My Life as a White Trash Zombie

By: Diana Rowland

Narrated by: Allison McLemore

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Paranormal, 2013

Teenage delinquent Angel Crawford lives with her redneck father in the swamps of southern Louisiana. She's a high school dropout, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a police record a mile long. But when she's made into a zombie after a car crash, her addictions disappear, except for her all-consuming need to stay "alive".

©2011 Diana Rowland (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Allison McLemore's delicate voice and Southern accent give Angel's first-person narration a humorous kick. McLemore excels at bringing Angel's self-deprecating and sarcastic comments to life. Her brisk pacing suits Angel's personality and draws listeners in from the first chapter, keeping them glued to their earphones as she plays up the book's 'gross factor' with drawling descriptions of gooey brains and crunchy skull cavities. She's also good at giving unique voices and mannerisms to secondary characters." ( AudioFile)

Started as a joke read but totally hooked!

The narrator is GREAT. Probably my favorite so far. The story is silly, fun, serious, a little everything! It's binge worthy good! I admittedly only gave it time of day cause the title was so hysterically silly but i'm glad I did!

Love Love Love

Would you listen to My Life as a White Trash Zombie again? Why?

Yes......its just a fun book....love the sarcam

What other book might you compare My Life as a White Trash Zombie to and why?

na

Which character – as performed by Allison McLemore – was your favorite?

Angel of Course....

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Any additional comments?

Hope the series finishes the way it started...on to book 2

mystery- drama from the perspective of a zombie.

What did you love best about My Life as a White Trash Zombie?

I've listened, read and watched different plots of the zombie apocalypse. I thought this would be a nice change of pace. First of all this in no zom-apocalyse book. More like the old vampire novels where they hide in the plain sight of the public going on with their daily lives feeding in secret. Only think zombie instead of vampire and brains instead of blood. This book kept me listening and not wanting to stop. The main character, Angel Crawford, is well developed. The 21 year old is a drug abusing highschool drop out after an OD she gets a second chance at life as a zombie. lol I really enjoyed the mystery part of the book keeps you guessing right to the end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Life as a White Trash Zombie?

Angel's colorful vocabulary is one thing. And "Zombie Super Powers, Activate!" lol

Have you listened to any of Allison McLemore’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Allison McLemore's other performances, but I think her voice suits the character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot through out the novel. But there's parts through out the book that had me angry at the situation and characters in the book. Like a drunk abusive father or useless druggy boyfriend.

Completely addictive

Any additional comments?

This series is so, so fun. I picked up the first two books on sale on Audible and I was instantly hooked. The narrator, Allison McLemore, does an awesome job capturing all of the different characters - each voice was distinct and believable. As for story, I loved Angel, the heroine, who is a hot mess until she nearly dies and wakes up as a zombie. Becoming undead allows her to finally pull her life together. She's a strong, fierce, imperfect heroine who is easy to root for. She reminded me a little of Sookie Stackhouse - cute, Southern, uneducated but smart, caring, suddenly thrown into the supernatural world - but a way more awesome version. She doesn't get all dependent and stupid around guys. The romance is secondary to Angel's own journey, which I loved. OK, I would have liked a little more action in that department - just a little - because the love interest was pretty freaking hot. But I really appreciated that there was more to Angel and her story than guys.


This book, the first in the series, focuses on Angel's transformation and her figuring out what the hell is happening to her. While she's dealing with her sudden craving for brains and adapting to her new job at the morgue (convenient for her meal supply), she finds out there's a serial killer on the loose who is decapitating victims. Her zombie senses are tingling and she gets entangled in the mystery. This is an awesome start to the series, establishing the world while also drawing you in to the story. It's a complete arc within itself, while also leaving room for continuation.

I really wanted to like this.

I was on a bit of a kick with audiobooks. then I started listening to this. something about the southern accent and story line was just not capturing me. I thought I would really enjoy the characters but they felt a bit one dimensional. This was outside of the realm of my normal audiobook listening (biographies and sci-fi) so that may have been a reason for me disliking it.

ANGEL CRAWFORD! WHITE TRASH, EATS BRAINS, LOVE IT!

Would you consider the audio edition of My Life as a White Trash Zombie to be better than the print version?

Of course the audio version is better with Allison McLemore at the helm. She does a deep Southern (modern) accent without overdoing it. All her characters have a distinct voice, their own drawl. Men, women, good guys, bad guys, rich, poor,
This and the other GREAT books in the series, I would not read. It's all about the Author and the Narrator mix. I am a professional Artist and Fitness Guru. I cannot read a book while working on a large painting. Will not run without a great book moving like a movie through my head. "My Life as a White Trash Zombie", is fun, funny and oddly touching.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Life as a White Trash Zombie?

Good Question! The memorable moments seemed to be when Angel would overcome some belief she had about herself. You know those, "I'm too poor to be at this party", "Can the other women tell I can't afford couture, or can they see my own sense of style".,"Wow, I actually pulled the skin off the head, sawed it open and took the brain out!"
Having the guts to start studying for her G.E.D.

What does Allison McLemore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Like I said above, no matter how good a book is as written by the Author, when it comes to audiobooks, it is ESSENTIAL that the Author finds a Narrator who not only understands the book, but understands the Author on a deep artistic level. Also the Narrator must be a talented actor. In an instant they must become many characters, all with different voices, attitudes, wants, needs etc. that have to come out in their voices.

MY cheers goes out to the truly dedicated and talented Narrators who add the magick that a good audio book needs in order to gather the masses.

If you could take any character from My Life as a White Trash Zombie out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Since this is the FIRST book in the series, it would have to be Angel Crawford herself. I would have hundreds of questions. "What really went through your mind when you realized that you had to eat brains or fall apart and decay like a corpse?" "What does feeling -TANKED UP- really feel like"? "Can you see yourself working up to getting out of that, white trash, label, getting you and your Father somewhere better?" "When I say better I also mean healthier, better friends, basically out of the gutter, no offense".

Any additional comments?

Both the Author and Narrator just make your root for Angel. Some people will always use her social status to bring her down. Angel gets mad and does not give up. She and her Father have a shaky relationship, but it seems to be on the up swing.
It is hard to imagine your home drive way paved with smashed beer cans, but Angel Crawford is going to turn it all around. You just wait and see.

Lil' ole girl like dem there brains

Any additional comments?

Man, can we get some zombies up in my neck of the woods. Fun story, great narration - not a bad way to start a series. Didn't take a lot of white trash brain cells to figure out the mystery, but the main characters zombie driven introspection, which leads to not only a dietary change, but a lifestyle change was a fun listen. Allison McLemore is amazing with Angel.

Wickedly funny and refreshing

I'm a true fan of Paranormal fiction. I have read a wide range and loved this series. I'm a Graduate student and honestly don't have the ability to muster the motivation to read for pleasure after spending all week reading hundreds of pages of text. I listen while I write papers and logs. I finished this book in three days and purchased the second book in the series before I had even finished this one. This book may not have as much emphasis on realism, when describing the small details that some of my favorites do, but I loved its straight forward simplicity. Fabulous listen!

A Zombie Story with Heart

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this to a friend! "My Life as a White Trash Zombie" is fun and engrossing. There's very little preamble and you dive right into the story, learning right along with Angel and she discovers the ins and outs of her new life. The mystery portions are believable and it feels rewarding when you guess an outcome right before she states it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Angel is easily my favorite character, which isn't surprising since the story is told from her perspective. She's funny and endearing and it was heartwarming to watch her discover that the things others are telling her - that she's smart and not a loser - are true.

Have you listened to any of Allison McLemore’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first listen to an Allison McLemore narration. I enjoyed most of her accents, save for Kang, the mortuary worker. I thought he was supposed to be British at first, but then I settled on some sort of Asian accent. I'm still not entirely sure.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed several times throughout the book. I enjoyed Angel's sense of humor and relished whenever she got to tell someone to stop being a dick when they needed her help.

Any additional comments?

I thought this would the kind of book I read without expectation and that would be that, but it surprised me. I look forward to the next book in the series.

fun

great pacing, deep protag, good plotting. quick read that leaves you wanting more. buy today!