Junky

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! wWnderful, easy read. Graphically accurate!
Review: 'Junky' has been criticized for lacking form, or even tact, but in that is its beauty.

'Junky' does not possess the atypical story arc that we are taught in high school English class, but this mimics the junky lifestyle. There is no thought of adventure for the junky. There is no sense of purpose other than the constant search for more junk. Burroughs makes this abundantly clear without being repetative.

As for the graphic descriptions, this, too, adds to its atmosphere. Junkies in reality are not phased by their constipation, sores, or disgusting habits, and the matter-of-fact tone of the narration makes that clear.

This book is one of those rare and beautiful works that truly gives you a feeling for what it is like to exist in that world.

Rating:
Summary: If you haven't read this book, you haven't read at all....
Review: A taste of self destruction....William S. Burrough's greatest book ever. A hard look into the life of an opiate addict based on the life of the author itself. It should be praised for it's realism and honesty, as it was written in a time when drugs should not have exsisted. Burroughs tells it all, and tells it like it is. Junky paints the sad life of a Junky perfectly, and still manages to throw in the classic black humor that made Burroughs famous. This is one book everyone should read, own, and reread....

Rating:
Summary: A Contemporary Classic no matter what
Review: Although this is an incredibly short read, one cannot deny that Burroughs is a fantastic writer by the way he packs so much into a story so short. This is not only one of the most hilarious stories that I've ever read, but also one of the most interesting. After seeing movies such as Requiem for a Dream and Trainspotting, it's incredibly fascinating to hear the other side of the story from a credible source (since Burroughs draws greatly upon personal experience). Also, the appendices in this text are worth reading because they not only give one a glossary of the "jive talk" (for those who aren't familiar with drugs and whatnot), but also more succinct opinions and information. This story may not be the clearest depiction of all of the horrors of the junky lifestyle, but it certainly gives a highly introspective view, as well as something to ponder further because of background facts about the character (such as his wife and children that are most likely purposely excluded for the most part).

Rating:
Summary: Burroughs at his realist best.
Review: Burroughs writes pro-actively and this book is no change. Following Ginsburg 'Semi-compiling" Junky and Queer from letters whilst Burroughs was Opiated up, I knew what to expect. Mexico, The law, Drunk with Guns, Farming cotton, shooting up and New York with the hustlers and pimps in Bars. It's easy to note that Burroughs had an interesting life but experienced through the eye of Junk hazed addiction and vision. Noting anti-estblishment view on matters (namely 'The Junk') which he had first hand experience was not a matter to be taken lightly in 1950's America. This book is accessible and easy to read, the world in Burroughs head is clear and concise. Written in the first person, yuo travel to beat junk time and life with a detail for details. A drugs journey only to be rivaled by Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and loathing In Las Vegas', but with a much darker wit.

Rating:
Summary: CHARMING!
Review: Burroughs' writing here is a unique and successful blend of autobiography and detached journalism, unprecedented for that time. The prologue gives Junky an air of authenticity from the outset as the author briefly describes his childhood before plunging into this narrative of a journey - teeming with colorful low-life characters - from the Midwest to New York to Texas to New Orleans, a farm in the Rio Grande Valley, & finally Mexico in his relentless pursuit of the heroin trip.

There is a certain aloofness in the style, giving the reader the impression that you're only witness to a restricted part of the protagonist's experiences. For example, the text makes vague references to his wife who obviously journeyed and indulged with him, but no more is told of her, poor Joan. Although "Queer', which is a more rounded novel, filled in many pieces of the jigsaw, it was only upon reading Ellis Amburn's "The Subterranean Kerouac," that this novel finally made sense and I began to see a fuller picture of Burroughs, his wife and their contemporaries.

Anyway, this is a piece of brilliant writing on many levels. The book concludes with a glossary of "junk lingo" or "jive talk" - so that's what the BeeGees were singing about?

Rating:
Summary: Spitting at the Junk-Sick Dawn
Review: I have to say this is the best drugprevention leaflet I have ever read. Sure Bill had some fun as well, but mostly he was sick, broke and in jail. And always looking for the next fix. Burroughs describes the lows and highs of a junkie's life, and reveals the process of addiction, in such a painstakingly detailed manner there really is no need left to ever go there yourself. My favorite scene is the one in which the heroin has left him so constipated he has to reach in with his fingers and pull 'it' out. This book is nowhere near as good as Burroughs' later work, but check it out anyway.

Rating:
Summary: charming but is it a true reflection?
Review: I read this book several years ago and enjoyed the narrative style that Burroughs employed (a break from his cut up style).
For a tale of drug addiction its quite a leisurely read, though at the mercy of heroin William Seeward manages to do a lot of travelling and in certain respects this book is almost like reading the journal of an explorer or frontier man. That in itself is good but I think a more accurate reflection of the junkies experience is probably Wayne Grogan's recent 'Junky Pigrim' - that is truly bleak stuff full of all the brutal realities of junk sickness - it makes this book seem like a Disney fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: A Contemporary Classic no matter what
Review: Im not quite finished this novel...so i guess this review is a little premature. But i couldnt help myself. This isnt the most wonderful piece of literature. If i were reviewing this book based on its literary craftmanship, it would probably get 3 stars. But the genius of this book goes beyond the writing style and Burrough's (in)ability to write a classic, timeless novel (you know, something like Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky). Its genius lies in its ability to make you squirm. To make you feel really uncomfortable. And even to make you crack a smile in between. Reading this book puts me on a crazy rollercoaster of emotions and feelings. Not into the depressing crevaces of life like many great novels do, but more like....well, you know how rollercoasters sometimes take you out of your zone of comfort. That's what theyre made to do. Make you feel unsafe, because that's where the thrill comes from. This book, JUNKY, does just that. It takes you by the throat and makes you scream for more. Sick and twisted, but genius!

Of course, if youre a junky, or reformed junky, then the book might not have the same impact. Just all the talk about needles, mugging homeless people, etc etc etc...it all takes me into a world that i know exists (and existed) but have never experienced it so personally. Truly scary. Now that i think of it, i guess it all comes down to the way he talks about everything. Like everything they do in the book is so normal. It's almost like there's no emotion. Like he's reading off a grocery list. That's where the scary part and the uncomfortable feeling come in. I cant believe this stuff happened (and happens).

Rating:
Summary: a highly addictive read
Review: In "Naked Lunch," William S. Burroughs used hallucinations, sexuality, and nightmarish imagery to string along a 'plot' that was anything but traditional. While I found the book to be a gripping, thought-provoking read, I was downright surprised at the clear-headedness of "Junky," which is essentially a window into the life of a heroin user, circa early 1950s. Burroughs (as Bill Lee) illustrates his descent into addiction, from his first fix up until his habit builds to staggering proportions; the descriptions of a junkie's daily routine, from shaking down drunks in train stations to eluding police, are done using precise dialogue that incorporates a considerable amount of slang (an informative glossary is included in the book). "Junky" is a hypnotically engrossing read, a book that sucks you into the world of addiction and leaves you clamoring for more.

Rating:
Summary: a highly addictive read
Review: In "Naked Lunch," William S. Burroughs used hallucinations, sexuality, and nightmarish imagery to string along a 'plot' that was anything but traditional. While I found the book to be a gripping, thought-provoking read, I was downright surprised at the clear-headedness of "Junky," which is essentially a window into the life of a heroin user, circa early 1950s. Burroughs (as Bill Lee) illustrates his descent into addiction, from his first fix up until his habit builds to staggering proportions; the descriptions of a junkie's daily routine, from shaking down drunks in train stations to eluding police, are done using precise dialogue that incorporates a considerable amount of slang (an informative glossary is included in the book). "Junky" is a hypnotically engrossing read, a book that sucks you into the world of addiction and leaves you clamoring for more.