The Panic in Needle Park

by James Mills

"This is excellent reportage which says all that needs to be said in the best and simplest way possible." — Kirkus

James Mills, a reporter for Life magazine, drew upon his firsthand experience of New York City's junkie underworld to create this harrowing, fictionalized account of the tragic love affair between two junkies. Mills spent months with Bobby, a small-time street hustler, and Helen, a middle-class Midwesterner reduced to prostitution. Mills's observations of their desperate struggle to score heroin during a shortage provide an extraordinarily intimate view of drug addiction. The acclaimed film adaptation, written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, starred Al Pacino in his first lead role.

"One of the ten best novels of the year." — The Philadelphia Inquirer

Genres: Fiction, New York, Novels, Addiction, Journalism, Drugs

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

James Mills is an American novelist, screenwriter and prize-winning journalist.

Mills wrote two New York Times bestsellers, Report to the Commissioner, a novel, and , a study of international narcotics trafficking. As a result, he testified before a panel of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as an expert. His books The Panic in Needle Park and Report to the Commissioner were later made into major motion pictures.

Reviews

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're reading this because you watched the movie, just a warning that this book is significantly different than the movie. I loved the movie and I quite enjoyed this book, but besides the same characters, the drugs, and the setting, the book goes on a much different path than the movie. The movie was more about the love story of Bobby and Helen. But the book is more about addiction, itself. The book does have a journalistic tone at times, but it goes in-depth about the lifestyle and mindset of an addict. Books about addiction can sometimes not turn out the way the author hopes and comes off a tad bit cliche or preachy; some books just seem like the author is saying "don't do drugs" in every page. I'm not going to lie, in the movie, I sympathized with Bobby a lot and I liked his character quite a bit. But with this book, James Mills conveys a raw perspective of an addict's reality and while he doesn't portray Bobby as a despicable person, he shows that Bobby will do much more unscrupulous things than the Bobby shown in the movie. All in all, I did like this book a lot and I finished it in one day.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why Joan Didion was chosen to adapt the screenplay, based on the plot device that (thankfully imo). didn't make it to film. Also, let it be known that I read (and watched) this because my favourite episode of television EVER pays homage to the title (and parts of the subject matter) and I will be immediately rewatching it as its far more romantic. This was bleak. Also also- lots of unexpected wuhluwuhing. The slurs were less surprising.

[J. Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Description of 70's heroin addiction in NYC written in the 1970's. Miller actually studied actual heroin addicts - spent a lot of time with them, and wrote an article about them before the book. Infers that this book straddles a place between fiction and non fiction. Seems to think that heroin addiction is a psychological dependency and not a physical addiction - which we know now is not true. It's both. He depicts the drug addict's day to day life as spent in obtaining their next fix. Living in seedy hotels, stealing and prostitution. It is not an enviable life. You sort of wonder what became of Bobby and Helen - a couple,the protagonists,who may've been based on real people. They were young. Did they finally quit Heroin, and move on to have more conventional life?

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first ten pages alone were both an eye opener and gut punch giving me an education I didn’t know I didn’t want. I’d give this 5 stars but although I understand the author’s choice of long long monologues for the three main characters, for me it disrupted the book’s pace and the fascinating storytelling. 4.5 stars and looking forward to watching the movie.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

revealing look inside the lives of heroin addicts of the era. journalistic style is somewhat unappealing and gets a little preachy near the end. The misery is clear enough from the narrative.

[Michael Gayda · Rating 2 out of 5]

From an outsider point of view, James Mills did a good job with this book which was made into a movie. I thought it was basically blase and boring.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third time rereading this. Second this year. I keep coming back to it like a bad habit I don’t wanna quit.

I love this book more than anything else on my shelf. It’s my ride or die—my comfort read, even though it’s anything but comforting. This time I slowed down, let every word hang heavy. Totally worth it.

Written in a stark reportage style by journalist James Mills, this isn’t your average novel—it feels more like a raw dispatch from a street corner. He writes about Bobby and Helen, a pair of junkies tangled in a doomed kind of love, set against the backdrop of a heroin-sick 1960s New York. The “panic” refers to the citywide dope shortage, and Needle Park—Sherman Square—is a real place, where addicts circled like vultures waiting on a fix.

The city is a character. The silence, the cold, the desperation—it’s all in there, stripped down and unflinching. And that ending. Jesus. It’s ambiguous in the best way, like a ghost that stays with you. Doesn’t tie a bow. Doesn’t let you go.

This book haunts me. It’ll probably haunt me forever. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

[Eden Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this isn’t a 5 star book to me is the introduction and the epilogue by the author which both made me feel like an iPad kid.

If you want a taste of the life of an addict this is a really accessible option for you. Addiction is something timeless. Reading these accounts from the 70s match exactly to the stories of friends today from the world of drug addiction. It is brutal and raw. There were times my eyes repelled me from the page. Not a book for the weak of stomach or those with a phobia of needles or blood. And the cycle continues.

[britany · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this book because i was on this kick of reading books about new york. it was about new york, alright, and in that i was satisfied. beyond that, it was pretty boring. i thought the movie, starring a young al pacino clad in a proto-american apparel style, was better.

[Millie (Gears) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Bobby, how long has it been right now since you’ve had a shot?”
“Two or three hours, maybe.”
“How long do you think it will be till you get off again?”
“Maybe right after I leave here.”
“Well, then, why do you say that you’ve had it with drugs?”
“Well, after Monday anyway.”

Wow. I’m trying to be more strict with my ratings and not rate things 5 stars unless I really and truly loved it, but I can’t rate this anything less than 5 stars. It was so interesting and kept me hooked the whole way. I can see why this may be boring for others at times, but I really and truly loved this. It feels like something I will definitely reread several times.

Is the fact that I loved the movie based on this book making me slightly biased? Who knows.

It’s almost nothing like the movie, (I’d even say that except for some small things It’s nothing like it), but I enjoyed it anyway.

[cebkowal · Rating 4 out of 5]

very different from the movie. I think the movie was more successful since it focused on Bobby and Helen's relationship before heroin ruined it, it creates more of a tragedy because you know how good they could be if they got clean. it was written in the 60s so the politics and views on drug addiction definitely reflects that, but it still is an interesting look into drug culture in 60s new york. all that said, i would recommend the movie before the book

[John Marr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at Upper West Side heroin addicts in pre-hippy New York. Although much of the analysis and framework is dated and/or unfashionable, the grit is a authentic and the cop monkey business rings true. it's intriguing enough to have me look for the film--scripted by no less than than Dominick Dunne and Joan Didion!

[Steve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, dark, depressing on par with the film adaptation. Mr. Mills's investigative work is intrepid and his prose is lean and direct. A great depiction of the unseemly world of heroin addiciton and its all-encompassing grip. Good book and strong cautionary tale.

[MarylineD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great movie, great book! Different than the movie but really interesting, more depth!

[Nathan A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mentioned in Ann Lamott, bird by bird, maybe not in a complementary way, but it sounds interesting. Mentioned in the chapter on set design.

[Michelle Macinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

a tragic story about addiction written in a style that kept my attention. I read this very quickly

[Ryan Dell]

Interesting book and well-written but very journalistically dubious - I have no idea how any of this would’ve been fact-checked

[shruthi :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

classic watched the movie —> read the book pipeline

[Kennedy Spitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn that was a good narrative essay.

[sullyindahouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as the movie obviously but still enjoyed

[Lucy Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it! Didn't love it...

[MarylineD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that "old" movie and really love the book even though it's quite different!
It's more realistic than Requiem for a dream. If you love that movie and Trainspotting (and T2) you will enjoy The Panic in Needle Park!
With a young Al Pacino

[Maryellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part this is a journalistic piece.

[sav · Rating 4 out of 5]

raw, unsettling, depressing. a very real inside look in the life of an addict.