I thought this book would be about the grimey business of crime scene cleanup and instead focused more on the author’s trauma, which is also important but not what I expected.

Well done but brutal book. The writing could of been better as i found it quite choppy but the story and the writers experience was very honest

The stories of Sandra the trans woman and Sandra the crime scene cleaning business woman are equally fascinating. This book informs us of the ins and outs of two little known lives- the emergence of a trans woman and the evolution of a business cleaning up the unspeakable horrors humans inflict upon each other. Highly recommended.

Thank you for the access to an early copy.
The story within the pages was not what I was led to believe from the synopsis. I struggled to connect and ultimately made the tough decision to set the book aside and move on.

This biography was a major emotional rollercoaster - it was tragic, yet it is beautiful that Sandra can find joy and humor in many of life's lemons.

The title was misleading on this one. I thought this was going to be about different stories/situations that a trauma cleaner experienced cleaning up after death. It sounded intriguing and different. Unfortunately, it was more a story, and somewhat unreliable at that, of the cleaners traumatic life. Just wasn't what I was expecting.

I wanted to hear more about the actual trauma cleaning as opposed to just hearing about Sandra's life.

I often wonder how some books end up with the titles they are assigned. Sometimes is just doesn't make sense to me and I struggle to connect the title to the story I just read. The title "The Trauma Cleaner" took on a whole new meaning as I was reading Krasnostein's work. Yes, she pens the humor, horror, and compassion behind what it takes for Sandra to run her business that focuses on cleaning up after any variety of traumas - including death, hoarding, and natural disasters. What gave the title more meaning for me was how eloquently Krasnostein tells Sandra's personal story of trauma and how she handled it throughout her life. Sandra is such a multifaceted person with a history I certainly did not anticipate, and her inability to clean up the disasters in her own life are in stark contradiction to how efficient she is with her trauma cleaning business. This was a tragic yet beautiful story and readers will find surprises on every page.

This is great. Excellent writing, fascinating subject. Sarah Krasnostein has written an uncompromising, unsentimental biography cum love letter to this trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst, not afraid to show the bad as well as the abundant good. Pankhurst is a complex person who has been through far more than most, and through her work helps other damaged people even at great risk to her own personal health and safety. Australia should consider Pankhurst a national treasure. Kudos to Krasnostein for peeling back the layers of Pankhurst's life with eloquence and sensitivity.

Highly readable. I found this book to be a unique mix of biography and voyeurism. The author provides a compelling look at the life of Sandra Pankhurst. The author strikes a magical balance between the stories from Ms. Pankhurst"s business, which are intimate looks into the results of isolated deaths and hoarding, and the compassionate telling of Ms. Pankhurst's extraordinary personal story.

Remarkable! I finished it in two days-- I would have finished it in one but I had work! I wasn't sure what it was about based on the synopsis but it was great!

This book was so surprising, in a good way! Krasnostein is a beautiful writer with such stylistic prose. It was a wonderful discovery in what seemed like it was probably a stunt memoir based on the premise and cover art.

This is not a simple book. The author, Sandra, was the narrator and she talked about her experiences in her life. Many of them very life changing. She has done so many different things in her life.and lived through a lot of trauma and violence. There are some parts that may, in fact, offend readers, so be forewarned. As the ad for the book says, "Husband, father, drag queen, sex worker, wife. You've got to hear Sandra's incredible story.". It is amazing how strong of a person was became and got through all of this. The book was well written and emotional. It can be hard to read at times, but it is worth the read.

My students will love this book. They love memoirs, the stranger, the better. And this is a job that will gross them out, and yet they will keep on reading. What more could you ask for?

This book is near impossible to describe. It is the "true" (this memoir is forthcoming that all details may not be accurate) story of Sandra Pankhurst, who begins her hard life as a boy, and ends it as a transsexual trauma cleaner helping others through some of their worst moments. It is funny. It is sad. Sandra is unforgettable. If you like unusual stories and are not too "judgy'" you'll enjoy this peek into a life that you likely will not rub up against in your own.

I began reading this book thinking it would be a non fiction account of a woman who cleans up after homicides, suicides and hoarders. What you get with this book was so much more. I actually felt like the trauma cleaning was just a side arc in this memoir about a transgender woman.

Sandra was born a male, but a lot of her memories are missing so she cannot remember entire portions of her life. She doesn’t even remember what her name was as a child. She was adopted and her parents were abusive and neglectful until they kicked her out of the house. She got married at 19 to a woman,it it never felt right. They had two children and it still didn’t feel right. She was sneaking out to gay bars and dressing in drag until her wife confronted her at a gay bar. She continue to avoid her wife, always she wants child support. After abandoning his wife and two children, Sandra begins taking hormones to transition to being a woman. She dates another woman and decides they want a child. The other woman will carry the child to term, but will use Sandra’s information for the child. This struck me as strange since Sandra was not involved in the lives of her other two children. The book continues to jump between Sandra’s past as a drug using transsexual prostitute and her current profession as a trauma cleaner.

I felt like this book was very repetitive and found myself loosing interest and skimming sections. It was an interesting premise, but far too drawn out.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded so interesting as i have an interest in true crime. But this was definitely not what I had expected. It was slow and kind of boring in my opinion, not to say the woman's life story isn't neat or important, she definitely lived a unique life, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of Sarah Krasnostein's biography, The Trauma Cleaner, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Sarah Krasnostein explores the life of Sandra Pankhurst, a woman who beat the odds by surviving an abusive childhood in Australia to lead an extraordinary life, including running her own trauma cleaning business. 

LIKE- The Trauma Cleaner was not what I expected, but was a wonderful surprise. Krasnostein alternates chapters, exploring Sandra's life in the past and present. In the present chapters, we see Sandra's current life and specifically, how her professionalism and empathy impacts the lives of her clients. Some of her clients are the families of the deceased, homes that Sandra's team is hired to clean after a tragic death. Other clients include the living, people who are hoarders and need help cleaning up their environment. Sandra has a very special touch with people who are in pain and need her help. She is firm, yet compassionate. What's interesting about the present chapters is how Sandra is equally impacted by the clients she serves. Part of the reason for her success is that she lets those in need into her life and is deeply touched.

The past chapters take us through Sandra's life. Sandra, born male and named Peter, was adopted as an infant, becoming the second oldest son in a large family. From an early age, Peter/Sandra, was emotionally and physically abused, eventually being made to sleep in a shed in the backyard. He was isolated from his family, a family that he desperately wanted to please and be shown inclusion. It's heartbreaking.

In his late teens, Peter moved out and got married. He had two children and ended up abandoning his family just a few years later. The guilt over abandoning his family would stay with Peter for his entire life. He never had a proper reconciliation. Krasnostein interviews Peter's wife, adding another layer to this biography. As Peter grew comfortable in his own skin, he began to take hormones and prepare to undergo a sex change operation, eventually leading to his new identity as Sandra. The road was very bumpy, including substance abuse, prostitution, and many other dangerous situations. Quite frankly, it's surprising that Sandra survived.

Later in life, Sandra found love and married again. Although the relationship ended in divorce, she found her true calling with her trauma cleaning business. A big theme of The Trauma Cleaner, is Sandra's life-long quest to find herself accepted, needed, and loved. The people whom she helps are often those who also feel lonely and abandoned. Sandra helps in a way that goes beyond a professional transaction; she treats all of her clients with tenderness and respect. She makes them feel valued, even when they don't have the same feelings about themselves.

Sandra was born in the 1950's, when the world was a far less accepting place for those who are different. It was shocking to read about how Sandra's job options as a transsexual in her early adulthood were limited to prostitution and drag shows. It was something of a miracle that she was able to transition to living an open life with a traditional marriage and conventional job: first working at a mortuary, then with her husband, and eventually building her cleaning company. She's is an inspiration.

DISLIKE- Not much. The only negative is that the chapters dealing with the present day were uneven with maintaining my interest. I'm not sure that we needed quite as many examples of the present day to truly grasp Sandra's resilient spirit and empathy. The biography feels too long.

RECOMMEND- Yes! I was expecting more of a book about the business of trauma cleaning, but I'm thrilled that this was actually a story about an amazing woman overcoming adversity. The Trauma Cleaner is the type of story people should read to be reminded that everyone has their own troubles and that we should show compassion to everyone that we encounter. The world should be a kinder place.

The description sounded right up my alley but I had trouble connecting with the author and her story.

I just couldn't connect with this book. I wanted to love it because of the quirky nature of the main character, but the writing style kept me at too much of a distance, for too long. I think it would've been better had it been told as a direct narrative (IE from the subject's point of view) as opposed to from an outsider, looking in. But could just be my personal taste! Not going to post on Goodreads because I think this just wasn't my cup of tea.