The Garbage King - Chapter Summaries
As we read the novel The Garbage King, by Elizabeth Laird, we will keep track of the significant
events in the note below. Remember, this is a summary; we only want to include the most
important events and details from each chapter.
Chapter 1
- introduced to Mamo and sister Tiggist - poor, live in a shack, no parents
- mother has recently died
- no money, might be evicted from hut because they can’t pay rent
- Tiggist leaves to find a job with Mrs. Faridah
- Mamo is kidnapped by Merga, claiming to be his uncle
- introduced to Dani - rich boy
- seems to be bullied by peers
- neglected by father - cruel, ashamed of Dani
- Dani’s mother is very sick
- Meseret (sister) gets along with father
Chapter 2
- Merga takes Mamo to countryside on a bus
- Merga sells Mamo to a farmer for 150 birr + bus fare
- Mamo tries to escape but fails, gets rope tied around neck
- gets to farm - meets farmer’s wife, two children
- Mamo is denied food until all others have eaten, only gets scraps
Chapter 3
- Dani is doing poorly at school - can’t focus
- feels embarrassed that he’s not doing better
- Dad ashamed that Dani is doing poorly - gets letter from headmaster
- Father threatens to send Dani to Jigjiga to live with Faisal - father’s friend, very strict
- Mamo takes care of the cows
- in danger of being harmed by farmer - farmer hits him with stick for not moving quickly
- Tesfaye (father) treats him like dirt when showing Mamo how to handle the cattle
- meets two other boys when watching the cattle - Yohannes, Hailu - makes friends
Chapter 4
- Dani’s father goes to London on business
- Dani feels more confident, happier that his father is gone
- Dani writes his exams and fails miserably
- Dani’s father comes home with news that his mother (Ruth) will get an operation in London
- Tiggest has good job working for Mrs. Faridah - helps run the shop and watches her daughter,
Yasmin
- Mrs. Faridah’s husband is sick - lives far away
- Mamo still guarding cows
- Meets Yohannes’s father - seems nice, caring
- Mamo asks Yohannes’s father to help him escape, but he refuses
Chapter 5
- Mamo sings for other boys
- Tesfaye catches Mamo singing and throws rocks at him
- One rock hits and scares cattle, causing the pregnant cow to fall into the water
- Mamo and Tesfaye try to lift cow, but can’t - the cow drowns, killing the unborn calf as well
- The farmer sees this happen, runs down the hill enraged
- Beats Mamo severely and almost drowns him
- Mamo tries to kill himself by eating the poison plant
- Dani’s mother goes to London
- Dani’s father finds out about Dani’s grades - says he’s going to Jigjiga tomorrow
- Dani plans to run away to his old classmate’s house (Giorgis) and starts packing
- Dani sneaks out
- Yohannes’s family takes care of Mamo while he heals
- Yohannes’s father tells Mamo that the farmer’s son recently died, and Tesfaye doesn’t like to
think that Mamo is taking his place - family not mean, they’re grieving
- Mamo returns to farm and runs away at night
Chapter 6
- Dani is in the city, afraid he’ll be recognized or caught by his father
- Dani goes to a restaurant and spends most of his money on food
- realizes that he can’t stay with Giorgis - he doesn’t know where he lives, and hasn’t seen him
in years
- Mamo runs through the night, finds road and gets stalked by hyenas, but scares them away
using Hailu’s advice
- finds road and tries to stop a truck - jumps in front of one to stop it
- the truck driver agrees to help Mamo and take him to Addis Ababa
- driver takes Mamo for breakfast
- Mamo tells the driver his story, driver cries - says he had to run away, too
Chapter 7
- Tiggist is in Awassa with Mrs. Faridah while she takes care of her husband
- Mrs. Faridah says Mr. Hamid has a chest problem
- other people say he has AIDS
- Salma - servant - friends with Tiggist
- Yasmin attached to Tiggist, doesn’t want to be with Mrs. Faridah - Mrs. Faridah is jealous of
Tiggist and starts treating her poorly
- Dani on the streets, worried about being found, being robbed, etc.
- Dani seeks shelter in a cemetery through a gap in the wall, sleeps in an empty tomb
- Ato Paulos (Dani’s father) comes home - finds Dani missing, gets angry with Zeni
- Ruth (Dani’s mother) calls home to check on everyone, Paulos dismisses questions about
Dani
Chapter 8
- truck driver drops Mamo off in Addis Ababa and gives him 10 birr
- Mamo starts searching for Tiggist - checks Mrs. Faridah’s store
- gets chased off by store manager, but finds out that Tiggist is in Awassa
- Mamo buys blanket
- Runs into Worku - tells him about Getachew (is in jail) and Mullugetta (has gone to school)
- Night falls, Mamo sees police, runs into cemetery, meets Dani by the tomb
- the boys share Mamo’s blanket for the night
Chapter 9
- Mamo and Dani wake up to church bells
- tell each other their stories - Mamo thinks Dani shouldn’t have run away
- Dani gives Mamo money to get breakfast, but regrets it - doubts Mamo will return
- Mamo meets up with Getachew, who begs a breakfast for Mamo
- Getachew tells Mamo about his gang, thinks he might be able to get him in
- Mamo returns to cemetery, shares food with Dani
- Dani finds puppy behind a tree in hole
- Puppy likes Mamo - Mamo names the dog Suri
- Dani gives Mamo a shirt to try and keep him connected to Dani
Chapter 10
- Dani tries to steal some water from the caretaker’s building, but gets caught
- The caretaker is nice - gives Dani water, lets him and Mamo stay in the cemetery as long as
they don’t cause any trouble
- Mamo meets Million - the leader of the gang
- Million agrees to meet Dani
- Dani is worried about joining the gang - pictures thieves and fighters
Chapter 11
- Tiggist sees Salma’s brother, Yacob, but doesn’t meet him yet - too shy
- Dani meets gang and is awkward and nervous
- Dani shares his things with the gang and is accepted
- Dani gives money to buy medicine for Karate - sick with a severe cough
- the gang finds scrap food behind a restaurant and eats that for dinner
- p. 202 - gang members described - Million, Karate, Buffalo, Getachew, Shoes
Chapter 12
- boys wash up in the gutter using dirty water from a bar being hosed out
- get soap and wash themselves and clothes in the river
- go to the garbage hill to scavenge
- Mamo finds a wool rasta toque - gets nickname “Garbage King”
- Karate taken to hospital, nuns make him stay because he is so sick
- Mamo and Buffalo fight - Million breaks them up and Buffalo apologizes
- Getachew steals cigarettes and gets chased by police
- Getachew takes a beating from Buffalo to stay in the gang - he had broken the “no stealing”
rule
- no food that night
Chapter 13
- Mamo notices Dani changing - losing weight, getting quicker, and he looks more like a godana
- clothes don’t look new anymore
- Mamo notices he is feeling tougher, less emotional than in the past
- The boys visit Karate in hospital
- Mamo carries him out without permission
- Have a good dinner and a fire, Karate doesn’t eat
- Dani tells Mamo they should take Karate back
- Dani tells a story to the gang
- Karate dies in the night - police ask who father was, Dani says Million
Chapter 14
- Tiggist and Yacob meet and talk every day
- Mr Hamid dies - Mrs Faridah says they need to return to Addis Ababa
- Tiggist agrees to wait for Yacob while he earns enough money to open a shop and start a life
together
- Karate’s body is taken away, gang is sad
- Million and Buffalo get drunk because they are sad
- Mamo and Dani go to Dani’s house to find out news about his mother (Ruth)
- Mamo asks at kiosk about Ruth, woman at kiosk says that Ruth is beyond praying for, thinks
she has passed away
- Ato Paulos is scared for Dani, more scared for himself - afraid that Ruth won’t love him
anymore for driving Dani away
- operation has gone well - Ruth is still alive
Chapter 15
- Dani feels he has nothing to go home to now that he thinks his mother has died - thinks his
father will still be angry with him
- gang frustrated that Dani isn’t helping to beg or get food, they stop giving him his share
- Dani writes a story and suggests that they sell the story for money - Mamo sells it for two birr
- Tiggist is lonely and afraid of Mrs. Faridah’s brother-in-law
- Mamo visits Tiggist in the shop, tells her what happened to him and that he’ll visit her again
later
Chapter 16
- Dani keeps writing stories, Mamo sells them to teachers at the university
- Mamo is sad that Tiggist didn’t seem to have room for him in her life
- Mamo sells a story at a boys’ school to Dani’s old teacher, who recognizes the handwriting
- Mamo goes and listens and sings with Bob Marley
- Ato Mesfin (Dani’s old teacher) takes story to Dani’s father - Ato Paulos looks haggard and old
from the stress of losing Dani
- Dani’s father and Ato Mesfin go to the streets in search of Dani
Chapter 17
- Tiggist worried Yacob has forgotten about her, scared Mohamed (Mrs. Faridah’s
brother-in-law) will rape her
- she calls Yacob, finds out he has been in Addis Ababa for a week
- Yacob finds her - has been looking all over the city for her
- Going to help in his cousin’s shop, save money so they can marry
- Yacob gets angry when he hears about how Mohamed has been treating Tiggist
Chapter 18
- boys listen to Dani’s stories and help him pick which ones to write down and sell
- the gang goes to beg, see Merga at the restaurant
- Mamo wants to get revenge, tells Million that Merga is the one who kidnapped and sold him
- Million comes up with a plan - they beg for money, buy nails and set them up around the tires
on Merga’s car
- Merga comes out a bit drunk, blows tires, gets angry
- the boys get him to pay Dani to guard the car while they guide him to a tire shop
- Dani buys marker and writes all over Merga’s car that he is a slaver and steals boys to sell
them (304)
- Merga returns and the boys get him to give them all his money before he runs in fear
- boys have a party with the money, Million and Buffalo get really drunk, Buffalo fights Dani
- Dani stands up for himself and wins the fight, stopping Buffalo before he falls into the fire
- Ato Mesfin and Ato Paulos arrive looking for Dani
- Dani refuses to come home at first, but Ato Mesfin tells him he is an excellent writer and that
he has tutors set up to help him get caught up in school
- Ato Paulos tells Dani that his mother is not dead, Dani cries and Paulos hugs him - Dani
agrees to come home
- Mamo feels abandoned - goes to find Tiggist, finds out she has moved in with Yacob
- Mamo finds them and is offered a place to live and a job in Yacob’s cousin’s shop
Chapter 19
- 3 months later
- Dani isn’t afraid of his father anymore - can stand up for himself at home
- Ruth is healthy and home
- Dani and Mamo meet up - Mamo is cleaned up and attending school
- the two boys go to visit the gang, Dani brings clothes and money to drop off with Million
- the gang is away, but they see Suri, who Mamo left in Million’s care
- two new boys show up and Dani and Mamo tell them to guard the gifts until Million gets back
- Dani and Mamo go home
