Junky / The Outsiders
Two more steps on the experiment train journey with Mark - The Outsiders and Junky are two relatively short books that Mark lent me recently.
The postal experiment has thrown up some nice surprises. I’ve been introduced to Takeshi Kovacs and now heroin addiction and gang culture…. all of which have stimulated me and provoked my brain more than I thought they would….
First The Outsiders:
This is a brilliant book - published in 1967 this book is as relevant to today’s society as it was then.A must read for all involved in gang/youth crime and those wishing to understand the youth psyche - this book proves that gang fights and troubled youths are nothing new.
and Junky
Junky is a dangerous book - it doesn’t glorify drugs, it doesn’t glorify the existence of those that take them, but it does dispel a few myths.
Told from a matter of fact point of view, this unapologetic memoir is concise and lean (154 pages) and clearly spoke. It details Burroughs ambling eventful life through his minor scrapes with the law and his several addictions to Heroin.
Throughout the novel Burroughs appears to do well for himself - whether or not this is subconscious wishful thinking or careful retroactive optimism its not clear, but those around Burroughs gradually collapse and fall away - the only constant in his life the drug his body craves.
Its interesting and a provocative read because unlike Trainspotting its true, but sometimes true life doesn’t quite capture the imagination like fiction.
So… go and make you own mind up. And swap books - but let the other person choose what to give you!