Drugstore Cowboy

By James Fogle

The novel that inspired the major motion picture directed by Gus Van Sant Bob Hughes, the offbeat, edgy, and slightly skewed leader of a crew of traveling junkies, describes himself as "one of the cleverest and ringiest and most notorious dope fiend drugstore cowboys on the entire West Coast, including Alaska." Bob, his wife, Diane, Rick, and Nadine have a penchant for robbing drugstores and grabbing pills and capsules to support their habit and relieve their boredom. It's an all-too-real examination of the addict's domain: the euphoria, the paranoia, the busts, the overdoses, the haunting reality of trying to survive your own world. But James Fogle--who based this extraordinary novel on his own experiences, and who spent thirty-five years of his life in prison--has turned their lives into something darkly comic. Set in Portland, Oregon, in the early 1970s, Drugstore Cowboy is a resonating evocation of life at the bottom, and yet, by portraying his characters without judgment or glamor, Fogle has illuminated them. His debut novel is a singular work of contemporary fiction.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 038530224X
• ISBN13: 9780385302241
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

great read.

great charecter delvelopment, fast pace, exhilerating, amazing voice, interesting plot line, accurate vocabulary, beleiveable story of a genius junky who is neither good nor bad living a life that is neither good nor bad. recomended to everyone who's looking for a realistic somewart comical read you can really get into this novel

Great

Drugstore cowboy is a novel about a crew of traveling junkies. the bands leader is Bob Hughes "one of the cleverest, ringiest, most notorious dope fiend drugstore cowboys on the entire West Coast, including Alska." It is an incredibly real examination of a dope fiends domain. Some how you can't help but fall in love with the charecters. They are portrayed acuratly without being betrayed or praised. James Fogle really knows what he's talking about. You may have noticed that this is a kids review and may be wondering why it is here seeing how this is certainly not a kids book. I am 12 years old and live in the city so,as you can imagine, i have had some run ins with dope. Drugstore Cowboy had an impact on my life, for better or for worse i can not say, but i am glad i read it because there is nothing more honest out there. i would recomend this novel to everyone at some point in their lives.

A perfect companion to the film

How many times have you seen a film and then read the book on which the film is based and said to yourself, "God, that film was awful - the book is so much better!"? Rare are the cases where book and film compliment each other and live in harmony. Drugstore Cowboy is one of those rare cases. If you like the film, you will love this book. The lovable junkies, hilarious adventures, and poignant mishaps of Bad Bobby Hughes and cohorts are further fleshed out and even more entertaining in print.

extraordinary

fun and exciting yet compelling and profound, beautifully written with a distinctive style that gives life to all the characters. plot is excellent and moving. (the movie by Gus Van Sant is excellent too)