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A review by jess_mango
Junky by William S. Burroughs
4.0
My very first Burroughs! I picked this one up because I saw it was on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list and I recently signed up for a challenge to read 10 of the 1001 books in 10 months. This is my first book of the 10.
Junky was Burrough's first book and was published before the start of the Beat movement. The semi-autobiographical "Junky" details the experiences of Bill Lee an man who developed a morphine and heroine habit. We first meet Lee shortly before his first time using drugs and watch as he sinks deeper and deeper into the world of junk. The story is told in a gritty and straight forward manner. Burroughs passes no judgement on drug addiction. Lee's friends and fellow addicts try to find doctors that will write them scripts and pharmacists who will fill them. They are in and out of jail and "detox". The book gave me a raw impression of what life as a heroin addict in early 20th century America must've been like. I found "Junky" to be a gripping and thought provoking read.
Junky was Burrough's first book and was published before the start of the Beat movement. The semi-autobiographical "Junky" details the experiences of Bill Lee an man who developed a morphine and heroine habit. We first meet Lee shortly before his first time using drugs and watch as he sinks deeper and deeper into the world of junk. The story is told in a gritty and straight forward manner. Burroughs passes no judgement on drug addiction. Lee's friends and fellow addicts try to find doctors that will write them scripts and pharmacists who will fill them. They are in and out of jail and "detox". The book gave me a raw impression of what life as a heroin addict in early 20th century America must've been like. I found "Junky" to be a gripping and thought provoking read.