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US Mall 1 - Dreamseller
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List Price: $21.95
Our Price: $13.40
Your Save: $ 8.55 ( 39% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Citadel Press
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.45092
EAN: 9780806530031
ISBN: 0806530030
Label: Citadel Press
Manufacturer: Citadel Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 276
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Publisher: Citadel Press
Studio: Citadel Press
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Comment: I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas. She read it all in one day and she said that it was a really good autobiography of Brandon's life. I am still in the process of reading this book and so far it is very interesting. It is a must read!
Customer Rating:
Summary: 1 star too many..
Comment: Full of cliches, great-full-ness, and thank gods of the newly clean. The co-author should be shot for his testament to Novak's natural witty speaking style. Gutted and cleaned entrails of a messy life, coded for consumer self help is a ridiculous approach to this life. Novak is not the person to be used as a figure head for the wonders of getting clean, nor a cautionary tale on drugs. This book glorifies drugs while just saying, "no." It's not Brandon's fault. He got the wrong help in writing this trash. Buy it used, if you insist on thinking you are going to find something you haven't heard before, but you won't.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Overall an interesting read, but not the whole story.
Comment: Overall this was a great read, and thank god this wasn't another 'junkie chic' book pretending to warn of the pitfalls of drugs while bragging about the all the 'awesome' things the author's done despite/while on drugs. Novak's not afraid to get into the ugly, gritty details of being a drug addict and the desperate things he did as an addict - I defy anyone to not have their jaw drop at least once when they read this book.
Considering that after the early promise Novak showed as a skateboarder, he ended up famous essentially for being part of Bam Margera's crew, it's really interesting to read this book and get a better grasp of what Novak is like as a person and not just as an extension of Bam. (Although I have to admit, Novak's brief description of Bam and his friendship in the book is the only thing in about ten years that's made me feel sorry for Bam. It's an eye-opener.)
Having listened to Novak on the radio his voice really comes through in the writing - you can tell in certain places things are phrased exactly as he speaks in real life, so the book doesn't appear to have been overly ghost-written by his co-writer. In writing, he seems to have more intelligence (although that could be Frantz's contribution) than comes across from his radio/tv appearances.
My only complaint about this book is that those with more than a passing familiarity with his life know there is a *lot* missing from this book - it's essentially a collection of stories about his journey from skateboarder to junkie to rehab to ...(I won't spoil the end) - we're not getting the whole story. His father, for one, who he has cited as a huge influence over how his life ended up is completely missing in the text (for legal reasons, I assume). The book feels a little disjointed - partly from the way it was written (swapping back and forward between different times and leaving some fairly key parts of his life out), and partly because Novak kind of writes like an outsider looking in on his life - he seems to lack insight in a lot of passages. (I assume he was writing them from the perspective he had when he was on dope, but it would be interesting for him to have said if he still has the same perspective when he's clean).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Life of a Jackass Junkie
Comment: The life of a Junkie never has a fairy tale ending. we are told at a young age on how not to do drugs and how bad it is. Brandon Novak writes about his world in the filth and grime of the Baltimore, Maryland streets and his comback as a better, sober, person. With his writting style no one would have ever guesses that this Jackass Junkie could write something in such detail and in such a poetic manner. The story starts with his conscience dissision to return to rehab, for the seventh or eighth time, with flashbacks describing his current state of mind. Who would have thought that a young skater with so much potential and talent could leave it all for a vial of heroine, and i'm sure Novak is still figuring that out for himself. We finally get to learn about Novak's choices in his life through his graphic story of courage, self-doubt, companionship, and betrayl. He retells the slang, codes, and business ethics of the common junkie in Baltimore with such detail that you can feel like your in that filthy garage with Novak. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has once ridden a skateboard.
P.S. Novak writes about his argument with Mike Vallely and I can't say I was dissapointed!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Loss for Words
Comment: To all those people who think that brandon novak is a lost cause and only thinks about himself is all BS!..
..I now have a different perspective on brandon novak because deep down he does really care about his loved ones and was always trying to get help but at the time he was so mentally ill that he didnt know right from wrong and the drugs were his eventual downfall. What i really loved about this story were all of his flashbacks and all of the people who gave him advice and guidance even though he igonored it, and they all played a key role in his life and addiction *SPOLIER* *SPOLIER*(and i liked the ending i thought it meant that he now realises that he is an addict and will always have the temptation..he will always struggle)
This is a really great book if you are a new reader into addiction and recovery
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Comment: I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas. She read it all in one day and she said that it was a really good autobiography of Brandon's life. I am still in the process of reading this book and so far it is very interesting. It is a must read!
Customer Rating:
Summary: 1 star too many..
Comment: Full of cliches, great-full-ness, and thank gods of the newly clean. The co-author should be shot for his testament to Novak's natural witty speaking style. Gutted and cleaned entrails of a messy life, coded for consumer self help is a ridiculous approach to this life. Novak is not the person to be used as a figure head for the wonders of getting clean, nor a cautionary tale on drugs. This book glorifies drugs while just saying, "no." It's not Brandon's fault. He got the wrong help in writing this trash. Buy it used, if you insist on thinking you are going to find something you haven't heard before, but you won't.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Overall an interesting read, but not the whole story.
Comment: Overall this was a great read, and thank god this wasn't another 'junkie chic' book pretending to warn of the pitfalls of drugs while bragging about the all the 'awesome' things the author's done despite/while on drugs. Novak's not afraid to get into the ugly, gritty details of being a drug addict and the desperate things he did as an addict - I defy anyone to not have their jaw drop at least once when they read this book.
Considering that after the early promise Novak showed as a skateboarder, he ended up famous essentially for being part of Bam Margera's crew, it's really interesting to read this book and get a better grasp of what Novak is like as a person and not just as an extension of Bam. (Although I have to admit, Novak's brief description of Bam and his friendship in the book is the only thing in about ten years that's made me feel sorry for Bam. It's an eye-opener.)
Having listened to Novak on the radio his voice really comes through in the writing - you can tell in certain places things are phrased exactly as he speaks in real life, so the book doesn't appear to have been overly ghost-written by his co-writer. In writing, he seems to have more intelligence (although that could be Frantz's contribution) than comes across from his radio/tv appearances.
My only complaint about this book is that those with more than a passing familiarity with his life know there is a *lot* missing from this book - it's essentially a collection of stories about his journey from skateboarder to junkie to rehab to ...(I won't spoil the end) - we're not getting the whole story. His father, for one, who he has cited as a huge influence over how his life ended up is completely missing in the text (for legal reasons, I assume). The book feels a little disjointed - partly from the way it was written (swapping back and forward between different times and leaving some fairly key parts of his life out), and partly because Novak kind of writes like an outsider looking in on his life - he seems to lack insight in a lot of passages. (I assume he was writing them from the perspective he had when he was on dope, but it would be interesting for him to have said if he still has the same perspective when he's clean).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Life of a Jackass Junkie
Comment: The life of a Junkie never has a fairy tale ending. we are told at a young age on how not to do drugs and how bad it is. Brandon Novak writes about his world in the filth and grime of the Baltimore, Maryland streets and his comback as a better, sober, person. With his writting style no one would have ever guesses that this Jackass Junkie could write something in such detail and in such a poetic manner. The story starts with his conscience dissision to return to rehab, for the seventh or eighth time, with flashbacks describing his current state of mind. Who would have thought that a young skater with so much potential and talent could leave it all for a vial of heroine, and i'm sure Novak is still figuring that out for himself. We finally get to learn about Novak's choices in his life through his graphic story of courage, self-doubt, companionship, and betrayl. He retells the slang, codes, and business ethics of the common junkie in Baltimore with such detail that you can feel like your in that filthy garage with Novak. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has once ridden a skateboard.
P.S. Novak writes about his argument with Mike Vallely and I can't say I was dissapointed!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Loss for Words
Comment: To all those people who think that brandon novak is a lost cause and only thinks about himself is all BS!..
..I now have a different perspective on brandon novak because deep down he does really care about his loved ones and was always trying to get help but at the time he was so mentally ill that he didnt know right from wrong and the drugs were his eventual downfall. What i really loved about this story were all of his flashbacks and all of the people who gave him advice and guidance even though he igonored it, and they all played a key role in his life and addiction *SPOLIER* *SPOLIER*(and i liked the ending i thought it meant that he now realises that he is an addict and will always have the temptation..he will always struggle)
This is a really great book if you are a new reader into addiction and recovery
Array
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