I am looking for a book I read as a teen circa 1999-2001. From what I remember, it was an autobiography written by a woman who fell into drug use and ended up in a cycle of addiction and prostitution. The book seemed dated even when I read it. The author mentions breaking open Benzedrine Inhalers and chewing on the cardboard on the inside. She also discusses how her boyfriend had to hide his drugs in a shampoo bottle so she would not find them. I am pretty sure she wound up in prison at some point because she discusses sending secret letters to the men’s side of the prison during movies. I do not remember where the book takes place, making things a bit hazy. I think it may be Christiane F, but decent copies of that book are pretty pricey, and I’d love to know if that is the one I need before I buy.
My mother does not remember what the book could have been, but I remember seeing it whenever we moved because I always helped her restock our bookshelves in the living room. It was pretty beaten up, which points me right back to Christiane F because many of the copies I see online have not aged well.
It is not Go ask Alice.
Thanks for any help, I know this is very vague, but after 24+ years, things are hazy for me.
This doesn’t fit all the details, however it does comply with: dated; autobiography, and using the drug-soaked wrapper of a benzedrine inhaler… so just in case – ‘The diaries of Judith Malina, 1947-57’ by Malina, Judith. Pub. 1983
I buckled down and bought a copy of Christiane F.
It was the book I was looking for.