Garbage Bag Suitcase
A memoir by Shenandoah Chefalo
A story about what children carry, what systems miss, and why belonging matters.
In Garbage Bag Suitcase, Shenandoah Chefalo recounts a childhood marked by neglect, instability, and foster care. With candor, she explores the lasting effects of those experiences, the relationships and opportunities that shaped what came next, and the need to change how children and families are supported.
For individual readers, book clubs, educators, caregivers, advocates, and professionals who serve people, this memoir creates a starting point for reflection and a larger conversation about our everyday choices.
Available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. Planning a group read or event? Bulk orders begin at 10 copies.
“When we stop asking, ‘What is wrong with that person?’ and start asking ‘What has happened to that person?’ we can begin to change outcomes for those who have suffered great losses.”
Shenandoah Chefalo, Garbage Bag Suitcase
What Readers are Saying
“You will never see foster care the same way after reading this book. This is a must read for teachers and care givers of all varieties.”
- Barbara R. Campbell
“I would highly recommend this book to anyone working with youth, those who know of children in the foster care system and anyone who has ever loved a child.”
- Lin Benfield
“This plain-spoken memoir about growing up in an abusive and neglectful home, and later within the lonely confines of the American foster care system, is the perfect encapsulation of the quote: ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.’”
- Ann Elizabeth
"This well-crafted and controlled personal narrative avoids the traps of sentimentality that are easy to fall into when exploring emotional territory."
- Foreword Reviews
Meet Shenandoah Chefalo
Shenandoah Chefalo is the author of Garbage Bag Suitcase and founder of Chefalo Consulting. Drawing on her lived experience in foster care and her work with organizations that serve people, she connects personal story with practical questions about safety, belonging, leadership, and organizational responsibility.
Through speaking, training, guided learning, and implementation consulting, Shenandoah helps organizations move beyond trauma-informed awareness and into everyday practice. Her work spans healthcare, education, courts, public agencies, nonprofits, and human services.
Her memoir invites readers to consider what children carry, what systems miss, and the lasting difference relationships and everyday decisions can make.
Selected Recognition
2017 - DAR Women in American History Award
2017 - Best Non-Fiction Ebook from IPPY Awards
2017 - Midwest Book Awards, Winner for Best Non-Fiction in Social Science, Political Science & Culture
2017 - Independent Publisher Awards, Winner for Best Non - Fiction, Personal E-Book
2016 - Winner of the DAR Women of the Arts Recognition Award
2016 - Pinnacle Awards-Best Memoir
2016- Beverly Hills Book Awards Best Regional Memoir
2016 - Winner, Readers Choice Memoir
Bring the Story Into a Larger Conversation
Use Garbage Bag Suitcase as a shared starting point for a community read, conference, staff discussion, or professional learning experience. Choose books on their own or ask about pairing them with speaking or facilitated learning.
Books for Groups + Events
Order copies for a book club, school, agency, conference, or community initiative. Bulk orders begin at 10 copies. We confirm pricing, availability, shipping, and delivery timing in your quote.
Speaking + Author Conversations
Bring Shenandoah to your audience through a keynote, virtual author conversation, fireside chat, or Q&A connecting lived experience with belonging, relationships, and systems change. Books may be included in the proposal.
Guided Learning for Teams
Pair reading with facilitated reflection and discussion. Help your team examine what the story reveals about safety, belonging, assumptions, and the decisions people experience in your organization.
Planning a group order or facilitated experience? Share your approximate quantity or group size, audience, delivery location, preferred timing, and what you hope the conversation will support.
Books and facilitated experiences are quoted separately or together, depending on your needs. Please allow at least two weeks for bulk orders; availability and shipping may require additional time.