New Novel Examines Freeganism, Other Survival Techniques
By Kim Glovas
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Dumpster diving may sound like a disgusting way to get your daily groceries, but a new novel explores that survival strategy, along with a deeper story.
The story revolves around a family which lives illegally in the Yosemite National Forest, and lives off the land and out of dumpsters.
Author Peter Brown Hoffmeister says his new novel "Graphic the Valley" is in part autobiographical.
"When I was a little kid, and we lived in Tuscon, and my family had no money, we were on a charity program through a neighborhood church and we did dumpster food from Safeway once a week. So each of the seven families at each Safeway had one day a week, and it was like canned and boxed food, and milk and peanut butter and cheese and there was really nothing gross about it," said Hoffmeister.
Listen: Kim Glovas interviews Peter Brown Hoffmeister on his new novel...
New Novel Examines Freeganism, Other Survival Techniques
He says his family to this day gets free furniture and free clothes from various locations and lost and found bins. The book explores a new wave called Freeganism, or the practice of reclaiming material goods, and discarded food.
