Customer Reviews

Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession, and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages

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One difficulty with positive reviews is that there seems to be so few ways to say you like the book. Bad books are bad in their own way, but good books only seem to be good in one way.

"Genius and Heroin" is a collection of weird stories about famous people. It tries to position itself as a study of the connection between artists and self-destruction. But, really, it's slumming. It just wants to dish the dirt and parade the freaks, and I'm happy with that. It's a great collection, and that's speaking as the proud owner of the"People's Almanac" series, "An Incomplete Education," John Scalzi's "The Book of the Dumb" and the highlight of my collection: "Who's Had Who," which compiles chains of people linked by "rogers" (I have to mention that you may know two of the authors: Helen "Bridget Jones' Diary" Fielding and Richard "I wrote all those BritRomCom movies starring Hugh Grant that your girlfriend loved and you hated" Curtis).

"Genius and Heroin" is a high-end bathroom book. It's beautifully laid out. The tall trade book fits easily into one hand, and the text is an attractive mix of fonts and interspersed with photos, quotations, clip art, movie posters, Japanese prints and even briefer sidebars. An entry on Lulu Hunt Peters, the 1920s diet guru who died of we now recognize as anorexia, is accompanied by a note about Karen Carpenter; the death of River Phoenix -- see what I mean about this not being a book about geniuses? -- is followed by a list of other actors who died young from drug overdoses.

Author Michael Largo did quite a lot of research. His entries are packed with facts and some of the entries have the depth and flavor of the best biographies. Moreover, for all the obvious candidates (Virginia Woolf, Vincent Van Gogh, Hunter S. Thompson), there are plenty of lesser-known figures, from the classical era (Lucan, Seneca) to today (John Minton, Jaco Pastorius and Louis Verneul, the popular playwright -- now forgotten -- who filled his bathtub with blood from his slashed throat).

I could go on, but you get the ideal. My liking for "Genius and Heroin" is turning into an obsession, so I have to finish this review and put the book out of sight before I pick it up and spend another pleasant hour or two thumbing through its pages. Now, I wonder where my copy of "Who's Had Who" went?

This book made me think about creativity and self-destruction in a new way. The author includes many well known icons, as well as an equal number of writers, musicians, and other geniuses who used some kind of drug, drink or obsession to help create. I get that the "heroin" in the title is a synonym for all kinds of behavior that took these greats to the edge and over. Many I never heard of before and I had no idea so many masterpieces were inspired under such conditions. By focusing on the personal "bad" habits of these creative-types, and not on the standard biographical fare, the book makes for an interesting addition to my "Literary Decadence" bookshelf.

For me, this book is the first time anyone has, with such utter conviction and discipline, written a page-turning collage of insightful, honest, and witty mini-biographies revealing the link between some of the most fascinating minds in the history of mankind and some of mankind's most fascinating addictions. It is a great accompaniment to my collection of Robert Greene (48 Laws, Art of Seduction) and Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People) in that it studies some of the same great authors and thinkers that are quoted and referenced in both Greene's and Carnegie's literature. I found it tastefully humorous to find the author's own name listed in the appendix of modern artists, authors, and other influential minds that have undergone rehab. For creative types in particular, this book is almost inspiring--Largo makes his the observation various times throughout the text that much of the greatest art in the world was not created in a luxurious, beautiful mansion overlooking the ocean, but instead in run down hotel rooms at the mercy of a plethora of different addictions. While turning the pages we are constantly reminded that we know so little about the behavior and nature of the human, a subject this book challenges us all to undertake. Largo's charming style of writing biographies in a realistic way--he highlights the bad along with the good in each of his profiles--allows readers to relate to the mysterious creators of the past as well as great artists of the present. For creative people especially, this book is a must-have.

Heath Ledger made the cut which is a good indicator to how up-to-date this encyclopidia of how Artistic types do themselves in with a little chemical assistance is.

Michael Largo is interested in Death. Particularly when it's interesting. More often than not and sometimes unintentionally people make an exit so dramatic or comic that it must be commented on. Largo has an entire series where he catagorizes memorable 'death-Exits' and in "Genius & Heroin" he focuses on how drugs, alcohol and some rather unorthodox use of other, unlikely chemicals can 'Enhance' the memorability of death... And it's certainly not boring!

Seriously, this oddball assortment of deep sleeps could easily write itself since truth is truly stranger than fiction. However, Largo clearly has a lot of fun with his 'interests' and helps emphasize the funny which results in black humor with a nice sunny aura.

Weird? yes, very much so and highly recomended.

I bought the book for a flight to Europe. It is very interesting as it has pictures of the famous, a description of their lives and brief descriptions of their deaths due to drugs or alcohol, often through suicide. The book makes the point although not directly, as to the dangers of such abuses and a reminder that not even the richest, most beautiful, talented, famous, revered people can necessarily escape from the horrors of drug and alcohol abuse.

Might also be a good book for adolescents to read as a true account of the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

This is a great look into the lives of some of the best writers, musicians, artists, and actors throughout recorded history, and the obsessiveness they all shared for there respected craft, and the vices that lead to there ultimate finale. Its a relatively quick read, with fun little facts, and quotes and information about other people with similar problems or in the same kind of field. You will enjoy this book for the information you pick up, and for learning some of the sordid details about people whose books you read, plays you have seen, music you have heard, paintings you have absorbed real downfall in life. I cannot recommend this book enough.