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Indlæser... Leaving Dirty Jersey: A Crystal Meth Memoiraf James Salant
Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Not a great memoir-- there's too much reality of addiction in it, and reality in addiction is messy, incoherent, and compulsive. There was no grand triumphant victory, no admission of fault, just a kid living out a repulsive journey to a new low. Still, I was interested enough to sit down and read it in a two hour span, so I have to admit that I liked it. The fact that the author was still only 23 when he wrote it probably explains more of the flaws than anything else. Mom and Dad were very certainly enablers, which is the most tragic part of the story. Without their cash, the guy might have hit bottom a lot sooner and saved himself some of the agony. Uninteresting characters doing uninteresting things with no clear voice, creativity or point. Characters float in and out of the story with almost no characterization outside of their direct interations with the main character, with slight exceptions in the main character's brother Jon and his "best friend" Wendy. Gross overuse of the word "fuck" and a handful of pandering to "west coast" audiences, though that could be considered a clever nod to the content.Honestly, just a dull read with passable writing and storytelling skills, but it's mostly uninteresting dialogue and uninteresting non-plot. How does a well-brought-up teenager from genteel Princeton, NJ, become, in just a year, a bottomed-out speed freak in cruddy Riverside, CA? Well, he wanted to be cool. That's Salant's blunt explanation (not excuse) for his brush with misery, and it's also the saving grace of this memoir. Now, a lot of people might react immediately by thinking "What an idiot." But guess what? Salant would be the first to agree with you. That forthrightness is what keeps this memoir from being as irritating as, by all rights, it ought to be. Despite his puppy-like need for the approval of some mighty nasty characters, Salant comes across as a straight shooter (pun not intended but irresistible), one who's conceivably likable when he's not tweaking. [For an example of the totally irritating post-adolescent memoir with which no one in their right mind could sympathize, see Abigail Vona.] The story of one confused kid's attempts to look cool, act cool and be respected, when all the way through he's more frightened than Flashman. An eye-opening, if grim, tale of one man's life on meth and heroin for a year. Of course it has something of a happy - and abbreviated - ending, or else there wouldn't be a book. Interesting, but a bit of a slog near the end - hitting bottom is a slow process. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
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With his nickname, Dirty Jersey, tattooed on forearm, James Salant wanted everyone to know he was a tough guy. At 18, after one too many run-ins with the cops for drug possession, he left his upper-middle-class home in Princeton, New Jersey, for a rehab facility in Riverside, California. He spent his year there shooting crystal meth and living as a petty criminal until a near psychotic episode convinced him to clean up. He provides graphic descriptions of life on crystal meth--the incredible sex drive, the paranoia, the cravings. He details the slang, the scams, and the psychoses, and weaves them into a narrative that is honest and authentic. He eschews easy answers--his parents were loving and supportive, and his family's subtle dysfunctions are typical of almost any American family. This story is shocking precisely because it could happen to almost anyone.--From publisher description. Ingen biblioteksbeskrivelser fundet. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)362.299Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Social problems of & services to groups of people Mentally ill Substance abuseLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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With all that being said this is perhaps the most realistic account I have ever read of what a meth addiction is like and if you know someone who is caught up in this world and you don't understand wtf is going on...read this book.
Meth is evil and this book...for a time...takes you into the darkness and shows you what exactly happens when you take it by the hand and call it friend ( )