- The Glass Collector
The Zabbaleens of Cairo, a group of mostly Coptic Christians, are the Egyption city's "garbage people"; as a Zabbaleen, fifteen-year-old Aaron collects and sorts through Cairo's trash, then sells the recyclables to a merchant every two weeks in exchange for measly pay that barely provides for food. Aaron's specialty is glass; he is particularly adept at finding valuable pieces and sorting through the smallest scraps without injuring himself. When Aaron is caught with a vial of perfume that he rescued from a perfume shop's garbage, he is accused of theft and publically disowned by his stepfather, leaving him with even fewer options than before. Eventually, he agrees to do the vilest of the vile jobs—to work as a medical waster, sorting through bags of trash and biohazardous materials from hospitals in search of recyclable items. Aaron's life is a downward spiral of misery and despair, and the deep sadness of his tale is weighed down even further by the repulsive, stomach-turning details of sorting through garbage, excrement, and waste. The imagery is powerful, and the depiction of urban squalor chilling. The plot is less successful, however, with nothing happening aside from Aaron's descent, and the optimism of the ending is implausible. Readers who stick it out, though, will be glad to see Aaron at the threshold of a new beginning. An author's note provides historical context as well as information about the Zabbaleen of Cairo.