The Trauma Cleaner

By: Sarah Krasnostein

Narrated by: Rachael Tidd

Before she was a trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife... but as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. A woman who sleeps among garbage she has not put out for 40 years. A man who bled quietly to death in his living room. A woman who lives with rats, random debris, and terrified delusion. The still life of a home vacated by accidental overdose.

Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead - and the book she has written is equally extraordinary. Not just the compelling story of a fascinating life among lives of desperation but an affirmation that, as isolated as we may feel, we are all in this together.

Winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Literature.

Winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Nonfiction.

©2018 Blackstone Publishing (P)2018 Sarah Krasnostein

the kindness we all need

It's mostly trauma, with some cleaning. And the trauma is mostly the protagonist's. There is heart-breaking suffering revealed in this book. And there is tremendous compassion, understanding, gentleness, strength of character, and so much grace in this book that it is truly a balm for the soul of the walking wounded in 2018 America.

Look, it's about trauma

The title was apt because it works on two levels: the heroine is a trauma cleaner for her job, and this biography demonstrates how she has "cleaned" or adapted to her own terrible trauma in a variety of incredible ways. It's about resilience, about the crazy unpredictable ways trauma can affect your life, and it's a study of how one woman dealt with her trauma in such a human, flawed and admirable way. Yes, it's graphic and heavy. I suspect that if you've experienced graphic, heavy trauma yourself that it won't be off putting but uplifting. That's just my take. I'm studying trauma and healing from it right now, and it was exactly the story I needed to hear. Thanks for putting it out there.

Good story!

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, meaningful. I recommend it highly to everyone.

Unwavering

This was a tough listen at times, as the subject's life was so incredibly difficult.

The book was written with such compassion, respect, and admiration for Sandra, that it kept me listening through the most difficult parts of the narrative.

Well done, Sarah, and well done, Sandra.

loved it!

This is an amazing story. I listened to it very quickly. The narrator is outstanding. I highly recommend this recording.

A wonderful surprise

I downloaded this expecting a fun, sort of trashy parade of gross homes and crime scenes, and what I got was so much more. Sandra’s story, and Krasnostein’s telling of it, was incredible. She has been through so much and come out the other side to help those who are going through their own traumas now. Highly highly worth a listen, if you have at least a decent stomach!

Trauma Explained

Because of my own Complex PTSD..it is hard for me to put to words how much this book spoke to me..Ironically this book speaks for me and the many others trying to navigate life with a life altering-if not life crippling- brain injury that we call trauma. This amazing story offers hope to those of us who haven’t dared to hope in years. Outstanding!

A story about a lovely woman

The story of a lovely transvestite woman with a tough job of cleaning up after trauma, and the tougher life she went though to get there. I thought this would be more of a documentary type of book telling all the gory details of her job, but it was much more of a biography of Ms Parkhurst’s life. Still a good story though.

Wonderful!

there is a particular brand of compassion and camaraderie, paired with non-judgment and empathy which is impossible to describe in one or two sentences but is very distinctly identifiable. it's hard to put into words. but the subject of this biography is truly a shining example. I loved this story. I highly recommend it.

Really Enspiring

Wasn't what I thought it would be. But really close to the heart. Positive understanding.