David, Courtney, Jennifer and Mary all just want to get a life. But something always gets in the way, whether its a burned-out apartment or a car-trunk full of the best weed that can be grown north of Portland. Shuttling between Portland and New York, Bongwater examines the slacker lifestyle with a microscope and finds more than you’d expect.
Smack by Melvin Burgess
Smack, a brilliant druggie novel out of England, chronicles the lives of Tar and Gemma, two teens who run away from home in search of freedom from their parents and authority. What they find is a squatter’s paradise and an addiction to heroin that ends up being stronger than their love for each other. Burgess slowly develops his characters, showing the gradual but devastating effect that regular drug use can have on a human being’s personality and mind. Gemma and Tar became so real to me that I had a hard time leaving them to their fate at the end of the book. No, they don’t die. But sometimes, learning to live after addiction is worse.
That was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
Another oldie but a goodie, TWTTIN is a story about two guys who are closer than brothers, and the drug dealing that finally pushes them apart. Bryon is the thinker–at 16 he’s beginning to contemplate the meaning of his hard street existence. Mark is the doer–seeing his actions as part of the big picture over which he ultimately has no control. There’s a lot of lingo in this book that seriously dates it–like references to hippies and hoods, but it creates a great picture of the times–and boy, were they a’changin’ back in 1971 when this book was first published. There’s an excellent scene where Bryon’s friend M&M has a bad acid trip, and the results are enough to turn you off to the idea of drugs forever. Even though it’s dated, this read is deep. Give it a go-go.
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
The mother-drug-novel of them all, GAA made quite a splash when it was first published back in the early seventies, and has regularly made the banned book list ever since. It was published as a true diary account of a girl who goes from goody-goody to homeless addict due to her introduction to LSD at a party. Since then, it has come out that Alice was actually written by a real author and wasn’t some anonymous girl’s diary after all. Having said that, I don’t think it minimizes the power of this book one iota. If you want to know what its like to take an acid trip, run away from home, or spend a little time in a mental institution, read this book or watch Oliver Stone’s The Doors. Either way, you’ll be wearing a “Drugs Suck!” t-shirt before you can say “This is your brain…”
A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich by Alice Childress
Benjie likes to do a little heroin, but it’s no big deal, he can stop anytime. He’s not a junkie, he’s not a stoner. But if you listen to the voices of those around him–his long-suffering mother, the grandmother from who’s purse he steals, his old best friend, even his drug dealer, you’ll see that they all agree–Benjie is hooked. Benjie may think he can save himself, but he’s really going to need all the help he can get from his family and friends if he wants to dump the junk before it dumps him. A thin book that makes you think.
The White Horse by Cynthia D. Grant
The white horse is what Raina calls her mother’s drug habit–first a small, pretty pony that makes you happy, but later on, a huge ravenging stallion that demands attention at any cost. Because of her mother’s addiction, Raina usually stays away from home and instead runs the streets with her boyfriend Sonny, who’s also a junkie. When she discovers she’s preganant, the only person she can turn to is her sympathetic teacher, Ms. Johnson. Can Raina rein in her own white horse? Or will she get taken for a ride?
Angel Dust Blues by Todd Strasser
Strasser’s first book takes a look at drugs from the other end of the spectrum. Instead of focusing on the drug user, Strasser introduces you to the drug pusher, in this case, spoiled rich kid Alex Lazar. Alex is bored with his comfy life in his big house and his chronically absent parents. So, he decides to deal drugs for the fun of it, and loves the immediate popularity it brings him. But when he becomes involved with a traditional girl who’s straighter than straight, and his best friend and co-dealer starts using way too much of their product on the side, Alex has to make some hard decisions that will rock his rich boy world.
A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence by Patricia Hersch
What if an adult – a normal, mom-type person – asked to follow you and your family for 3 years, watching everything you did and said – even the stuff your parents knew nothing about? That’s exactly what journalist Patricia Hersch did. She wanted to know what made teens tick, so she set out on this huge research journey with six teens that took three years to complete. Hersch’s whole deal is that today’s normal (as in, not super high risk) teens are rebelling more than ever, because between the working parents and neighborhoods that are empty until 6:00 PM, they have no one to turn to except other teens – thus the title. Teens are like a tribe apart from the rest of society, a culture and group unto themselves. It’s a pretty interesting book, because the people she hangs with are just like the people you know, and Hersch herself is totally non-judgmental. When she finds out that one of the kids that she’s working with is having her first sexual experience, and another is dealing drugs, she doesn’t freak, she just records the info and lets the facts tell the story, This is a hefty book (391 pages), but totally worth your while. If and when you read this book, let me know what you think-–it’s sparking a lot of debate among parent, teacher, and librarian tribes…
Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America by Rebecca Carroll
Starting with “I”: Personal Essay by Teenagers by Youth Communication, edited by Andrea Epstein and Philip Kay
All of these teen essays were originally published in New Youth Connections, a newspaper completely written for and by teenagers in New York City. (get it, they’re both NYC?) These essays are about subjects that are close to teen’s hearts and totally down to earth. Chris K. tells about the trauma of shopping with Mom, while Delia C. writes about how she’s come to deplore designer name brands. On a deeper note, Allen F. tries to figure out what’s up with the “N” word in the chapter on race, and Victoria L. struggles with her decision to become a vegetarian in the chapter on choices. Gotten yourself grounded? This is the perfect book to take to your room, ‘cause when you flip open the pages, it’s just like your friends talking to ya.
In My Room: Teenagers in their Bedrooms by Adrienne Salinger
This is a great book for the closeted peeping toms among you, because you get the voyeuristic thrill of seeing another person’s most intimate space – their bedroom. In this collection of forty photo essays, you’ll see and read some of the most personal details of these very different teenagers’ lives. My only beef with this book is that it doesn’t give specific info about the picture itself. For example, Anne I. has a very plain room except for a HUGE wall hanging of Jim Morrison (whom I love, I’m a big Doors fan), but her essay is about being grounded all the time. I’d rather read about her obvious Morrison obsession, but maybe that’s what makes this book so good – by looking at the stuff in people’s bedrooms, it tells you everything about that person without them having to say a word.
The Shared Heart: Portraits and Stories celebrating lesbian, gay and bisexual young people by Photographs by Adam Mastoon
This is a beautiful book, not just because of how it is presented, but also because its content. Next to 40 stunning black and white photographs appear painful and sometimes funny feelings, stories, and coming out experiences of teens who are not afraid to show who they are. The captions to each picture contain text that is written in the teen’s own handwriting, which makes each of their stories that much more personal and touching. Chris writes about how hard it is to be a closeted gay in a close-knit, Irish Catholic community, while Mollie poses with her obviously loving parents whom she came out to long ago. The book’s title comes from the fact that no matter how different we all are ethnically or sexually, we all share the same heart. I totally agree. With escalating violence against gays in the news, this book promotes tolerance and peace. It’s a keeper.
“A Totally Alien Life Form”: Teenagers by Sydney Lewis
Sydney Lewis interviewed about 60 teens to get this collection of 40 essays that document teen life, liberty and pursuit of popularity. She divides the essays into subjects like “Outcasts”, “Faith” and “Secrets”. The essays are written in the teens’ own words, with just a short intro to each where Lewis provides brief background info and a physical description. What’s cool about Lewis is that she’s worked closely with Studs Terkel, a cultural historian who’s written books on everything from WWII to the state of America in the 80’s. With greatness like that rubbing off on her, Lewis is golden. Last, but not least, this hefty volume definitely has the coolest cover – with black and white stripes and magazine cut-out faces. Give it a look-see!
Coming of Age: The True Adventures of Two American Teens by G. Wayne Miller
Except for the lameness of the title (hello, MOST books about teens are some sort of coming of age story) this is actually a pretty good book. Like A Tribe Apart, it documents the day to day lives of Dave and Beth, two teens from the class of ’93. However, Miller doesn’t interject as much of his opinions as Hersch did in Tribe. He basically just observes, takes in the action, and saves his shtick until the afterword. Again, this book is interesting because the fly-on-the-wall perspective. As teens, we all want to know what other teens are up to and how close they are to being like us. The good news is, by reading the books listed here, you’ll find out that you’re all normal (if definitely not all the same!).
Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Donnie’s older sister Karen has always been the person he turns to when he gets upset about their parents’ constant fighting. But now Karen is the one who needs help – the family has discovered that she has anorexia and everyone will need to work together to make sure she gets better. Except Donnie’s parents can’t stop playing the blame game when it comes to Karen, and Donnie begins to feel invisible at both school and home in the wake of Karen’s illness. He feels guilty for feeling relieved when she’s in the hospital and he actually gets some attention from their parents: “Without her to absorb all the energy, there’s some left for me.” When the worst happens, Donnie will have figure out who he is if he’s not the family peacemaker, not the invisible son, not Karen’s nerdy little brother. This first novel is a riveting look at how anorexia affects not only individuals, but their families and friends as well. Donnie is hauntingly real and his pain is palpable. Keep some Kleenex handy.