Smack

Rating:
Summary: The only 5 star book I've ever read.
Review: I had heard a lot about this book before i was kindly lent a copy by a friend. She, like other people I have spoken to, said it was the most important thing she had ever read. Therefore I had very high expectations of it, which were not dissapointed, but completely surpassed. I picked up the book and read it in a single sitting, something I have never done before with any novel. The story is set in Bristol during the 1980s, and follows the fortunes of a group of people who have run away from home, and are squatting in abandoned hosues. The style of the book is different to other novels in it's genre, in that each different chapter is written from the point of view of one of the main characters. This helps the reader understand and empathise with each character in a much deeper way than other books with are written from a single perspective. It also means that the characters stay with the reader for longer. Although not a graphic story, this book packs a mighty emotional punch. It is the most important book I have ever read, and it has genuinely changed my outlook on life. If you do one thing today, get hold of a copy and have your &rse blown off...

Rating:
Summary: wow its Amazing!
Review: In this novel written by Melvin Burgess, Smack is a Realistic tale about everyday teenage angst. When a father is brutally abusing a 15 year boy until he is frightened to even speak a push for a desperate turn for a new life is sought. Fall into the world of Tar and Gemma, of the life of heroin addiction and pain. The test for survival as runaways, they take their own lives into their own hands.The Situations were so real and intense, I didn't want to put it down. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the behavior of addiction and anyone who is interested in realistic teen situations.

Rating:
Summary: Just A Perfect Read...
Review: Run away with Tar and Gemma as they attempt to escape problem home lives by looking for freedom and adventure on the streets of Bristol, England. Set in the mid-1980's, Melvin Burgess brilliantly exposes life inside a "squat" -- an abandoned or vacant flat occupied by vagabond, homeless youth. "Squatters" Tar and Gemma enter a demi-monde of drugs, parties, prostitution, and crime. We watch as they experiment with heroin, progressing from "chasing the dragon" to mainlining to hardcore addiction. Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different character in the first person. The characters of Tar and Gemma evoke a genuineness and realism that is not often found in YA fiction. These teens attempt to make a better life for themselves, but get caught up in the daily grind of survival at any price. Heroin eases the pain. Tar and Gemma become junkies and allow us to witness the sometimes beautiful, but dangerous world they inhabit. Teens and adults alike will identify with Tar and Gemma's problems. SMACK is fascinating reading...truly addictive! Tar and Gemma's gradual decline into the world of drugs is both seductive and shocking. The characters' personal motivations and transitions are well drawn and believable. Many critics feel that SMACK is not appropriate for teenagers. However, the lessons learned from this book are valuable and realistic. SMACK will stay with you for a long time...you may even want to read it again just to get another fix!

Rating:
Summary: Just A Perfect Read...
Review: Run away with Tar and Gemma as they attempt to escape problem home lives by looking for freedom and adventure on the streets on Bristol, England. Set in the mid-1980's, Melvin Burgess brilliantly exposes life inside a "squat" -- an abandoned or vacant flat occupied by vagabond, homeless youth. Squatters Tar and Gemma enter a demi-monde of drugs, parties, prostitution, and crime. We watch as they experiment with heroin, progressing from "chasing the dragon" to mainlining to hardcore addiction. Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different character in the first person. The characters of Tar and Gemma evoke a genuineness and realism that is not often found in YA ficiton. We watch as these teens attempt to make a better life for themselves, but get caught up in the daily grind of survival at any price. Heroin eases the pain. Tar and Gemma become junkies and allow us to witness the sometimes beautiful, but dangerous world they inhabit. We meet other characters like the unworldly Lily and her boyfriend Rob, both longtime H addicts; Skolly - a true friend and objective observer; and an insightful afterword from Tar's dad and Gemma's mum. Teens and adults alike will identify with Tar and Gemma's problems. SMACK is fascinating reading...truly addictive! Tar and Gemma's gradual decline into the world of drugs is both seductive and shocking. The characters' personal motivations and transitions are well drawn and believable. Many critics feel that SMACK is not appropriate for teenagers. The lessons learned from SMACK are valuable and realistic; this book is essential reading for teens and adults alike. SMACK will stay with you for a long time...you may even want to read it again to get another fix!

Rating:
Summary: Every word is true , no bs
Review: A friend of mine lent this book to me because she said it reminded her when we were teenagers. I admit to using heroin , but I didn't become addicted to it , however , like in this book , I was also squatting with my other punker friends in various apartment coplexes and farm sites , and I witnessed first hand the power of smack. I watched people OD , resort to prostitution both female and male . I ran away at 16 trying to escape my verbally abusive mother , she never hit me like Tar's father did in the book , but it was enough to make me resort to running away as one last drastic measure ,and Gemma reminded me of the friends that were living with me ,who ran away to escape "jail like living conditions with strict rules". This book doesnt lecture. It really is the truth , take it from someone who witnessed it first hand , I saw many lives ruined by heroin , including one I loved very much. Even though this book was written more on a young adult level , I enjoyed it for it's honesty , and it was really quite disturbing even for a young adult novel . Only complaint: I found the point of views of the lower second rate characters ( Tar's Dad , Sally ,ect) worthless and could have been left out , I would have liked to have seen more from Lily than just one whiny chapter about nothing in paticular. But great book.

Rating:
Summary: A Startling Awakening
Review: This is a great, great book. I was hooked on it the very first page I read. The story is about two runaway teens living on the streets. At first they are fine, and gradually, then with increasing speed, they begin their downfall into the horifying realities of heroin. This story really shows how brutal drug addiction can be, and how horrifying the realities of it can lead to. I recommend this book to everyone. It will teach you a great lesson and insure that you stay away from drugs.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: So I was in English class and it just so happened we had to pick out a book to read with some odd number of fellow classmates. Group reading as you would call it. So I searched online for sometime checking out teen book lists and such and I came across Smack, and it sounded like a good book. So we (my group and I) ordered enough copies for all of us and I delved into it very quickly. I read it in about two days to a week. Anyway it was heartfelt not only that but believable and not cheesy as you might imagine. I have an aunt that has been down that same road except with crack and trust me methodone and trying to reaccept that person into your family is very hard. I mean you never know when to trust them. This book raises all issues and gives you outside veiws as well as views/opinions of the addicts themselves I would recommend this to any teenager and adults as well. It should be required to read in school in my opinion. If you though GO Ask Alice was great or real and strongly written then you must read this!

Rating:
Summary: "The book isn't fact¿But it's all true, every word."
Review: At fifteen, Tar and Gemma try to escape their lives by running away from home, only to fall into the grips of heroin (smack). Living on the streets in Bristol, Great Britain introduces these naive characters to new friends, new experiences and a new way of life that focuses on partying, sex and drug-use. The story of their adventures, their downward spiral into drugs and heroin, and their eventual reemergence rings sad but true. The in-your-face writing and the brutal reality of drug-use will leave the reader feeling bruised and broken. This isn't an anti-drug lecture, but it allows the reader to draw his own conclusions about the world and drugs based on the experiences of Tar and Gemma. As Burgess states in the Author's Note, "The book isn't fact...But it's all true, every word."

Rating:
Summary: really great
Review: i read smack when i was about 12 or 13 which i grant you is quite young to read a book of such disturbance, but i always liked books of that sort and i loved it. gemma, tar, lily and rob are some of the most well developed characters i've read in young adult literature. tar and lily remain on my short list of most favorite characters from novels. the book is extremely descriptive and depicts life on the streets of bristol, or rather on the streets anywhere incredibly accurately. definitely a good read.

Rating:
Summary: a fair review
Review: Simple, yet eloquent. As for this reader, Gemma and Tar do not conjure up feelings of sympathy. And cronies Rob and Lily most certainly give rise to feelings of disgust. I did not feel especially bonded to any of the characters, except maybe for the adventurous Richard, who, for some reason, is not developed by the author. Overall, I would recommend this book to individuals who are interested in adolescent psychology and addiction. For anyone else, it is merely a didactic exposition dealing with socially troubled teens who become entagled with an insidious drug.