Remember these Books?

The Princess Bride · 27-12-2013 3:05pm #1

Go Ask Alice- about an American drug addict- harrowing stuff.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Go-Ask-Alice-Anonymous/dp/product-description/0099557495/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&qid=1388155019&s=books&sr=1-1

And we had our own Irish version in the 80s.

Lisa-the story of an Irish drug addict.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lisa-story-Irish-drug-addict/dp/0907085474/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388156511&sr=1-1&keywords=Lisa-the+story+of+an+Irish+drug+addict.

My friends and I read both--very disturbing stories.
I would've been too scared to ever try drugs having read these.

Anybody here remember either?

Professey Chin · 27-12-2013 4:57pm

Can't say I ever read either of those.

Main books that stick out in my mind are the famine trilogy (Under the Hawthorne Tree, Wildflower Girl & Fields of Home). Read them so many times

CrillyRules · 27-12-2013 9:00pm

Read alice and prozac nation but never heard of the lisa one.

liliq · 27-12-2013 11:44pm

Have Alice here somewhere.
The Irish one I remember is 'The Agony of Ecstasy', by Julian something.

eisenberg1 · 30-12-2013 4:12pm

If you like this type of book, try "A million little pieces" by James Frey and "Christiana F", both really good

pow wow · 30-12-2013 4:23pm

I bought Go Ask Alice years ago in Porters for 4.99, a week's pocket money with a penny change. It was slightly horrifying but thankfully a short enough book

The Princess Bride · 30-12-2013 10:50pm

eisenberg1 wrote: »

If you like this type of book, try "A million little pieces" by James Frey and "Christiana F", both really good

Funnily enough, I didn't particularly like either.

I loved James Frey's A Million Little Pieces- in my top 5 favourite books ever.Not so much because of the nature of the story, I really loved his style of writing.

eisenberg1 · 31-12-2013 10:17am

The Princess Bride wrote: »

Funnily enough, I didn't particularly like either.

I loved James Frey's A Million Little Pieces- in my top 5 favourite books ever.Not so much because of the nature of the story, I really loved his style of writing.

James Frey did do a follow up, I read it but cannot remember the title, Give Christiana F a read, you should like it, there is also a film, you could get the DVD in HMV for 5-6 euro.

The Princess Bride · 31-12-2013 2:13pm

My Friend Leonard-great book also.
Cheers for recommendation !

Posy · 03-01-2014 1:23am

Professey Chin wrote: »

Main books that stick out in my mind are the famine trilogy (Under the Hawthorne Tree, Wildflower Girl & Fields of Home). Read them so many times

I keep meaning to buy these books and reread them. Loved the first two as a child, and I'm not sure I ever read the third one.

NegativeCreep · 03-01-2014 1:26am

Read go ask Alice in school. It's fictional by the way. The religion teacher didn't like when I pointed that out. She was trying to get us to never take drugs

liliq · 03-01-2014 1:41am

Posy wrote: »

I keep meaning to buy these books and reread them. Loved the first two as a child, and I'm not sure I ever read the third one.

I don't think I ever read the third one either.
I loved the first two though!

Did anyone else read The Shamrogues?

Professey Chin · 03-01-2014 8:24am

Posy wrote: »

I keep meaning to buy these books and reread them. Loved the first two as a child, and I'm not sure I ever read the third one.

liliq wrote: »

I don't think I ever read the third one either.
I loved the first two though!

3rd one was pretty good. Split between Ireland and America. I can remember bits and pieces of the general storyline but not much else.
The 1st one was depressing as hell though

DoozerT6 · 03-01-2014 10:08pm

I've never heard of either of those books! :O What decade was this in?

The Princess Bride · 04-01-2014 12:38am

DoozerT6 wrote: »

I've never heard of either of those books! :O What decade was this in?

Alice was written in the 70s, Lisa in the 80s.
I read both as a teen in the 80s.
Depressing books.Recommended by a teacher, I think.

eleventyfirst · 05-07-2014 8:56pm

Difficult book. As in the story, not the type font, it was really big and suitable to my hypermetropia (can't believe my spell check doesn't cop that word)!

I had a religious upbringing and was force-read "A Nuns Life" by three spinsters. Not sure which appalled me more, the story, or the missing apostrophe in the title.

eleventyfirst · 06-07-2014 11:25am

One of my favorites that I read recently is My Friend Leonard, a hard-hitting book, unusual writing style.

A specials friend gave me a copy of it, I think she was sick of me reading Robert Frost's poetry! It's about as far removed from Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy evening as you can get!!

darkdubh · 07-07-2014 10:27am

This is one that I read in my teens in the 80s.Are You Listening Karen?It was kind of a morality tale in a way with the lad in it being tempted by drugs and running off when this girl he fancied tried to snog him at a party.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Are-Listening-Karen-Puffin-Books/dp/0140317481

The Princess Bride · 10-07-2014 9:34pm

darkdubh wrote: »

This is one that I read in my teens in the 80s.
Are You Listening Karen?
It was kind of a morality tale in a way with the lad in it being tempted by drugs and running off when this girl he fancied tried to snog him at a party.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Are-Listening-Karen-Puffin-Books/dp/0140317481

Never heard of it.
But.
I read your post in a Roddy Doyle,The Snapper's Mr.Burgess "Are you alright,Sharon?" accent.

Miss.Mayhem · 16-07-2014 4:52pm

Does anyone remember the Kevin and Sadie books (Across the Barricades, The Twelfth Day of July)? I loved these has a child!

Posy · 19-07-2014 10:38am

Posy wrote: »

I keep meaning to buy these books and reread them. Loved the first two as a child, and I'm not sure I ever read the third one.

Just downloaded Under The Hawthorne Tree for my Kindle.

eisenberg1 · 19-07-2014 3:24pm

eleventyfirst wrote: »

One of my favorites that I read recently is My Friend Leonard, a hard-hitting book, unusual writing style.

A specials friend gave me a copy of it, I think she was sick of me reading Robert Frost's poetry! It's about as far removed from Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy evening as you can get!!

Leonard is the second part of the story, did you the first one "A Million Little Pieces"?

MisterDrak · 23-07-2014 9:47am

Anyone remember "The house in the waves", book from secondary school - First year in 1979.

About an introverted boy living beside the sea, with a distant mother, abusive father, and only seagulls for company !

Pretty depressing as I was reading 2000AD up to this point...

iguana · 23-07-2014 12:05pm

NegativeCreep wrote: »

Read go ask Alice in school. It's fictional by the way. The religion teacher didn't like when I pointed that out. She was trying to get us to never take drugs

Not just fictional but very deliberate, complete and utter scaremongering b0llox. Beatrice Sparks, the woman who wrote it, has form for this kind of book, whipping up fear of drugs, sex and rap (and no I didn't leave out an 'e' I do mean the musical genre), vilifying mental illness and making the consequences of teen pregnancy appear over the top punitive. Sparks herself is quite the charlatan, claiming to have a Ph.D that she could never prove she had and that no university has a record of awarding her with. She was asked by the family of a young man who committed suicide to edit his diary for publication and she nearly completely falsified it, making up a nonsense story about Satanism being at the root of his death.

Remember these Books?

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