American Junkie

This is an accurate picture of what it's like to ravage one's life by heeding the siren call of heroin, existing in the lifestyle, dealing, and coming back. The author describes numerous physical issues that some may find hard to read but it's worth it because this is no made-up story, this is real, folks, as real as it gets. How do I know? The author is a longtime friend and I can tell you, all of this is true and he is still clean! :)A very good read, a page-turner. He writes with such wistful perception; we see his humanness, we feel his pain. There is no romanticizing, he tells his story matter-of-factly, sparing little detail. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to find out what severe addiction looks like. And Tom was a severe case, we're so happy to have him still with us. Very well-written, in a style that's simultaneously page-turning anticipation and the desire to reread passages slowly for impact. In other words, a good book on the truth of addiction and recovery, no punches pulled.

This is one of those rare books where the only disappointment is the fact that that it's day two and you're already done! I am not saying it's short by any means, you just cannot put it down. Very very few people have been able to sustain an addiction that bad for that long. Fewer can even fathom that a human can take addiction to these lengths, and as far as I know, he is the only one to do so and live to write about it! It's a must read, one of the few books that could help a non-user understand a user's mind and how powerful the substance is over mind and will. By the time Mr. Hanson dialed 911, he had shot up so much for so long that he was basically down to a head, torso, and his reproductive organs. What was left of the rest of him was open wounds that he still used IV drugs in! It's like a horrible wreck, you will not be able to drag your eyes away until you have passed it!

In the wake of addiction memoirs by everyone from grizzled flat-lining rock and rollers to intellectually-overbearing college girls, lately the genre has felt tired and unoriginal. In fact, it is hard to find a reason to buy one more book about someone's struggle to find physical and spiritual redemption after a prolonged bout with a needle, pipe, or bottle. With "American Junkie," Tom Hansen breathes both life and hope into this genre with his compelling memoir "American Junkie."The book begins with two journeys that run parallel through the book, converging in the final pages. The journeys both belong to Hansen- one beginning in a seedy drug den, where paralysis, malnutrition, and giant gaping holes in his body mark the starting line; the other begins with Hansen's youth, growing up in rural Washington state with his hearty, well-intentioned, and caring parents. Though his narrative points out instances where these qualities are somewhat diminished by his parents' own challenges as hard-laboring immigrants, his relationship with them is ultimately satisfying, as he casts an eye of compassion and love on both of them.People are going to pick this book up because they see the word "Junkie" in the title and will likely expect a string of guns-and-money vignettes, with a deep look into the seedy underbelly of narcotics trafficking. These people will be surprised to read that Hansen's ascent from user to dealer is relatively non-violent, save for the punishing drug abuse he inflicts on his own body. However, his business model for dealing, his opinions of his product, his clients, and the inevitable entanglement with law enforcement makes for gripping reading. Hansen writes in a plain, fast-moving style that is nothing short of captivating. Whether or not you have ever done drugs or struggled with addiction, you cannot help but relate to the emotions that he describes so well, and absent the cliches that have turned other stories so stale.I had set aside a week to read this book at my leisure. I finished it in a day, entirely unable to set it down. Like the subject matter underlying Hansen's story, it is truly an addictive read.Hansen's path through childhood into dealing high grade heroin to famous (and now deceased) rock gods of the Seattle grunge scene is fascinating on its own, but there is considerable consideration of Hansen's physical rehabilitation- an aspect rarely covered on all the rehab shows that are so popular now on television. So devastated was he at the nadir of his addiction that he had lost both the ability to walk and the desire to provide the most minimal care for himself. His style is particularly appealing due to the almost complete absence of self-pity and uber-charged navel gazing that drives so many other biographies into meandering circles of uninteresting narrative. Hansen writes with complete acceptance of his choices and the consequences thereof, such that the stories unfold with a disarming candor.But far from emotionally disconnected, Hansen's journey back into the world of the living is cobbled together by a series of relationships that seem to find him, and that evolve without expectation or judgment. Indeed, Hansen often indicates surprise that certain people not only fail to let him down, but that these people become his support- the daily maintenance that he requires to find a way to live a life that replaces drug abuse with meaning.The book is well-told and though it flows quickly, the details are somehow vivid and Hansen shows a proficiency for describing an event and its meaning to him without obvious or heavy-handed language. You care about Hansen right from the get go, which is a tribute to both his writing style and his spirit. Easily the best book I've read in 2010.

Tom Hansen has taken his heart and splattered it across the pages of this book. Anyone who has struggled with addiction should read this book. But it's not just for addicts. This book addresses the human condition. For it is not really about heroin addiction, it is about what a broken heart can drive any human being to. Sometimes when a person is hurting, they will do anything to numb the pain. That is what Tom did and he survived to tell the tale.This is also not typically written. I have read many books on addiction as I struggle with my own demons. The writing was so tight and so achingly real that I felt every single word. This does not happen by accident. This is the work of a writer who cares enough about his story to take the time to make it perfect.I knew when I read Tom's description of his mother that this was a special story. "She has the best qualities a person could have--patience, empathy, perseverance, devotion, forgiveness, faith." The picture he paints of her as she loves him through everything is incredible. I wish I could meet that woman.For that matter, I wish I could meet Tom. Not to have some eloquent discussion about addiction, not to gush about his book, but just to look him in the eye. Just to say, "I know." And to thank him. Sometimes a story is so powerful that it crosses a great divide. It puts words to a feeling someone didn't know they had. Sometimes, a story is so powerful the words in it can heal. This is that kind of book. This story has changed me. And I am grateful he wrote it and shared it with the world.

Tom Hansen was a heroin dealer to the stars (Cobain, Staley, and Lanegan), but this book is more about what he did to himself. It's unreal how low he went (can't stand up, needs 100% assistance with everything...and I won't even talk about his BONES)—and yet he lived. This was a fascinating read if you're interested in trying to get inside the head of an addict.

This is not so much a book as it is an ordeal, something we should bear witness to.It starts at rock bottom, 1999, and here come the graphic descriptions thick and fast. You better get used to them. Hansen has written this book in such a way that we live his experiences, and they are grim, grim, grim. I am way more acquainted with the rotting holes in his hips than I wanted—and to think, just days ago, I lived in a happy world where I didn't think such things existed!I read this faster than most books because I was so gripped, but it ended up taking me the same amount of time as any other because I had to take breaks. Now that's testament to the writing, which is incredible.As is the structure. The recovery of 1999 is interspersed with the history of Tom, from five years old upwards, such that it acts as a flashforward. At first it's jarring to think of a five-year-old future heroin addict, and harrowing still as the alienated kid grows up in these chapters, and the years get higher: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973... It's a countdown. You know the book will end when the two timelines collide. You're in a car you know is going to crash; scream all you want, it's happening. It happened, but it's happening to us now as we read its account. It can happen again each and every time this book is picked up—and so, at the very least, that isn't wasted.Why did it happen? Hansen is particularly pained by his attempts to make sense of life, of its suffering. That's both an explanation for the addiction, and a reason why one doesn't exist. He offers none because there is no easy answer. He only asks you to bear witness. If you start this book, you'll be compelled to see it through. (And at least you probably have whisky as a solace afterwards!)This is an unmissable book, the best addict memoir I've ever read, one of the best memoirs and one of the best books I've ever read too.

Magnífico. No lo pude soltar hasta que lo terminé. Es emocionalmente muy profundo, descriptivo, duro de leer, conmovedor pero sumamente entretenido por la fluidez con que está escrito. Me leeré su novela.

Great read