Junky

Rating:
Summary: A more constructed book than people here are letting on....
Review: Junky is a first hand tale of one man's life and drug addiction. It is a show of a slide into a world that most of its readers will never experience. It was something that at its time. immensely shocking. Beside these things, it is a really compelling tale and a wholly worthwhile read.....

BUT it is also a book that is of a tradition: Burrough's was largely borrowing the style and tone of the French author Louis-Ferdinand Celine (i.e. straight ahead, haunting, almost profane at every instance, black humor at its finest). Even though the author was a drug addict, he was a HIGHLY erudite and educated drug addict-- and because of that, the bitterness of his life is interpretted in a way that comes from a man who was influenced by the doom of Celine and the historian Spengler (another must-read) as well as the sort of devil-may-care attitude of Andre Gide....

Intellectual name dropping aside, this is a powerful book artistically BECAUSE of this stuff, the D.A.R.E. message aside (and I would suggest that other instances from his life-- shooting his wife in the head while playing William Tell foremost among them hint at a D.A.R.E. message better than the almost Trainspotting cinema-veritas stuff of this book). And it's a neat counterpoint to the writings of Kerouac for anyone who wants to run the 'Beats' together (but an interesting counterpart to Ginsberg-- who was, in a sense, Burrough's student as much as Lionel Trilling's....

I'd read this book.... it's good....

Rating:
Summary: Junky
Review: Junky is a very strong book and very fast paced. I hope it helps at least one person to stay off of drugs by seeing the unglamorous side of it. People and families get hurt. This book was very similar to another book I read on Heroin abuse. That book is called "This Ain't No Pocket Diary" Like Burroughs, Raul Maldonado the author of this book writes a journal of his life as a heroine addict for over 10 years. Goes to show you how horrible drug addiction really is. Both of these books are worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: Junky
Review: Junky is a very strong book and very fast paced. I hope it helps at least one person to stay off of drugs by seeing the unglamorous side of it. People and families get hurt. This book was very similar to another book I read on Heroin abuse. That book is called "This Ain't No Pocket Diary" Like Burroughs, Raul Maldonado the author of this book writes a journal of his life as a heroine addict for over 10 years. Goes to show you how horrible drug addiction really is. Both of these books are worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive Burroughs novel
Review: Junky is definitely an essential book for anyone into all types of literature. It's a candid and graphic tale of bohemia and self-destruction dealing with William S. Burroughs' addiction to narcotics, or 'junk.' Here, you get a graphic and disturbing account of the symptoms of withdrawl, being an outlaw, financial problems as a result of addiction, and what it ends up doing to yuor life. The breaking point is rather late at the book, which heartbreakingly depicts Burroughs living in Mexico, going through tremendous withdrawl, and many of his friends either dead from overdoses or incarcerated due to selling or possession of illegal substances.

This new version of Junky shows the text in the original form, as Burroughs edited it, with none of the omissions from other publications of the book, and includes many articles that serve as 'forewords' to the book, as they were published in Junky's many versions, some by Burroughs himself, one by Carl Solomon and 2 by his longtime mentor, Allen Ginsberg.There is also a terminology, making it easier for the reader to understand the dialogue and the rather 'secret' words for drugs, sex and the like. Burroughs also wrote a 'myth VS reality' piece which is very interesting, to say the least. Junky may be an unpleasant read for some, but it is a very candid and amazing book, and one of the best novels of the 20th century.

Rating:
Summary: Junky: a commonly misinterpreted work of brilliance
Review: Junky is the kind of novel that you cannot read until you abandon all pretenses. Forget for a moment that this was Burroughs' first book, put aside the fact that he was himself a junky, and put your personal opinions of drug use and abuse, as well as Burroughs himself, on hold. The attempt made by Junky as a piece of art is to honestly and fairly put forward an in-depth look at a side of American life that was virtually overlooked until its publication. The novel delves very deeply into a world that, though many would rather ignore it all together, has gotten progressively worse to this day.
Junky offers a detailed account of a drug addict's entrance into the seedy underworld, his daily search for a fix, the shady characters he must rely on, and the suffering he experiences while trying to fix himself. The purpose is to fully immerse the reader in the world of a man engulfed in addiction.
The hero is actually an intelligent man, who immediately recognizes the risk taken in his experiments with narcotics. He also realizes, although a little too late, the fact that he has become an addict himself, and now needs the drug for basic survival. He is also rational. He recognizes his dismal circumstances, but also recognizes his guilt in the matter, and in no way tries to gain sympathy from the reader. The hero is aware of what he has done to himself, and does nothing to deny his responsibility.
Junky in no way glamorizes drug use; on the contrary, in the sections that describe heroin as appealing, Burroughs is showing the immeasurable control the drug has quietly acquired over the user, distorting the addict's perception of what is happening to him.
Junky pulls the reader into a dark underworld of society and depicts a man's struggle to regain his life, or what's left of it after the plague of addiction is eliminated. Burroughs holds nothing back. He uses a method of detailing the more shocking parts of the hero's experiences with a calm and almost casual frankness. This slowly makes them seem less disturbing, and introduces the reader more and more to the addicts point of view. Burroughs even attempts to alter the reader's point of view, subtly bringing the reader closer to the mind of the junky, and eventually creating an unexpected affection for a seemingly unlovable character, who appears to have very little about him that is redeeming. You begin to care for this lost, pathetic man, as you watch him attempt cure after cure, method after method, finally having to flee the country to avoid prosecution. The reader can do nothing but look on, as each good intention crumbles, making the hero more and more incapable of escaping the grip of the addiction.
Burroughs states many times the degree of influence heroin has over the addict, illustrating how all other activities become less like life and more like a limbo of nothingness between scores. The junky's life is consumed. His days become more and more about scoring, leaving less and less room for anything else. By the time the hero becomes aware of having a problem, it is too late, he has become a slave to the drug. He doesn't need the heroin to simply get high; he needs the heroin because he cannot survive without it. Burroughs states the difference between other drugs, which are about the high they induce, and heroin: "Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life."
There are no hidden intentions in Junky. It does not aspire to create a greater sympathy for drug addicts, nor does it make any gallant attempts at scaring away potential users. Junky has no agenda, good or bad, for its influence in the world. It simply lays out the facts, leaving them for the reader to do what they want with them. The novel is a clear, concise, and direct journey into the mind and world of a man diseased, told in brutally honest narration, without a hint of shame or pity.
This is, in my opinion, a worthy piece of literature to invest the time into reading, not only for a Burroughs fan, but for any reader who enjoys thought-provoking subject-matter and stories containing complex and intriguing characters. Basically, anyone who appreciates well-written fiction has the ability to appreciate the dark, subtle wit and stark, desperate tone of Junky, as long as they read it with an open mind. It is a chronicle, a picture, a record of a dark way of life. And as that, it succeeds.

Rating:
Summary: One of the essential reads of the Beat culture.
Review: One of the most honestly written texts I have ever read. Junky chronicles Borrough's life on the streets of NY as a `junky'. The vivid and graphic details of how an addicted man makes it through daily life were a very eye opening experience. The story may be time-sensitive because but its basic voice is still as fresh as it was when first conceived by the author.

The reading is impressionable during and after. I did not want to put the book down during the read. After I was done, I had this bitter taste of junk in my mouth. That is enough said for Borrough's effectiveness as a writer.

Rating:
Summary: One of the essential reads of the Beat culture.
Review: One of the most honestly written texts I have ever read. Junky chronicles Borrough's life on the streets of NY as a 'junky'. The vivid and graphic details of how an addicted man makes it through daily life were a very eye opening experience. The story may be time-sensitive because but its basic voice is still as fresh as it was when first conceived by the author.

The reading is impressionable during and after. I did not want to put the book down during the read. After I was done, I had this bitter taste of junk in my mouth. That is enough said for Borrough's effectiveness as a writer.

Rating:
Summary: Pulp FACT-ion at its best
Review: There were lots of books and stories published in the '40s and '50s that purported to be written by drug addicts. Most of them were in actuality probably written by hacks looking for a quick buck. Therein lies the root of this book's greatness: it is the real thing, written by a real addict who neither glorifies nor condemns the addict lifestyle. Burroughs is very matter-of-fact in his narration, but his lifestyle is so weird and interesting that this lack of experimentation is actually welcome. The whole thing reads like a sordid article that might have ran in an alternate universe edition of TRUE DETECTIVE magazine circa 1952, one written and edited by smart criminals instead of cops. The term "pulp fiction" is now used to conjure visions of the dark side of America in the '40s and '50s, but usually limited to a detective's perspective. JUNKY goes that concept one better by presenting pulp FACT-ion told from the perspective of the underworld.

This new edition with restored text is most welcome except for one thing, the horribly stupid and ugly cover art. I can't believe the decisions made by art directors in modern cover art; most of it is simply atrocious. The original (1952) cover should have been used. It is as lurid and vivid as the book's dark interior.

Rating:
Summary: Like getting hit with a pipe and liking it.!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book is just hard hitting as they come. William S. Burroughs does not paint a pretty romantic picture of drug use. He shows the destructive nature through is own actions in this biography. This book goes into all aspects of opiate addiction including loss of lobeedo, total lack of higene and self respect.

This book is about scoring and the despreate naked dirty need of a junkie. This book mesmerized me as it horrifed with its narritive. One of the most truthful autobiographical looks at drug use in its most desprate form. From theft to fooling doctors into prescriptions Burrows commits many crimes, the worst of which is his own self distruction.

I like the book for not being a defense or a cautionary tail, just a graphic story which makes you see the results with your own eyes

this isn't a joy read it is quite enlightnening, it is easy to finish because even the pain of Burroughs experience draws you into the inexpicablity of the actions of a true addict.

This is well written direct and not beat poetry stream of consousness like so much of Burrough work is.

This is being a junky.

Rating:
Summary: Like getting hit with a pipe and liking it.!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book is just hard hitting as they come. William S. Burroughs does not paint a pretty romantic picture of drug use. He shows the destructive nature through is own actions in this biography. This book goes into all aspects of opiate addiction including loss of lobeedo, total lack of higene and self respect.

This book is about scoring and the despreate naked dirty need of a junkie. This book mesmerized me as it horrifed with its narritive. One of the most truthful autobiographical looks at drug use in its most desprate form. From theft to fooling doctors into prescriptions Burrows commits many crimes, the worst of which is his own self distruction.

I like the book for not being a defense or a cautionary tail, just a graphic story which makes you see the results with your own eyes

this isn't a joy read it is quite enlightnening, it is easy to finish because even the pain of Burroughs experience draws you into the inexpicablity of the actions of a true addict.

This is well written direct and not beat poetry stream of consousness like so much of Burrough work is.

This is being a junky.