Metacritic Books

Mongo
by Ted Botha

ISBN: 1582344523
Bloomsbury USA, 288 pages, $23.95 		Nonfiction Social Sciences
Released 06/26/2004

Journalist Ted Botha takes the maxim "One man's trash is another man's treasure" as the thesis for his look into the world of nonprofessional garbage collectors. He visits with dozens of New York City residents--people of all ages, income levels and motives--who rescue an amazing variety of discarded items, or mongo, from the city's ample supply of trash.

Overall Metascore

This is an average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

75 / 100

Critic Reviews

Favorable Entertainment Weekly Daniel Fierman
It's delightfully weird, and thought-provoking enough to make you consider panning through garbage for gold.
Favorable Kirkus Reviews
An adroit paean to thrift, lasting value, and the bargain ethic. [1 Apr 2004, p.305]
Favorable Los Angeles Times Susan Salter Reynolds
The gleaners are unforgettable. [11 Jul 2004]
Favorable New York Observer Laura C. Moser
Botha's prose occasionally veers toward the clunky, but he writes about his subject with such earnest reverence that it's difficult, after a time, not to share his enthusiasm.
Favorable Publishers Weekly
Though some of Botha's observations are repetitive, he's an able guide through the undisputed capital of mongo. [3 May 2004, p.180]
Favorable The New York Times Book Review Jane & Michael Stern
So enamored is Botha of mongo collecting that he proselytizes for it like one of those handy-dandy crafts authors exhorting readers to ''Raid your wastebasket and join the fun!''

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