He has had a variety of jobs before becoming a fulltime writer. Melvin burgess most ambitious and complex novel is a vivid depiction of a group of teenagers in the grip of addiction. 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. He became famous in 1998 with the publication of junk, about heroinaddicted teenagers on the streets of bristol. 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 road in the 1980s through a heroinaddled lens. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play. The experience can be a person or it can be a drug. After 20 years of economic recession, the gaps between englands rich and poor are wider and starker than ever. You might not have heard of the volsunga saga, but before the christians came. Melvin burgess, well known for his controversial and sometimes disturbing novels, has written a series of brief but compelling myths about modern life. Melvin burgess is an iconic, awardwinning young adult fiction author.
He was born in 1954 in twickenham, but grew up in sussex and berkshire. Told from multiple viewpoints, junk is a powerful, unflinching novel about heroin. His first book, the cry of the wolf, was published in 1990. His books feature teenage drug addicts and a promiscuous 17yearold girl who turns into a bitch on heat and loves it. Junk won the carnegie medal and the guardian childrens fiction award in 1997. 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 becoming familiar in the news and one of importance to teens everywhere. Tar and gemma are discontent with their home lives. Melvin burgess was born in london and brought up in surrey and sussex. Gemma and tar flee there abusive and poor home lives for living the runaway squatter life and turn to heroin as an escape. 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. There is no preaching here, just the artful revelation of cold, hard facts.
Melvin burgess born 25 april 1954 is a british writer of childrens fiction. Nov 14, 1996 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 road in the 1980s through a heroinaddled lens. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are jerry, sal. Melvin burgess is the author of many novels for young adult and middlegrade readers. An excerpt from smack by melvin burgess lily pages 171 175 you get under my skin but i dont find it irritating you always play to win but i wont need rehabilitating oh no. Insightful, haunting, and real, smack is the go ask alice of the 90s. Smack is about two youths who leave their homes to search for a better life, only to wind up squatting in abandoned houses and struggling with heroin addiction.
However, once in the city, they become entangled in the abuse of. During the course of the four years the novel records, gemma and tar link up with drug addicts and participate in prostitution, petty thievery, and burglary in order to sustain their drug addiction. In a carnegie medalwinning novel under the uk title, junk that cuts to the bone, burgess puts a group of teenage runaways through four nightmarish years of heroin addiction. 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. At 14, sweetnatured tar leaves his small seaside town for bristol to get away from his alcoholic, abusive parents.
For gilly authors note this book is set roughly in the early and middle 1980s, when i myself was living in bristol. Winner of the 1996 carnegie medal in literature and the guardian prize for fiction, two of englands most prestigious aw. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play broadcast on radio 4. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 293 pages and is available in paperback format.
In britain, junk became one of the bestknown young adult books of the decade. Smack book by melvin burgess half price books marketplace. The hit by melvin burgess and samuel roukin audiobook. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 389 pages and is available in paperback format.
Melvin burgess is the recipient of both the carnegie medal and the guardian childrens fiction award for his controversial bestseller junk smack in the us. Both critically and commercially it is the best received of burgess. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. If youre writing a smack essay and need some advice, post your melvin burgess essay question on our facebook page where fellow bookworms are always glad to help.
Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Read smack by melvin burgess available from rakuten kobo. Tars father is abusive while gemma feels bored and encumbered by her parents rules. There were howls of protest from the right wing press. Listen to the hit by melvin burgess, samuel roukin for free with a 30 day free trial. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read smack. 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. And when tar and gemma try their first hit of smack, they think life will keep on getting better. 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. Smack by melvin burgess overdrive rakuten overdrive. Its a book that every teenager should readthen pass along to a friend.
Smack has 4 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. The first edition of the novel was published in november 14th 1996, and was written by melvin burgess. After a brief early stint as a journalist, melvin turned his attention to writing fiction, and his novels have been published to wide critical acclaim. This searing account of two young runaways descent into heroin addiction and their faltering climb back out won englands carnegie medal and guardian prize. 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. Shes been raised in a bubble of privilege, while hes from a family barely scraping by due to his fathers disability. This acclaimed book by melvin burgess is available at in several formats for your ereader. The search for the next hit becomes allconsuminguntil a disaster forces gemma to take matters into her own hands. Melvin burgess has 49 books on goodreads with 72533 ratings. An overview and plot summary of smack by melvin burgess.
Tar and gemma run away from their homes for what they believe are valid reasons. Smack questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on smack. Twenty years ago teen books were for 12 yearolds, so melvin burgess s book about drug addiction caused waves of outrage and the ripples of shock are still felt today. The experience opens a door that was there all the time. He is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including doing it, bloodtide, saras face, and kill all enemies. Apr 09, 2020 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Smack ebook by melvin burgess 9781429996587 rakuten kobo. I got so lost in that book, really tied to the characters, all of them. The bookseller about the books ive always loved myth and legend, and all through my life theres one story i come back to again and again and again.
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. Billys mother is dead, and his father and brother are fiercely involved in a bitter miners fight that has split the local community. 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. Im sure you get emails like this all of the time, but i hope you take the time to really consider this one. Smack isbn 9780312608620 pdf epub melvin burgess ebook. Pdf smack book by melvin burgess free download 293 pages. Smack presents a fairly realistic view of life on the streets in bristol in the 1980s through the eyes of two runaways, gemma and tar.
Tar is 14 years old and runs away from his alcoholic and. Gemma follows him to escape an infuriatingly repressive to her, at least home situation. Burgess has no time for either hushed, poetic contemplations on heroin or clumsy, moralistic incitements to just say no. Young lovers lizzie and adam are keenly aware of the challenges they face. Once you take a hit, you will never be the same again. Pdf junk book by melvin burgess free download 389 pages. Buy the paperback book smack by melvin burgess at indigo. Just when you thought burgess could not get any better, he did. Billy elliots tough, funny and heartwarming story is given new depth by bestselling author, melvin burgess. 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. May 15, 2016 twenty years ago teen books were for 12 yearolds, so melvin burgesss book about drug addiction caused waves of outrage and the ripples of shock are still felt today. With smack, winner of the carnegie medal and the guardian prize for fiction, melvin burgess brilliantly sketches a gradual descent into drug addiction. Dear melvin burgess, hi, my name is lindsie and i just finished reading smack yesterday. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
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