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Junky
Junky | William S. Burroughs
"Junk is not, like alcohol or a weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life." In his debut novel, "Junky," Burroughs fictionalized his experiences using and peddling heroin and other drugs in the 1950s into a work that reads like a field report from the underworld of post-war America. The Burroughs-like protagonist of the novel, Bill Lee, see-saws between periods of addiction and rehab, using a panoply of substances including heroin, cocaine, marijuana, paregoric (a weak tincture of opium) and goof balls (barbiturate), amongst others. As he navigates the crime-ridden streets of New York, trying to convince doctors to give him a prescription for opiates and doing his best to avoid the police's "pigeons" who are given a steady supply of heroin to inform on drug dealers, the narrator describes the physical experience of getting high, and the visceral need for another hit that haunts him every day. From the tenements of New York to the queer bars of New Orleans, "Junky" takes the reader into a world at once long-forgotten and still with us today. Burroughs's first novel is a cult classic and a critical part of his oeuvre.
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TheKidUpstairs
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#OnThisDay in 1914, Beat Generation author William S Burroughs was born in St Louis. He lived a life of chaos, largely funded by an allowance from his father which lasted until he was 50. This chaos, drugs, and magic influenced his works, including Naked Lunch and Junkie. Briefly a Scientologist, he left in 1970, calling out L. Ron Hubbard as a fascist in the Los Angeles Free Press. #HistoryGetsLIT

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sigriff
Junky | William S. Burroughs
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Waiting to go off to the charity shop. Need room for the grandkids stuff and I'm pretty much fully digitised nowadays. This is the first lot to go.

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Dallyboy
Junky | William S. Burroughs
Pickpick

Great book, self loathing in Mexico, suddenly I‘m not overly concerned by my coffee addiction.

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sahyathecat
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Hello, Russian edition of Junky

Emilymdxn This is a gorgeous book! Welcome to Litsy xoxo 6y
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Librarybelle Welcome to Litsy! 6y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 🤗📚 6y
Slajaunie Welcome to Litsy!📖📚💚 6y
11 likes7 comments
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Not_That_Jem

“Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life.” And “Perhaps all pleasure is relief.” Except for some dated language, this book could have been written yesterday.

LitsyWelcomeWagon Welcome to Litsy! Hope these #Litsytips by @RaimeyGallant http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: goo.gl/UrCpoU are helpful. There‘s so many fun things to do: book exchanges, buddy reads, photo challenges and more! Check out @LitsyHappenings for details. #LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 👋🏻🌺 6y
RaimeyGallant Welcome! 6y
DebinHawaii Welcome to Litsy!! 🎉📚🎉Hope you enjoy it here. 6y
10 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
AshD16
Junky | William S. Burroughs
Mehso-so

Well, after 2-3 days I finally finished “Junky”! I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I had such high hopes for this book! I will say, the story itself was good but was pretty slow at times. And I did not care for the ending.. it was almost like it finished right in the middle of the story. I found myself searching the last pages that contained the Appendix‘s for an Epilogue! All in all I‘d give it 2.5 out of 5 stars!

MStew I didn't love it ethier, felt repetitive to me i was really hoping for more. 6y
11 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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GatheringBooks
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#QuotsyJune18 Day 2: When #Junk becomes a way of being.

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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

A neat little book that demonstrates the junky mentality. I thought I would know the story, having read enough novels on the subject, but I was wrong. The complete lack of emotion and a lot of intelligence with which Burroughs introduces us into heroin-induced nihilism, was new for me and really got to me . #1001books

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FaisalJ
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Pickpick

Dream like read, vignettes of a Junky's experience. Drifting from one place to another, trying all kinds of drugs and meeting other people like him. Takes place in the 50s but is still very relevant today. 7/10

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FaisalJ
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Best way to sum up what if feels like to be waiting for the next fix. Explains how drugs takes over your life.

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thatkruegergirl
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Pickpick

Time period aside, it's amazing that Burroughs never overdosed or spent a lengthy amount of time in jail. If you're curious about habit, this may interest you.

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Bookworm-Bobbie
Junky | William S. Burroughs
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I haven't been following the march photo challenge but I couldn't help posting my favourite #bookbag

I love seeing all your bookish bits and pieces 😍

Donna_sBookMinute Great bag. I know what you mean. As soon as i read the prompt, I knew which bag I'd post. 8y
LeahBergen 😍 8y
52 likes2 comments
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thatkruegergirl
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I need to read more Burroughs 🙂

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MLRio
Junky | William S. Burroughs
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Currently reading. #Junky #WilliamSBurroughs

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Laurenwdillard
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Pickpick

Cool edition of a great book