find a valuable package that has money, a key, wallet, and a map inside. The police are on the hunt for the package too, but the boys keep their find to themselves. Soon they are on the trail of a mystery that involves government corruption and millions of dollars. An action packed read with twists and turns and wits. I enjoyed it at the same time it made me so sad that corruption and poverty could force people to lead lives whose very survival revolves around what other folks throw away. The story is told in multiple using multiple narrators to get the wide range of people involved to include their point of view.
    • 5/5
      Trash tells the story of three young boys whose lives are dominated by their orphan status and their work as trash-pickers in a country of desperate poverty. The careful attention they pay to the mounds of trash left by the daily drop-offs of the trash trucks often finds them something valuable enough to trade for food or to use for themselves. The adventure starts, however, when Raphael finds a small bag--with a wallet inside it! The boys don't know why, but their find holds great interest for the local police, who are covering up a scandal involving both police and government corruption.Raphael, Gordo, and Rat are forced to use their good sense and the street smarts they have developed as trash kids to outsmart the men who are after them and bring justice to those who deserve it. Several of the main characters, and a few minor ones as well, take turns narrating the story, so that readers must piece together the narrative from different perspectives. I can see this device giving some younger readers trouble, but I thought the demarcations were clear enough, and the voices well-developed enough that even young readers could catch on.This is an excellent book, particularly well-suited to middle school, where student awareness of the difficulties of life in other countries is becoming more of a concern to readers. The issues of poverty, homelessness, and corruption would lead to very good class discussion.Suggested audience: ages 10-15, struggling readers
    • 4/5
      A riveting mystery told in multiple voices! Raphael, Gardo, and Rat are three teenage boys who live in Behala, a ghetto of desperately poor people on the edge of a massive garbage dump just outside a large city in a Third World country. They live in overcrowded shacks and abandoned shipping containers, and survive by searching through the trash every day, looking for recycleable items to sell for pennies. One day Raphael finds a small leather bag with a wallet, a key, and a map of the city. The boys are thrilled to find 1,100 pesos in the wallet (about $25), but are terrified when the police show up to announce to the entire population of Behala that they are looking for the bag. Rat figures out the key goes to a luggage locker at the Central Train Station in the city, and there they discover a letter and a note of numbered code, all addressed to one of the most famous political prisoners in the country. Every piece of the puzzle leads them further down a dangerous path, where the truth about a powerful Senator could get them all killed. The boys take turns telling the story, as do the local priest who runs the missionary school, the nearly-clueless volunteer housemother, and the tombstone carver. Police brutality at the orders of the rich and ruthless and the horrors of intense and inescapable poverty make this a serious read, but the trust and loyalty of the boys shows hope in true friendship. 7th grade and up.
    • 5/5
      Raphael, Gardo and Jun-Jun are three young teenagers who live in a landfill in a smelly, corrupt third-world country (it never says it, but it's based on the Phillipines). They make their living sifting through the garbage, which is mostly made up of poop, for things they can sell: bits of metal, rags, and other things. In this way, these boys and their families barely scrape by, and sleep at night in a tower of crates that more or less keeps them away from the rats. Sometimes they stop by the school that was founded by charitable types that wanted the trash kids to have opportunities outside of the dump, but time spent at the school is time not spent finding things to sell. Most days, these kids find only poop. But one day, Raphael happens upon something really good. In a trash bag from a rich part of town, he finds a leather bag with a map, a key, an ID card, and best of all, a wallet that contains quite a bit of money. Highly unusual, and he knows it's important when the police show up that night asking if anyone found this leather bag, and offering a very hefty reward for them. Rather than give it up, Raphael enlists his friends in solving the mystery of these items, a journey that takes them to the vice-president's mansion, a heinous third-world prison, the cemetery, and other places. It's not all Scooby-Doo fun and games, though. They stumbled upon something very dangerous and it's going to take all of their garbage-kid survival skills to evade the police and avoid the awful punishment they would get. This was pretty thrilling and really well-written. Each character has a distinct voice, and the setting was evocative. My only complaint is that it was a tad unrealistic and a bit too neat in the end. But, you know. Awful consequences for poverty-stricken children aren't as inevitable in books as they are in real life. I would highly recommend this book in any case.
    • 4/5
      This story intertwines the lives of 3 young boys who live in the squalor of a dumpsite on the outskirts of their city. Finding a wallet while going about their daily business of survival ultimately leads the trio on a dangerous adventure. They need to use all their wits to keep one step ahead of the corrupt local police and government officials. By deciphering the cryptic clues and working out the codes they find contained in a map from the wallet, they end up visiting an old man in prison.....The story illustrates how good can win out over evil even when the odds seem to be stacked impossibly high!
    • 5/5
      Raphael, Gardo, and Rat are dumpsite boys. They live in the enormous dump in an unnamed South or Central American city. They survive by savaging through the garbage dumped each day by trucks from the city or by barges or train cars from other locations. Although none of them have parents, both Raphael and Gardo have relatives with whom they live. Poor Rat, whose real name is Jun-Jun, has no one and lives alone, except for the rats, in a pit that once housed equipment. They find paper, plastic, and metal, which they can sell. It is a meager existence, and they are often hungry. All of this changes when they find the little leather bag. Inside are a map and a key which will change everything.The perilous adventure which ensues requires each boy to exercise his own skills and strengths to ensure the survival of the group. They must battle corrupt officials and police as well as other desperate, poor people. This suspenseful novel will keep the reader riveted until the last page. There are some unpleasant scenes, including violence, that might be unsettling for younger readers. The narration shifts, sometimes mid-chapter, between the three main characters and some other minor characters. Although it is seamless, it could cause difficulty for some readers.Overall, I would highly recommend this novel for middle school and high school students. It will appeal to both boys and girls. Mulligan manages to create characters whose honor and innate goodness rise about their horrific surroundings. These characters will stay with you a long time.
    • 3/5
      Two kids, scraping a living sifting through rubbish looking for useful items, find something more valuable than they can imagine - the only problem is that the police are hunting for it as well.This adventure story felt like reading a film, it was quick and full of action. It was delightful to read something set in a latin american (I'm guessing) country. I disliked the switching from narrator to narrator, but that's just a personal prejudice. I also had the same difficulty with this as I did with As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth - my instinct in trouble is to turn to the authorities. In Falling of the Earth, that would have been a good move, in the story it would have made matters much, much worse. The story stuck with me longer than I expected.I'd give this to action adventure fans, also kids who like distopian stories.
    • 4/5
      Three ‘dumpsite boys’ are making their living by sorting through the mountains of trash that the city produces each day. Raphel finds a bag, and this sets in motion a chian of events that will lead him and his 2 friends into danger. Ultimate sacrifices are needed by the boys to gain the best rewards and solve the mystery of the bag.These boys have no parents, education or homes. Forced to live off the food they find on in trash, these boys want a better life. They are sneaky, perfect lyres, but they are loveable.Written in the voices of the 3 boys, the story is heart wrenching and powerful. The language is easy to read, although some of the content my make you gringe and will bring out all sorts of emotions in you. There is a good mix of twists and turns, and colourful descriptions.
    • 5/5
      What a treat! I felt like I was in a room listening to the participants take turn relating the story to me. The central three characters are inhabitants of a dumpsite in Manila known as Behala. Rafael and Gardo, age 14 and Rat, whose real name is Jun. Rafael found a bag while picking through the garbage. In the bag was a little cash, a map, and a letter. He shared the money with his friend Gardo and became very interested in the letter and map when police swarmed over the dump offering a huge reward for the bag.What follows is an action filled story of how these garbage-reeking boys follow a story about a vice president who swindled millions from foreign aid and a man who took a position in his house for years to be able to reveal his crime. Along the way, they get assistance from Father Julliard who runs a mission school in Behala, a British woman who volunteered there, and a dying prisoner.Wonderful story!
    • 4/5
      Trash takes place in an undisclosed but recognizably poor place where children scavenge for garbage as their only means of survival. Two boys, who are friends, find something valuable one day, and are smart enough to realize that what they've found might change their lives IF they are very careful and very lucky. They enlist the help of a third boy, and they follow a series of clues, all while being actively pursued by the police, and knowing that they really can't trust anyone. I was holding my breath through most of the story, rooting for Rat, Raphael, and Gordo the entire time.
    • 3/5
      I really, really wanted to like this novel. I'd heard such good things! I was expecting a heart-warming adventure story about three poverty-stricken boys living a tough life, who band together when they find something unexpected in the trash they comb through every day, and use this discovery to change their fortunes. The ironic thing is, writing that synopsis, that's exactly what DID happen in the book - and yet somehow it didn't hit the spot for me at all.Raphael, Gardo and Rat live in Behala, in a shanty town built on their city's rubbish dump. Each and every day they go out and trawl the heaps of new trash, painstakingly separating out paper, plastic and glass, which they can sell on, from the swathes of human waste and rotting food. Then one day, Raphael and Gardo find a mysterious bag, containing an ID card, a note in code, a letter to a local prison inmate, a photograph of a little girl, a key and a wad of money. When the police descend on their homes they realise they've found something very important, and set out on a journey of discovery that will take them right into the heart of the corruption and brutality they've fought to escape their whole lives.I think most of the problem for me was in the narrative rather than the plot. My first issue was that I didn't know where the novel was set - the Philippines, apparently - until I read Mulligan's 'Author Note' at the end of the book. This made it harder to imagine the setting and know what kind of voice to give to the children as I was reading - which might sound silly, but it really impeded my ability to picture the characters fully and thus 'get to know them' properly. The narrative skips between characters, each 'writing' their share of the story. Rat, Gardo and Raph each tell certain parts, and others are passed over to Father Juilliard, the headmaster of the Mission School in Behala, and Sister Olivia, a young English volunteer. I found that these adult voices helped clarify a few things in my mind, which was good, and Rat's voice was particularly endearing in its odd mixture of premature wisdom and childlike innocence. Horrific anecdotes of authority violence and the realities of life on the trash mountains are casually dropped into the boys' narrative in a way that really drives home the fear and poverty that overshadow their lives, but at the same time, I never felt like I really knew them, or saw the extent of their plight from a perspective that would allow me to really feel for them. Olivia's sections were the closest I came to understanding their world from that compassionate viewpoint.And that, in a nutshell, was what really stopped me investing in the book. Although I was shocked by the violent undertones of life for these youngsters, I didn't care enough, somehow. There was just something in the style and tone that left me feeling rather divorced from the whole thing. The narrative changes were muddled and didn't allow me to invest in any one character, or really feel the relationship between the three boys deeply enough. Rather frustratingly, I alternated between being completely confused as to what was happening, and being one step ahead of them in their quest to work out the mystery, thus completely dissolving any suspense I should have felt as the adventure progressed. The underlying politics of the situation were never properly explained, and the ending felt very rushed - though I admit, I had a few tears in my eyes when I read the trio's little epilogue.All in all, I was just disappointed. Disappointed that the author didn't make more of his unique characters and unusual setting; disappointed that the 'eye-opening' politics and corruption weren't clarified in a way that provoked real thought and concern; disappointed that I didn't connect with these three courageous little characters and their efforts to set right a terrible injustice. Oh well. I guess you can't win 'em all...
    • 4/5
      Raphael and Gardo are trash pickers in an unnamed country. The 14 year olds live in the dump and earn a meager living picking things out of the trash and recycling or selling them. Them Raphael finds something good - but an important politician and corrupt police are looking for it as well.