Rating: 
Summary: Better than Naked Lunch
Review: Other reviews state that the difficulty with this work is Burroughs' obession with getting high. Precisely. That's all this book is about. That's all drug addiction is about. If you really want to understand, read this book. If you really want to believe this is not real, watch Regis & Kathie Lee
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, could have been better.
Review: The basic message. Don't become a "junky". Don't develop a "habit". Fairly executed, but not perfectly executed. Defenitely an exciting read for any Burroughs fan though
Rating: 
Summary: Another "shoot 'em up" book? Very disappointed.
Review: Hello????HAs anybody seen THE DRUGSTORE COWBOY???
Same thing different era.
Read something else....use this to roll whatever you were smoking when you bought this book.
Rating:
Summary: If you've read his other stuff expect disappointment
Review: First books are usually not kind to nostalgics. Case in point, Burroughs doesn't do anything in this book but shoot up. After awhile it all gets tedious. Thankfully it is short. Interesting if you like Burroughs but not particularly new in any way
Rating:
Summary: A great captivating first hand account of drug addiction
Review: This book gives a very graphic portrayal of the Junky's life, told from first hand knowledge. It starts with the use of 'M' (Morphine)
rapidly being replaced with the new drug of choice for Burroughs, 'H' (Heroin)
It gives a very realistic and harrowing description of the Junk Sickness, felt by all Junkies trying to break the habit. This book also gives a great insight of the so
called Cure programs and how they fail to 'Cure' the craving for "Junk".
A must read for any Burroughs fan, and any person such as I,that wants
to find out what exactly drives a human being to self destruction.
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: Another time, another place
Review: Yep, the title pretty much sums it up; a franked, personal recording of drug addiction in rather more innocent times, it makes for a very interesting and enjoyable read of a bygone era in the American underground scene during Hoover's war on drugs.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting perspective
Review: When one reads books or articles on drug use, they usually boil down to either being in strong favor of the effects of drugs, or an attempt to convince others that drugs will ruin your life.
This book, however, is a blaring exception.
Drawing from personal experience in the junkie world, Burroughs creates a fresh insight into the junkie world. How things operate and why the things that happen go on.
Perhaps the most interesting of anything in the book is the first appendix, the 28th chapter (which was taken out for the original edition). Here Burroughs presents a hypothesis of his. He connects the purpose of opium in plants to the effects of opium in humans and sheds light to a truly interesting theory.
Rarely am I as enthused and captivated by a book like I was when I read "Junky".
Strongly recommended.
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: 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.
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