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Title details for Mess by Barry Yourgrau - Available

Mess

by Barry Yourgrau
Peter Brooke
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Millions of Americans struggle with severe clutter and hoarding. Barry Yourgrau is one of them. Behind the door of his Queens apartment, Yourgrau's life is, quite literally, chaos. Confronted by his exasperated girlfriend, he embarks on a heartfelt and too often uproarious project to take control of his disorderly apartment and life, and to explore the wider world of collecting, clutter, and extreme hoarding. Encounters with a professional declutterer, a Lacanian shrink, and Clutterers Anonymous as well as explorations of the bewildering universe of new therapies and brain science, help Yourgrau navigate uncharted territory: clearing shelves, boxes, and bags. Mess is the story of one man's efforts to learn to let go, to clean up his space (physical and emotional), and to save his relationship.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 10, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666597363
      • File size: 286194 KB
      • Duration: 09:56:14

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Yourgrau tackles the challenges and quandaries of grappling with hoarding tendencies in this amusing and insightful memoir. Narrator Peter Brooke captures the tone of the story with the right amount of bemusement, sincerity, and emphasis. He fleshes out the author's character with distinct narrative and speaking voices, while keeping a consistent pace of delivery. Other character voices are not as strong, but they don't need to be as much of the focus is on Yourgrau's inner workings. Yourgrau's journey from hiding to recognizing and trying to come to terms with his problem with a bit of self-deprecation and acceptance is a story that many listeners will appreciate for themselves or someone they know. L.E. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 30, 2015
      In this hilarious memoir, Yourgrau (Wearing Dad’s Head) regales readers with tales of his tendency to collect objects and keep them. He recalls a pivotal moment in his life when he refused to allow his girlfriend—her arms weighed down by grocery bags—into his apartment because of the piles of clutter covering every inch of his place. That evening she issued an ultimatum to him to clean up, and so began his faltering quest to sort through and throw out many of the items scattered around his apartment—including 45 cardboard boxes, 22 shopping bags, books and unopened boxes of books, 11 suitcases, and one baby grand piano. Throughout the narrative, Yourgrau examines the history of hoarding and famous hoarders, such as poet W.H. Auden; Homer and Langley Collyer, who were found dead in their Harlem home, one of them buried under “stuff”; and Aldon James, president of the National Arts Club. Along the way Yourgrau attends a Clutterers Anonymous meeting and visits various therapists, seeking assistance in his efforts to de-clutter his life and living space. Eventually, as he explains with wit and honesty, he begins to deal with the clutter, taking comfort that he’s not a hoarder but a collector, as he makes space for himself and that girlfriend he shut out five years earlier.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 26, 2015
      Yourgrau explores the world of hoarding, in this confessional memoir about his experience as a recovering hoarder. After being confronted by his girlfriend about his overstuffed apartment, he sets out on a path to clean up his mess. Using many examples, he provides a panoramic view of the challenges, anxieties, and resources available for people with hoarding tendencies. Voice actor Brooke captures Yourgrau’s proses quite effectively and translates his inner voice into a meaningful experience for listeners. Brooke masters the tone of each passage well, balancing reflections, confrontations, psychological jargon, anecdotes, and the tender moments, and the light rasp in his voices adds character to the narrative. He uses the right amount of emphasis to convey the more emotional aspects of Yourgrau’s quest to understand and overcome this disease.
      A Norton hardcover.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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