chaos and the human experience
by Janie V. of HIgh Tech High International '14
What makes chaos so attractive? As I read these books about people whose lives were ruled by self-destructive behaviors and outright insane living situations, I came to the realization that no matter how explicit and tragic these stories were, there will always be this attraction to a life lived by one’s own rules. The most prevalent similarity in these people’s lives was that this lifestyle had become their reality and normality, and to them, their lives weren’t nearly as negative as we, the readers, interpret.
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Requiem for a Dream
Hubert Selby, Jr. - 279 pages Requiem for a Dream is a riveting tale of a group of heroin addicts. Now, if you’ve already lost interest, please read till the end. It gets better. The story is told in third-person narrative, but mimics the dialect of the characters. The story leads the reader through the decaying lives of the four main characters, Harry Goldfarb, Harry’s mother, Sara Goldfarb, Marion Silver, and Tyrone C. Love. It relays their experiences in the dark underbelly of society as they scrape together enough cash to cop their next fix, as Sara falls deeper into a pit of insanity. It paints a gritty, but realistic, picture of addiction, and what lengths people will go to in order to sustain their lifestyles. It is not a light or easy read, but it will change your perspective on addiction if you choose to take the challenge. |
Running with Scissors
by Augusten Burroughs- 256 pages Running with Scissors is the memoir of a boy who was ripped from his comfortable, privileged lifestyle and thrust into another that was rife with drugs and chaos. He became comfortable and learned to adapt perfectly to his new lifestyle in a matter of months. His mother began to see a psychiatrist and eventually became so wrapped up in her own experiences and social life that she found that she no longer had time or resources to raise young Augusten and left him to live with her psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. This is also not an easy read, but it does have a more comedic approach to storytelling. Augusten Burroughs incorporates dry, adult humor into his writing. It is a very interesting book and leaves you wanting more at the end. I recommend it for older teens and young adults. |
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Hunter S. Thompson - 204 pages Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the detailed account of Raoul Duke, a journalist who was going to the city of sin to document and report on a famous race that was occurring in the desert at that time. This tale documents his real reasons for going which was basically, to have a narcotic driven adventure in Las Vegas. The story is very vivid in its explanations of Raoul’s experiences in Las Vegas while under the influence and in what sorts of sticky situations he gets in while he is there. It shows, in explicit detail, to what exact lengths people will go to to “have a good time.” It is written in the voice of Raoul himself and is sometimes difficult to follow. I recommend this to mature readers and people who can easily follow tangled and complex plotlines. |