| ‘Fast, furious and funny’ Oxford Mail.
There have been very few coherent life stories of drug users. This book is an exception; perhaps it an authentic history of the modern English drug scene.
A true story of how one man’s fantasies and dreams become reality – sometimes with terrible consequences, but ultimately resulting in something hopeful and good. Imagine ‘Just William meets Junky’ - it’s a very funny, human and sexy ride.
Starting in the 1960s in the City of Oxford amongst beatniks, gangsters, debauchees, intellectuals, anarchists and poets the story moves to the glorious hills and coast of West Wales and finally to Paraguay in South America where Joe falls hopelessly in love with Latin life.
Joe earned extra cash by hiring out his body for sexual favours. It always puzzled him why people fought so hard to justify their particular sexual orientation when all he wanted to do was to luxuriate in sensuality, passion and lustful sex with either men or women. These memorable sexual encounters and risky escapades take place in the time-warp dream of Oxford in the 60s.
After spending a year locked up in the then notorious M3, a double locked ward in the city’s Warneford Hospital, in the enforced company of the mad academics of the University, he became hopelessly addicted to heroin, cocaine and methedrine. During this period most of his friends died as a direct result of their drug consumption. He says, “Heroin, sex, they were ways of controlling my imagination. A way of not acting out on my terrifying feelings. My sensitivity drove me like a mad thing and it hurt me too. Every day I hurt”.
Much later, and on the run from the law, Joe fled to Wales where he began to shake off his habit. Drugs and alcohol no longer provided the pain relief that he required and were now presenting him with more problems than they solved. During his rehabilitation he built, by hand, without the benefit of electric power or running water, a five bed roomed house. Later, now clean and determined to repay his debts to society, he founded, built and ran a successful treatment centre and helped many people. Joe was supported throughout by Princess Diana, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Lady Macmillan. (The rehab was featured in BBC2’s Your Life In Their Hands series in 1994) Here he meets his soul mate in Hilary and helps her to establish the first drug-free treatment unit for the emotionally ill in Great Britain.
‘Joe South gives no excuses. This is an honest and moving story about someone who had the courage to turn his life around.’ Andrea Machain. Paraguay Correspondent. BBC, The Economist, El País de Madrid, Proceso de México.
If You are a recovering addict, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA),Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or any other 12 Step Anonymous Fellowship you will love this book and perhaps agree that it has the possibility of being a best seller. If you love a good read you will love this book and if you love life you will love this book.
Source:
www.Joespoppydream.com |
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