{"product_id":"9781617751066","title":"The Heroin Chronicles","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\"The third and finest Akashic entry yet in its Drug Chronicles series focuses on the enigmatic opium poppy and its various derivatives...As the 13 contributors to this all-original anthology reveal, those who partake of the sacred flower are forever changed, but the price of paradise is often steep: overdose, hepatitis C, degradation, self-destruction. Stahl, himself a recovering addict with long-term sobriety, has assembled an impressive array of writers to create this 'encyclopedia of bad behavior.' Indeed, these tales of chasing the dragon, with corollaries often violent and savage, will satisfy devotees of noir fiction and outsider art alike.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e (starred review)\u003cp\u003e“Editor Stahl (\u003ci\u003ePermanent Midnight\u003c\/i\u003e) has put forth a gritty, naked collection of short stories on the bleak life of heroin addicts. These tales by such edgy literary writers as Gary Phillips, Lydia Lunch, and Nathan Larson give different voices . . . that keep the stories fresh and above comparison.”\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Like its two predecessors, devoted to cocaine and speed, \u003ci\u003eThe Heroin Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e confirms how drugs are . . . the basis of some of the most unforgettable fiction you’ll ever read.”\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBookgasm\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"For all the bleakness, suffering, and crime seeping from the pores of this anthology, Stahl welds together a creative whole from disparate voices. Because illegal drugs, especially heroin, are so damaging, it is refreshing to read an anthology focusing on drugs that neither moralizes or condescends to the reader. These stories reflect upon the human damage, one individual at a time.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCCLaP: Chicago Center for Literature and Photography\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Heroin Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e conveys the sentiment that a life of heroin addiction is a human comedy, but it will usually end in dark or, even worse, banal tragedy.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMysteryPeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Heroin Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e, the third entry in the [Akashic Drug Chronicles] series, is the finest so far -- a collection of short fiction that puts this series on the same must-read category as the Noir Series…\u003ci\u003eThe Heroin Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e is full of stories about suffering, survival, overdoses, hepatitis C, poverty, self-loathing, humiliation, danger, death, degradation, guns, and self-destruction. They’re all told with unflinching sincerity by authors who have either been there or extremely close to it. If you’re familiar with the Drug Chronicles, you know saying this is the best one yet is saying a lot. If you’re not familiar with the series, this is the definitely the book to start with.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVerbicide Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspired by the ongoing international success of the city-based Akashic Noir Series (\u003ci\u003eBrooklyn Noir\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBoston Noir\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eParis Noir\u003c\/i\u003e, etc.), last year Akashic created the new Drug Chronicles series. On the heels of \u003ci\u003eThe Speed Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e (Sherman Alexie, William T. Vollmann, Megan Abbott, James Franco, Beth Lisick, etc.) and \u003ci\u003eThe Cocaine Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e (Lee Child, Laura Lippman, etc.) comes \u003ci\u003eThe Heroin Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e, a volume sure to frighten and delight. The literary styles are varied, as are the moral quandaries herein.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeroin has long been understood as the most \"literary\" of narcotics, and this collection will, for better and worse, have tremendous pop cultural appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing brand-new stories by: Eric Bogosian, Lydia Lunch, Jerry Stahl, Nathan Larson, Ava Stander, Antonia Crane, Gary Phillips, Jervey Tervalon, John Albert, Michael Albo, Sophia Langdon, Tony O'Neill, and L.Z. Hansen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJerry Stahl\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of six books, including the memoir \u003ci\u003ePermanent Midnight\u003c\/i\u003e (made into a movie with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson) and the novels \u003ci\u003eI, Fatty\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePain Killers\u003c\/i\u003e. Formerly the culture columnist for \u003ci\u003eDetails\u003c\/i\u003e, Stahl's fiction and journalism have appeared in \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Believer\u003c\/i\u003e, among other places. He has worked extensively in film and television and, most recently, wrote \u003ci\u003eHemingway \u0026amp; Gellhorn\u003c\/i\u003e, starring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman, for HBO.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Akashic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47060994064624,"sku":"9781617751066","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781617751066_p0.jpg?v=1763853430","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781617751066","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}