I enjoyed your review but I couldn't read it, too disturbing. I find this sort of thing makes everything I look at go dark, at least while I'm reading it. I do like the YT channel Soft White Underbelly which is interviews with mostly homeless drug addicts.
I feel you. Making everything go dark is a good way to put it. And I also appreciate that channel, though some of them I can’t bring myself to watch. Just have watched a few. Though in thinking about that channel—I guess another reason Notice feels so unique is that few people with that tough a life/lifestyle ever write books.
yes, the theme of that channel is often ‘addiction is complicated’: some people openly admit they prefer that lifestyle to a normal life with a job etc. Others just never had a chance and were always destined to end up there, and will probably die young. There are occasional chinks of light there too. So many stories, anyway, and as you say, probably none of them will ever write about it.
‘She's an American girl healthy and clean as a Band-Aid. She's never had a soiled or a sulky thought. She's never had a melancholy thought. She's never had a savage thought. She's never had a desperate thought. She's never had an un-American thought. In the papery-thin sundress she's a nurse with tender hands. A nurse with luscious mouth. Sturdy thighs, bountiful breasts, tiny folds of baby fat at her armpits. She's laughing and squealing like a four year-old as another updraft lifts her skirt. Dimpled knees, a dancer's strong legs. This husky healthy girl. The shoulders, arms, breasts belong to a fully mature woman but the face is a girl's face. Shivering in New York City mid-summer as subway steam lifts her skirt like a lover's quickened breath.’
I adore fucked up books, so thank you so much for putting this book on my radar. I don’t watch much booktube, but I’m grateful for how it is bringing books to a wide audience.
I feel the same way as Guy about reading such disturbing books. I also avoid super disturbing movies as well; I must be careful what I feed my head. A movie like The Sound of Freedom is about as bleak as I can take. I can handle fictional horror stories more than real world ones.
I also have watched many videos of Soft White Underbelly until I could take no more. The world's suffering is overwhelming, and I work hard at cultivating a positive, healthy psyche while validating that the world is not all roses. That's just me as someone who has never experienced trauma nor addiction, thankfully.
I enjoyed your review but I couldn't read it, too disturbing. I find this sort of thing makes everything I look at go dark, at least while I'm reading it. I do like the YT channel Soft White Underbelly which is interviews with mostly homeless drug addicts.
I feel you. Making everything go dark is a good way to put it. And I also appreciate that channel, though some of them I can’t bring myself to watch. Just have watched a few. Though in thinking about that channel—I guess another reason Notice feels so unique is that few people with that tough a life/lifestyle ever write books.
yes, the theme of that channel is often ‘addiction is complicated’: some people openly admit they prefer that lifestyle to a normal life with a job etc. Others just never had a chance and were always destined to end up there, and will probably die young. There are occasional chinks of light there too. So many stories, anyway, and as you say, probably none of them will ever write about it.
It's Carol Joyce Oates' biography of Marilyn Monroe. So well-written, raw and disturbing.
Oh interesting! I’ll have to read that one day. Didn’t know JCO had written that.
A little teaser:
‘She's an American girl healthy and clean as a Band-Aid. She's never had a soiled or a sulky thought. She's never had a melancholy thought. She's never had a savage thought. She's never had a desperate thought. She's never had an un-American thought. In the papery-thin sundress she's a nurse with tender hands. A nurse with luscious mouth. Sturdy thighs, bountiful breasts, tiny folds of baby fat at her armpits. She's laughing and squealing like a four year-old as another updraft lifts her skirt. Dimpled knees, a dancer's strong legs. This husky healthy girl. The shoulders, arms, breasts belong to a fully mature woman but the face is a girl's face. Shivering in New York City mid-summer as subway steam lifts her skirt like a lover's quickened breath.’
Wow!!! “Clean as a bandaid.” 🩹
I adore fucked up books, so thank you so much for putting this book on my radar. I don’t watch much booktube, but I’m grateful for how it is bringing books to a wide audience.
Yes! Let me know what you think if you read it.
I will!
Thanks, Charlotte. An uplift in a way.
Disturbing, I'll probably skip this one but loved your review. I read 'Blonde'. That was also disturbing and hard to forget.
Ooh I haven’t read that one. What was the premise?
Looking at photos, for starters, not at all similar. Plus this woman is alive, and recovering her life. Only a coincidence of names.
Going to update! Just goes to show how far too common this life of addiction is for women!
Sadly, yes.
I feel the same way as Guy about reading such disturbing books. I also avoid super disturbing movies as well; I must be careful what I feed my head. A movie like The Sound of Freedom is about as bleak as I can take. I can handle fictional horror stories more than real world ones.
I also have watched many videos of Soft White Underbelly until I could take no more. The world's suffering is overwhelming, and I work hard at cultivating a positive, healthy psyche while validating that the world is not all roses. That's just me as someone who has never experienced trauma nor addiction, thankfully.
That's not her in the video. A different woman, who is still alive.
How did you determine it? I felt like it was possibly her, had to tell dates etc. But I will update! Glad she’s still alive!
Lewis was tall and thin, long hair, always make-up free, casual dress style, kinda cool looking. Comments still doesn't allow images to be added!
They really need to add the image comment functionality, and video. Hi 👋 @substack.
Yep, sometimes it would be handy. Maybe they're concerned that comment threads would start looking like Instagram, or chew up storage.
I also saw that the woman in the thumbnail was wearing a smart watch and those weren't around in 2002 or earlier.