The Basketball Diaries
Book description
The urban classic coming-of-age story about sex, drugs, and basketball
Jim Carroll grew up to become a renowned poet and punk rocker. But in this memoir of the mid-1960s, set during his coming-of-age from 12 to 15, he was a rebellious teenager making a place and a name for himself…
Why read it?
3 authors picked The Basketball Diaries as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This was another true story of someone who suffered a terrible addiction and was able to overcome it. I liked it because Jim was a regular guy and not a celebrity sharing his life story as so many of these book are. It was one of the first books that gave me inspiration to write a book. It also became a movie where Leonardo DeCaprio played Jim Carrol.
From Andrew's list on stories so powerful you have to read them twice.
This is the New York City “classic” rock-n-roll, basketball-playing, bad behaving, love life chasing, down and dirty poetic feel-good like a young god book. You have to read this whip-smart, live life to the fullest, see-it-all book set in NYC. After you read this book you will move there because you’ll be addicted to the literary electricity in this book.
From Jack's list on what drives us to survive and keeps souls alive.
The Basketball Diaries is an uncensored view into the teenage life of Jim Carrol. It details his life in 1960s New York City as a high school student, a basketball player, and a heroin addict. It is a beautiful book about the dark and haunting reality of teenage drug abuse. Teenage Degenerate has many parallels with The Basketball Diaries and was an inspiration while I was writing my own book about my personal experiences as a teenage drug addict.
From S.C.'s list on addicts, addiction, and the damage it does.
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