THE SILENT SOUND OF NEEDLES

by Michael Zwerin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 1969

Our life is such that jail is a place to get healthy."" This is an absorbing, sympathetic look at the world of the drug addict, focusing on the addicts and work being done at the Addicts Rehabilitation Center in Harlem, a half-way house run by the practical, patient ex-addict, James Allen. Mr. Zwerin, a compatible journalist of the swinging school-an ex-jazz musician who admittedly indulges in the weed-can communicate. But this is no careful in-depth look at the rehabilitation work itself. It's primarily the story of the patients-Bill Glenn, sole survivor of a gang of eight dead of hot shots and snorts of pure lye; Zev, who found his last chance at Synanon; lke, who didn't know he was hooked until it was too late; Pancho, big in the California rackets until heroin cut him down to size and saddest of all, Paula, dead, whose last diary entry read-""Face it Paula, you are nothing but a broken-down junkie."" There are glimpses of the program in action and if this is really just a layman's introduction, it does get ""down to some kind of nitty.

Pub Date: April 16, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Prentice-Hall

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION