An altered book is a form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form, altering its appearance and/or meaning. Tennille Shuster’s altered books and installations comment on the growing destruction of our natural environment. By re-envisioning our relationship with detritus, Shuster proposes a new way to coexist with our environment by repurposing discarded books donated from local libraries. She employs alternate and traditional bookmaking techniques and printmaking methods in an effort to elevate such detritus to a less transient status.