The Basketball Diaries

Rating:
Summary: Excellent day by day depiction of growing up in NYC
Review: The Basketball Diaries was an extremely fun book to read. Beyond the gross overuse of swear words, sexual content, and excessive drug use the book really does say something. It's interesting to see how Jim Carroll's drug use rapidly increases over the years. He slowly turns from recreational user to stone cold heroin junkie. The people and incidents he encounters are very fascinating. This book is probably not good for people who are into drugs and sex a lot. It will make you fiend for both of them really bad. My sex drive was boosted dramatically the week I was reading the book. This was bad because I read the entire book in school. I had one complaint about the story though; Jim Carroll became a poet and a rock and roller but throughout the book they made minimal reference to his future career. Most of the story focused on radical overuse of substance and sex. Only towards the end did the real meaning of the book come true, and the revelation of that truth was really faint and short lived. Overall The Basketball Diaries has great stories of sex and drugs but most of us could easily have the same or similar stories in our own lives. All we have to do is keep track of them in a diary, publish them, and make a bunch of money off curious kids.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece by a master Poet
Review: This book has to be the most fantastic and influential book I've read to date. I have been a fan of Jim's work for years, and he has inspired me enormously; only now is he getting the reprieve he deserves. Here's to you Jim!

Rating:
Summary: Like Sandpaper on my tongue
Review: This book not only shows the naivity of ourselves, but it shows the strength of a kid living on the streets in New York. He is rough and poetic and thoughtful and Jim Carroll's real life description only brings the world closer to the hope that we might actually be able to survive in this limp world where the crazies roam with the starry eyed dreamers on the streets. Jim wrote with the grace of a cheetah.

Rating:
Summary: "Basketball Diaries" starts you on a search for Jim's books.
Review: Reading "Basketball Diaries", I thought "Wow!". This started my frenzy to buy all of his books that I could get my hands on (there are several out of print and two extremely rare ones!). Jim is my favorite author and is quite hypnotizing in his words. As wonderful as "Basketball Diaries" is, his poetry is much better! His words are like a potent elixer, once your addicted, that's it, you become a Jim fanatic. Jim also has a band, that music is ok, it's basicly 80s punk-rock, it's a little synical with titles such as "People Who Died", "Wicked Gravity", etc. You deffinetly have to have a taste for that type of music. There is a sequel to "Basketball Diaries" called "Forced Entries", I didn't enjoy that one as much, but it is deffinetly good. If you loved Jim's diaries, read his poetry!

Rating:
Summary: An excellant book on the hardships of life.
Review: Carroll is an amazing writer, poet, and musician. I've seen the movie many times, but once I read the book "Basketball Diaries" I realized what a great author he truly is. So if you haven't already, buy the book. I also recommend you watch the movie and read the sequal, "Forced Entries."

Rating:
Summary: The naked true about a cool guy in the big apple. Excelent
Review: A review of kewl guy in NY. It realy changed my boaring life, now it is like a handbook 4 life. I like the idea of the Carrol's concept of life.

Rating:
Summary: a very gripping and intense story
Review: Once you pick it up, you won't put it down. It didn't feel like I was reading a book, like I was reading a letter from someone tellling me all about their life and what they've been up to. a really compelling story by a great poet and musician, Jim Carroll.

Rating:
Summary: Revealing, a "Cant Put It Down" book
Review: I recently read "The Basketball Diaries " and I was completely compelled in the world of young Jim Carroll.I am reading it again! Once you read it you too will be caught up it the life of Carroll as he prowls the streets and starts into the descent of drug addiction. I strongly recommed this book.Watch the movie too!

Rating:
Summary: This is one of the best books I've ever read
Review: Jim Carroll is an amazing writer and poet and he is truly able to describe the struggles of a youth growing up on the streets of New York. The book really makes you feel the emotions he felt. It's amazing.

Rating:
Summary: very interesting, a new age look at an old age question.
Review: the book was very interesting, it kept you on the edge waiting to see what was going to happen next. jim carroll has a way with words and metaphors that I've never seen before. he truly has a gift. the book showed you the life of a young man with out guidlines, he told anything and everything. that's what makes his books so precious to own, the forced entries are also tremendously good