An oldie but a good read

RodISHI

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Nov 29, 2008
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I read this book when I was eleven years old. An English teacher handed it to me after making me promise that I would not let anyone know who gave it to me if questioned about it. I had some great teachers that actually were aware of what some of their students faced even if no one dared say it. Drugs were prevalent in the 70's in Southern California and we were not immune to the effects of them no matter who we were or which working class family we came from. Some things do not change some parents get so wrapped up in those parties, looking good, nice cars and nicer homes the children are secondary.

On the walk to school before we moved to the mountains many of the teens had places they would stop, smoke pot or sniff glue. My brother was among those because he was sweet on one of the girls his age. He would steal liquor from the parents stash and take for their morning parties. Years later I saw that poor girl and it wasn't a pretty sight at all.

I recall a boy named Luke who came to my rescue one day as the druggies surrounded me on the road to school. The school drunks and druggies were angry and yelling that I was a stuck up snob to good to come join them. Luke partook with them and it surprised me when he came out from where they were sniffing glue behind some large cutoff tree trunks to tell them all to leave me alone. I sure was grateful for him doing that and grateful to God for keeping me out of that aspect of life. It was tough enough just being a bystander seeing it all go down.

The Panic in Needle Park
by James Mills
 
I read this book when I was eleven years old. An English teacher handed it to me after making me promise that I would not let anyone know who gave it to me if questioned about it. I had some great teachers that actually were aware of what some of their students faced even if no one dared say it. Drugs were prevalent in the 70's in Southern California and we were not immune to the effects of them no matter who we were or which working class family we came from. Some things do not change some parents get so wrapped up in those parties, looking good, nice cars and nicer homes the children are secondary.

On the walk to school before we moved to the mountains many of the teens had places they would stop, smoke pot or sniff glue. My brother was among those because he was sweet on one of the girls his age. He would steal liquor from the parents stash and take for their morning parties. Years later I saw that poor girl and it wasn't a pretty sight at all.

I recall a boy named Luke who came to my rescue one day as the druggies surrounded me on the road to school. The school drunks and druggies were angry and yelling that I was a stuck up snob to good to come join them. Luke partook with them and it surprised me when he came out from where they were sniffing glue behind some large cutoff tree trunks to tell them all to leave me alone. I sure was grateful for him doing that and grateful to God for keeping me out of that aspect of life. It was tough enough just being a bystander seeing it all go down.

The Panic in Needle Park
by James Mills

Thank goodness for Luke!

I've not read the book but I have seen the film, Al Pacino is in it, it was made in 1971, it's pretty hard hitting, NOT I think as seedy as "French Connection II" where Fernando Rey is getting his gang to shoot-up Gene Hackman to force him into being a Junkie and then all the stomach churning withdrawal symptoms scenes we get, but "The Panic In Needle Park" is still pretty seedy:

 
I read this book when I was eleven years old. An English teacher handed it to me after making me promise that I would not let anyone know who gave it to me if questioned about it. I had some great teachers that actually were aware of what some of their students faced even if no one dared say it. Drugs were prevalent in the 70's in Southern California and we were not immune to the effects of them no matter who we were or which working class family we came from. Some things do not change some parents get so wrapped up in those parties, looking good, nice cars and nicer homes the children are secondary.

On the walk to school before we moved to the mountains many of the teens had places they would stop, smoke pot or sniff glue. My brother was among those because he was sweet on one of the girls his age. He would steal liquor from the parents stash and take for their morning parties. Years later I saw that poor girl and it wasn't a pretty sight at all.

I recall a boy named Luke who came to my rescue one day as the druggies surrounded me on the road to school. The school drunks and druggies were angry and yelling that I was a stuck up snob to good to come join them. Luke partook with them and it surprised me when he came out from where they were sniffing glue behind some large cutoff tree trunks to tell them all to leave me alone. I sure was grateful for him doing that and grateful to God for keeping me out of that aspect of life. It was tough enough just being a bystander seeing it all go down.

The Panic in Needle Park
by James Mills

Thank goodness for Luke!

I've not read the book but I have seen the film, Al Pacino is in it, it was made in 1971, it's pretty hard hitting, NOT I think as seedy as "French Connection II" where Fernando Rey is getting his gang to shoot-up Gene Hackman to force him into being a Junkie and then all the stomach churning withdrawal symptoms scenes we get, but "The Panic In Needle Park" is still pretty seedy:


I don't know what happened to Luke but 50 years later I am still grateful God put him there that morning and put it in his heart to come to my defense as I was several years younger and much smaller than the others. Drunks and druggies on a rage would have been hard to fend off by myself.

The girl my brother was infatuated ended up in the brothel end of town in San Bernardino. The ex before he was an ex insisted I go with him to a porn movie. The thought even disgusted me but he was the biological father of my two children and I was trying exceptionally hard to keep the marriage going so I relented and went with him one night. It was utterly disgusting, the smell was unbearable and as I felt my stomach turning ready to empty its contents I just said "I can't do this". I started walking out and that is when I saw her slump against a wall and men surrounding her and what appeared to be them jacking off on her. Her face was cover in what looked like wet slime. At that point I almost broke into a run to get the hell out of there. Husband followed but even if he hadn't I was ready to fight for my life to get out of there if that is what it took.

A few months later he made himself a permanent ex when he walked out and kicked the dog on his way out the door. That dog BTW kept him at a good distance. One night when he thought he would break the door down to where the children and I lived. The small dog was yapping but the big dog he'd kicked just had a low growl that could not be heard over the yaps of the little one. Finally after seeing the door wasn't going to hold I opened it and I loosed the dog and shut and relocked the door. I also ran around to the backside where ex and his girlfriend had parked to look out the window. I can still see him in my memory running and the dog lunge in big leaps taking bites out of his ass with each lunge; and I still laugh about that too.
 
I read this book when I was eleven years old. An English teacher handed it to me after making me promise that I would not let anyone know who gave it to me if questioned about it. I had some great teachers that actually were aware of what some of their students faced even if no one dared say it. Drugs were prevalent in the 70's in Southern California and we were not immune to the effects of them no matter who we were or which working class family we came from. Some things do not change some parents get so wrapped up in those parties, looking good, nice cars and nicer homes the children are secondary.

On the walk to school before we moved to the mountains many of the teens had places they would stop, smoke pot or sniff glue. My brother was among those because he was sweet on one of the girls his age. He would steal liquor from the parents stash and take for their morning parties. Years later I saw that poor girl and it wasn't a pretty sight at all.

I recall a boy named Luke who came to my rescue one day as the druggies surrounded me on the road to school. The school drunks and druggies were angry and yelling that I was a stuck up snob to good to come join them. Luke partook with them and it surprised me when he came out from where they were sniffing glue behind some large cutoff tree trunks to tell them all to leave me alone. I sure was grateful for him doing that and grateful to God for keeping me out of that aspect of life. It was tough enough just being a bystander seeing it all go down.

The Panic in Needle Park
by James Mills
If you liked The Panic in Needle Park, you will probably like Requiem for a Dream.

 

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