Kimberly Rae Miller, 2013
Biography
If you could see Ms Miller now in her beautifully tidy apartment with its sparkling countertops and clean floors, you would never guess that she grew up in a junk filled home.
She new, growing up, that things were different in her home. She was embarrassed, always meeting friends at the street corner. She did not want anyone to see inside her house. There were stacks of newspapers, old computers, and many mail order boxes that had never been opened. Rats lived alongside the humans. Plumbing was never fixed. You just keep using water. And when things got too bad, she knew they would be moving on.
Coming Clean is about Ms Miller’s complicated relationship with her parents, her obsession with keeping clean and clearing away junk and how she ultimately overcame the demons that have followed her after having grown up the way she did.
This book is a total success in my mind. The author does an excellent job of telling the story and keeping a respectful tone towards her parents. It is obvious that the way she was brought up damaged her. It is just as obvious that she both loves and respects her parents. This book also impressed me with the fact that it is important to go through things once in awhile. It is ok to throw some things out!!
Do you have trouble with hoarding in any form? How are you going to solve that?
So She Reads 
One response to “Coming Clean”
I used to have so many books my shelves were tight, they were stacked along the baseboard and out of sight in boxes. I thought I needed more bookcases. But after a time realized I needed to make the books fit the space I had, because I had quite a few bookcases. It was helpful to think of giving the books a chance to be read by someone else if I took them to the thrift store. It was much better to have a curated collection for me. I hadn’t realized how much they added to the visual noise until I got rid of some. The purge lasted quite a while, but I feel their numbers creeping up again. It’s an ongoing process for me.