Download the study guide during the course of the four years the novel records, gemma and tar link up with drug addicts and. He gained a certain amount of notoriety in 1996 with the publication of junk, which was published in the shadow of the film of irvine welshs trainspotting, and dealt with the trendy and controversial idea of heroinaddicted teenagers. Melvin burgess has 49 books on goodreads with 73085 ratings. Smack is a book about a drug and the hold it can have.
Smack presents a fairly realistic view of life on the streets in bristol in the. Among them are nicholas dane, doing it a new york public library book for the teen age, the ghost. The novel smack by, melvin burgees was a very good book i read i. He has had a variety of jobs before becoming a fulltime writer. Ala best books for young adults, guardian childrens fiction prize, books for the teen age, new. Among them are nicholas dane, doing it a new york public library book for the teen age, the ghost behind the wall bank street best childrens book of the year and smack winner of britains carnegie medal and the guardian prize for fiction, as well as an. Melvin burgess was born in london and brought up in surrey and sussex. Smack book by melvin burgess half price books marketplace. Smack is the winner of the 1996 carnegie medal in literature.
Winner of the 1996 carnegie medal in literature and the guardian prize for fiction, two of englands most prestigious awards, smack tells a penetrating, isbn 9780312608620 buy the smack ebook. Among them are nicholas dane, doing it a new york public library book for the teen age, the ghost behind the wall. Melvin burgess born 25 april 1954 is a british writer of childrens fiction. Everything you need to understand or teach smack by melvin burgess. His most substantial book to date, this compelling story of a teenager caught in a corrupt 1980s care home is a powerful study of a particularly highly charged and distressing subject. Dear melvin burgess, hi, my name is lindsie and i just finished reading smack yesterday.
The first edition of the novel was published in november 14th 1996, and was written by melvin burgess. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while. Junk is the drugs book against which i judge all drugs books, and so far nothings come close to matching melvin burgesss unflinching portrayal of bristols city. He became famous in 1998 with the publication of junk, about heroinaddicted teenagers on the streets of bristol. Two teens escape their oppressive homes to live with anarchist squatters, only to become entrenched in heroin addiction and crime. He gained a certain amount of notoriety in 1996 with the publication of junk, which was published in the shadow of the film of irvine welshs trainspotting, and dealt with the trendy and controversial idea of heroinaddicted.
Winner of the carnegie medal and the guardian prize for fiction, two of englands most prestigious awards, smack tells a penetrating story about heroin use, a topic that is becoming familiar in the news. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Both critically and commercially it is the best received of burgess novels. Tar and gemma run away from their homes for what they believe are valid reasons. Winner of the 1996 carnegie medal in literature and the guardian prize for fiction, two of englands most prestigious awards, smack tells a penetrating story about heroin use, a topic that is. Melvin burgess booklist melvin burgess message board. Im sure you get emails like this all of the time, but i hope you take the time to really consider this one. Smack is about two youths who leave their homes to search for a better life, only.
This detailed literature summary also contains related titlesadaptations on smack by melvin burgess. After running away from their troubled homes, two english teenagers move in with a group of squatters in the port city of bristol and try to find ways. Melvin burgess, author of smack, has written what is potentially the most controversial young adult novel ever. There is no preaching here, just the artful revelation of. However, once in the city, they become entangled in the abuse of heroin. While the violent climax may be upsetting, the book ends on a hopeful note. The experience can be a person or it can be a drug. What is usually called teenage fiction is really for people aged up to fourteen or so. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play. The title of this book is smack and it was written by melvin burgess. The experience opens a door that was there all the time. For the majority of the book, these relationships are ones of love, but eventually the excessive drug use by many of the characters causes divisions between many of the. In a carnegie medalwinning novel under the uk title, junk that cuts to the bone, burgess puts a group of.
Although the language is strong, burgess never judges his characters behavior, nor pontificates. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are jerry, sal. Smack isbn 9780312608620 pdf epub melvin burgess ebook. Set on the streets of bristol, england, it features two runaway teens who join a group of squatters, where they fall into heroin addiction and embrace anarchism. Among them are nicholas dane, doing it a new york public library book for the teen age, the ghost behind the wall bank street best childrens book of the year and smack winner of britains carnegie medal and the guardian prize for fiction, as well as an ala best book for young adults. Buy a cheap copy of doing it book by melvin burgess. It is a book about people, familiesreal and those constructed by young people with no one to turn to but each other. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 293 pages and is available in paperback format. With smack, winner of the carnegie medal and the guardian prize for fiction, melvin burgess brilliantly sketches a gradual descent into drug addiction.
This books publish date is jun 08, 2010 and it has a. Its a book that every teenager should readthen pass along to a friend. Two teens escape their oppressive homes to live with. His most substantial book to date, this compelling story of a teenager caught in a corrupt 1980s care home is a powerful study of a particularly highly charged and distressing. Carnegieprize winning author, melvin burgess, has written a longawaited new story. For gilly authors note this book is set roughly in the early and middle 1980s, when i myself was living in bristol. His first book, the cry of the wolf, was published in 1990. Buy this book this searing account of two young runaways. Pdf smack book by melvin burgess free download 293 pages. Smack by melvin burgess meet your next favorite book. Melvin burgesss junk or smack in the us marked a turning point in young adult ya fiction in the uk, a field within ya now known as ukya. Written over a decade ago, smack is the original cautionary tale about modern drug abuse. Winner of the 1996 carnegie medal in literature and the guardian prize for fiction, two of englands most prestigious awards, smack tells a penetrating story about heroin use, a.