Heroin

by Julie O'Toole

Julie grew up in the heart of Dublin’s north inner city, in Sheriff Street. Living in this tough area, she was exposed to crime and drugs. She started using heroin when she was 16. By the time she was 18 she was a chronic addict. This story details how she spent the next four years living on the streets of Dublin; dealing drugs and stealing to feed her habit. It is a snapshot of how a young girl became a victim of circumstances. It happened in Dublin, but it could have happened anywhere in the world. Her life was saved by a chance encounter with a drugs counsellor who brought her first to London, and then to America where she de-toxed and slowly began to rebuild her life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Mental Health, Addiction, Drugs

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2008

Reviews

[Lyndsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie is obviously not a writer, so aside from the repetition and grammar etc that some have commented on, focusing on the story itself, I found it fascinating. I felt for her mother, my heart broke for her. Its an interesting story, with a positive outcome, thankfully!

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive, bland, badly written with a basic vocabulary and nothing descriptive or insightful at all to offer. Im sorry to say, it as dull as ditch water. Its like hearing someone yammer on and on while sat on the back of a bus talking a lot with no substance to any of it. This very small story in very large print seemed so dragged out that by chapter 6 (yawn) which is past half way through the book, there was still nothing of any interest at all occurring other than “big talk” on how and where drugs were sold and retelling the same things but in five or more alternative ways. Great she’s achieved sobriety but she should go back to playing footie. There are lots more other books out there on this subject that are really empowering and informative and really worth your time

[Sam Dunne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book depicting the reality of drug use; hard hitting example of how environment can shape us. Make one think about the multilayers of society; disadvantage and privilege perpetuates the social divide.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I picked this up because I wanted to read more non-fiction this year. I'm also looking to read more short stories and this is only 194 pages long.

I read this in a couple of hours. It was really interesting to see drugs from the side of an ex-user. There is so much out there and so many opinions, but not a huge amount from the users themselves.

It shows how easy it is to let drugs take over. It also shows the strength it takes to overcome this.

Parts of the writing I wasn't the biggest fan of. The author repeated herself in certain facts quite a few times too that wasn't necessary. The book went from being a story of her childhood and drug abuse to an extremely religious ending. I have nothing against religion at all, but it was more telling us that religion had saved her than explaining how and the reasoning behind it like the rest of the book had. It just seemed to change its tone so quickly that it kind of threw me off!

All in all it was a good read. I'm definitely glad I read it and I have a different opinion on those who use drugs after reading this book. We shouldn't all be so quick to judge. Definitely one to check out considering it is so short!

[Margaret Madden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by admitting that, as I opened the first page, I said to my hubby 'It better not be all about thanking God'. And there it was, on the first page: "I would like to start with thanking God [...] His hand was on me". Turns out she's now a born again Christian. I'm not a religious person so immediately felt irritated. But, I kept going and read in one sitting. It's short (195 pages of HUGE font) and seems to be in her own words, as grammar is awful, spelling mistakes and lack of editing means huge chunks of repetition. Many chapters start with "You're probably wondering how..."
All that aside, she did transform her life and I applaud her. Her father was a drinker and her mother was in and out of prison a lot. She still insists she had a wonderful upbringing. I'm afraid this book has only confirmed the stereotype of a heroin addict, rather than offering an alternative view. I will definitely try Gerry Stahl's book, as I'm trying to get a picture of functioning addicts, rather than the 'on the streets' ones.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroin: A True Story Of Drug Addiction, Hope, and Triumph, by Julie O'Toole is a memoir about her life as a heroin addict. This is a pretty good book but not one of my favorites. It was very interesting to hear what it was actually like for Julie as she grew up on the streets of Dublin as a heroin addict. She had to go through a lot each day, life was a big struggle for her. I found it interesting that she first tried heroin at the age of 16, because at that age, you usually know better. She went through a grueling 4 years of living in the streets until a drug counselor helped her get off of heroin and more than likely saved her life. I liked that it was a memoir because it made me feel more connected to the author because it made me feel like I was going through it with her. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in addiction. It was a very good book overall.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting tale of heroin addiction and lifestyle changes in Dublin during the 80's and 90's. Good memoir, but lacked a lot of detail. I'm not sure if details are missing because the author can't remember them due to her drug abuse or that she decided to tell the story this way.

[Naomiroche · Rating 5 out of 5]

fasinating !

[Ashley Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would without a doubt read this book again and maybe once more after that. I read it for the first time 2 years ago and I found it to be a very reputable account of addiction.

[Sawyergal Sawyer]

I learned nothing from this book. Still a hopeless junkie!