Garbage Bag Girl

by Celeste L. Edmunds, Richard Paul Evans

This book is an honest and vulnerable first-person account of Celeste Edmunds a young woman who was raised by drug addict parents and, at a young age, learned to survive and protect her siblings among rapists and drug dealers. Eventually the state separated the family and Celeste was adopted, alone, into a dysfunctional, fractured home where she was treated, by a sadistic and manipulating mother, as an unwanted outsider. Contemplating taking her abusers life, she eventually ran away, finding shelter wherever she could, until a compassionate woman stepped in to give her a home and love. Ultimately, Garbage Bag Girl, is an unforgettable story of hope.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

156 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2023

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this book from a podcast, where the author was interviewed (podcast: listentofrankieandjess). And my gosh… 💔 What a life this poor girl survived. 😢 This was a difficult read- abuse is detailed- so please be aware. ⚠️

[CAROL BOYD · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Not only a survivor, but a heroic survivor!!

I'm so glad I bought this book. I don't buy that many, but get ebooks through the library. I knew it must be a powerful story for Richard Paul Evans to be the co-author. I felt every pain Celeste endured. Only because of how well her story was told. My heart ached reading about the sexual abuse as an eight-year-old little girl. Made me cry inside for all the little girls and yes, little boys who are being abused even now. It has always gone on and will continue. So sad! As far as her being adopted, it was the worst thing that could have happened. Evil exists and people still suffer. Celeste's story reminds me of Joseph's story in the Bible in Genesis 50:20. How God uses bad things to bring about good things. Celeste is now the Director of The Christmas Box International, a non-profit organization that helps abused and neglected children!! I want to know more about Celeste and her life, her path to becoming a part of this wonderful organization. I was deeply moved by the hardships she endured. I want to learn about her spiritual journey. So, Celeste and Richard, I hope this book has a sequel!

[Mikenzie McMillan]

There are no words. I finished this book in one night! Celeste wrote her story with no holding back-a story of resilience even through a devastating experience of heartbreak from those who should have kept her safe. The child welfare system let her down. Amazingly, she has found a way to persevere.

Due to the intense and extremely difficult experiences she had and shared, I can’t rate this book. How do you rate someone’s experience? I can’t. Thanks for sharing your story 💛

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will tear your heart out and leave you wishing you could help every child feel the love this little girl was so rarely shown. Heartbreaking doesn't even touch it. It's astonishing how Celeste has turned her world around and become the person she so needed as a child.

[Travis Marcum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this one recently in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Unbelievably brave of Celeste to tell her story and share her resiliency with the world. There are many more like her and we must do all we can to find them and protect them. Suspect something? Report it.

[Alexis Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garbage Bag Girl is a raw, courageous, and deeply moving memoir that illuminates the harsh realities of growing up in the foster care system. Co-authored by Celeste L. Edmunds and Richard Paul Evans, this book offers an unflinching look into Celeste’s tumultuous childhood and her journey toward healing and hope.

From a young age, Celeste was thrust into a world of instability and abuse. Raised by drug-addicted parents, she learned to navigate a life filled with danger and neglect. At just seven years old, she was placed into foster care, carrying with her only a garbage bag filled with her belongings—a powerful symbol of the disposability felt by many children in the system. Over the next nine years, she was shuffled through numerous homes, each presenting its own set of challenges and traumas.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Celeste’s story is one of resilience. Her experiences are a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the capacity for love and forgiveness to heal even the deepest wounds. The narrative doesn’t shy away from the painful truths but also highlights the moments of kindness and compassion that helped Celeste find her way.

This book is not just a memoir; it’s a call to action. It sheds light on the flaws of the child welfare system and emphasizes the importance of providing a safe and loving environment for every child. Celeste’s dedication to improving the lives of children in foster care is evident in her work with The Christmas Box International, an organization she founded to support children in need.

Garbage Bag Girl is a must-read for anyone interested in stories of survival, strength, and the transformative power of love. It’s a poignant reminder that even in the darkest circumstances, there is always hope.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This is a horrible story but such a typical story of foster children. I feel if she wasn’t connected to Richard Paul Evans her book wouldn’t have been published.

[David L. Pierce]

I can’t rate the book because it feels disrespectful to cast all the authors experience under a label of a star rating system. What she told was brave and horrifying but necessary for the world to know what life can be like in the foster care system.

[Wayne Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Wonderful Story

This book is a wonderful and touching book to read. This shows the importance of love and kindness really impacts a person’s life. I feel so bad for children who are abused and neglected.

I am so thankful that Celeste was so blessed to overcome her trauma and challenges.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the most depressing book I have ever read. This girl was failed by her parents, family, school system, foster care, adoptive parents, and church leaders. She shows a real glimpse into the horrors possible in the systems that are supposed to protect and shelter kids. I'm sure this is not everyone's experience, but my heart ached for this little girl and the trauma she endured. I hope she has been able to reconnect with her siblings and is in the healing journey from her past.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celeste Edmunds didn’t have much of a childhood. She had to grow up fast, living with addicted parents and taking responsibility for her younger sister Tawny. Their mother spent most of the day on the sofa, drunk, while her father was a musician addicted to opioids, due to a painful childhood illness. Her brother Austin was the youngest, but when Celeste was eight and Tawny was six, Celeste made it her job to make sure her sister got to school okay, had enough to eat, and took her bath every night.

It was Celeste who kept Tawny safe, who read her bedtime stories, who kept an eye on her at school. But it cost her. She sometimes put herself in dangerous situations to protect her younger sister. And no one knew but her.

Celeste loved her parents, and her parents tried their best, but through arrests and rehabilitation programs, they just weren’t able to care for their three children. Eventually, the state thought it was best to take over care for the children. Austin and Tawny were placed together in a family that adopted them, but Celeste was on her own. She was devastated, separated not only from the parents she had known and loved but being taken from her brother and sister also.

Over and over, Celeste had been forced to pack up her belongings into her black garbage bag and move. Even once she was adopted, there was no stability in her life for many years. There was only abuse, alcohol, and betrayal. Until one of those moves became permanent.

After so many years of being bullied, hurt, neglected, and used, Celeste finally found a place where she was home. She was valued, she was supported, and she became the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Eventually, she went on to find success, become a mother, and now she’s also the executive director of Richard Paul Evans’ The Christmas Box International, a foundation that helps abused, neglected, and trafficked children.

Garbage Bag Girl is Celeste’s story, told in her own words, and it is heart-breaking and inspiring. It’s a fairly short book, but the journey it takes you on is long and challenging. Reading it, I got drawn into the story, to the pain, to the desolation, and to the eventual triumph as Celeste finds the love she was always seeking. After decades of not being listened to by all the adults around her, she finally found the words to share her story, and it’s powerful.

This book is not for everyone. It does include descriptions of physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse. There is addiction and bullying, and a host of social workers and psychologists who just didn’t have the wisdom or the tools to help Celeste and her siblings. Garbage Bag Girl is a challenging book to read, even knowing that everything ends well. But if you’re up to the challenge, then you will be reminded of the power of the human spirit. Because through everything that Celeste had to go to through in her life, she survived. And she’s here to tell her story with honesty, compassion, and grace.

A copy of Garbage Bag Girl was provided by FUEL Marketing, with many thanks.

[Kris Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Garbage Bag Girl by Celeste L. Edmunds
I have been a foster and adoptive parent for over 30 years. I am still shocked by how broken the system is. I have had countless numbers of children in my home. I have always treated them as if they were my own, with love and respect. Every child deserves to feel loved and cared for.
I know that there are bad people, homes, etc. in our world. I am not naïve. However, I am still shocked at the number of kids that end up in horrible situations in foster care. Celeste Edmunds, you have been through the wringer and still managed to have come out on the other end a better person. My hat is off to you friend.
This book is not for the faint of heart. Celeste has been through a lot and did what she had to do to survive. But this book should serve as an eye-opener to people. Reality is not as pretty as you would like to think. This is a worthwhile read. It will make you think.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celeste Edmunds was the longtime assistant of author, Richard Paul Evans, and is currently the executive Director of the Christmas box international. An organization founded by Richard Paul Evans that helps abused traffic and neglected children. This is her story. Born to drug addicted parents, abused, and neglected, she was ultimately removed and thrown into the foster system. Placed with even more abusive people. She learned how to survive, despite physical, mental and sexual abuse starting at the age of eight. Despite her struggles, she survived, and now shares her story, which is one of forgiveness, hope, and inspiration.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-Wrenching

The things the little gal, Celeste, endured in her life. My heart couldn't break anymore. She finally found that home she needed. I am so sad she was failed by so many that should have been in her life to help her. Why is it so easy for some to turn a blind eye to what is happening around them? I know she has achieved some amazing things despite her childhood. And that she is an inspiration for others. My heart and prayers go out to her and to so many others in her same situation.

This book was a hard read. It hopefully brings to light some of the problems in this world. And hopefully, all will be well with her.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography of main character in the Richard Paul Evans book, Finding Noel. Very graphic, sad, story of a young girl's life in the foster system. She describes the abuses she suffered by those who were supposedly there to help her, even once she was adopted! This book needs to be read by most of us to help us understand how exactly some children must live, but also to see that it is possible to overcome this abuse and survive if caring, love and a good home are provided. This book left me weeping for the children who must live in these situations and wanting to help them in any way I can.

[Venyce Martinez-Lunceford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The system failed Celeste so many times and while this is a story where you think how can things possibly get worse, it’s also a story about healing and how important compassion and kindness are in the world. Celeste somehow managed to find her people and grow up to change the system. I remember working with foster kids who stayed at The Christmas Box House and left with a real bag to keep their stuff in- this helps me understand why this is so important. Celeste is an incredible human being and this book is a must read especially for anyone working in child welfare or with children at all.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a true story that is tragic in so many ways. It is unacceptable that we have a foster system that allows atrocities like this to happen to innocent children. It exposes bullying that unfortunately still occurs today. It is also a book about the human spirit and resilience. Celeste's life could have taken a much different path, and she now dedicates her life to helping children. The books take you through a path of what she had to endure and how those that are still good in this world can make a difference in a child's life.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspirational story in the end, but it’s rough (language, sex assault of a child, other happenings) getting to that inspirational ending. Just be aware that the sensitivity warning in the front of the book is for real.

That being said, we have to give Celeste lots of credit for surviving such a childhood and then going on to do what she can to better the system for today’s children in the foster system! Her story is hard but it should be told.

[Linda Scroggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned of this heartbreaking book by a review from Richard Paul Evans. It is very emotional and well written. It is sad to think that Celeste and so many other children have been cheated by the system. She is a survivor and had a story to tell. What a remarkable person she is and how she has spent her adult life helping those who suffered her same tragedy. Kudos to you, beautiful person !!

[Kaylee Dupree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Met the author, makes the read heavy, the read is HEAVY regardless. But her story needed to be told. It is the story of many others. Aversive childhood experiences mold the adults that we become. We never know what others are carrying, and if it is influencing the way they are behaving. Highly recommend. Celeste, you are a miracle, you are a survivor, and you are so powerful for sharing your story,being for others who you needed when you were that little girl.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celeste is an amazing survivor and courageous woman for sharing her heartbreaking story. I read this in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

I am also so glad she had the good fortune to meet Richard Paul Evans so long ago and become his personal assistant. I am sure they have enriched each other's lives immensely.

[Robyn Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't say I loved this book. I almost stopped reading because it was so raw. She wanted to be honest but I didn't think all the details were so necessary. It is amazing she emerged from such a terrible childhood and youth to make something good of her remaining life. It was just too sad that someone had this life. :(

[Sidny Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. Going into the Social Work field myself, what is told in this book is the reason I want to do what I want to do. I want to help children, save them from the horrors no child should ever go through. Celeste Edmunds story is one that everyone should read and learn things from.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things this woman endured as a child are absolutely horrific. I work for a school district, I am an assistant to the homeless liaison and the stories I hear are heartbreaking. I want more than anything to make a difference. Reading this book just gives me more motivation to make a difference and to be a kind human being.

[Paula Delesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I'm rating 5 stars because she's a survivor and I can't believe the abuse she endured. It's not necessarily a gripping novel, but rather a tale of overcoming the shitstorm that life threw at her. I've heard of abuse, but for one person to endure ALL of this is truly eyeopening. You go,Celeste!

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense recounting of a young girl's growing up. Took great courage to share the graphic details. For those not ever having experienced anything of her past, it makes us uncomfortable, but opens our eyes to what some have endured.

[Tamara Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow!!

This was a sad but inspiring book. I could not put it down, I was saddened by the treatment of this child by the people who were supposed to protect her. I’m glad she found special people that showed her love and acceptance.

[Shanna Saffrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sad story but a great one of victory for her! Everyone should read this to be aware of the plight of some children that may even be in our lives. All children should be loved and cared for.

[Bec Bichard Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

What A Story

I heard of this book from a coworkers rendition of The Garbage Bag girl's life story & it intrigued me. Her story, her life & her resilience is fabulous & I admire her courage in telling her story. It was a pretty fast read but I loved it.

[Terri C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hard story to read but I know it happens more often than we know. This is the 2nd story of this nature that I’m aware of. It shouldn’t be this way - more people need to be aware and make a difference where they can