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Drugstore Cowboy: A Novel
The novel that inspired the highly acclaimed film 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.
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.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
14 people are currently reading
1240 people want to read
About the author
James Fogle
1 book17 followersJames Fogle was the American author of the autobiographical novel Drugstore Cowboy which became the basis for the film of the same name.
Fogle was in prison at the time of the film's release in 1989. A career criminal with a sixth-grade education, Fogle had been in trouble with the law many times starting in his teens and throughout the rest of his life. On May 27, 2010, Fogle was arrested, along with another man, robbing a drugstore in Redmond, Washington. He was held on $500,000 bail as he awaited trial.
Fogle was arrested for robbing a Seattle pharmacy in 2011. On Friday, March 4, 2011, he was sentenced to 15 years and nine months in prison. On August 23, 2012, Fogle died of "probable malignant mesothelioma" at the age of 75 in Monroe, Washington prison.
Fogle was in prison at the time of the film's release in 1989. A career criminal with a sixth-grade education, Fogle had been in trouble with the law many times starting in his teens and throughout the rest of his life. On May 27, 2010, Fogle was arrested, along with another man, robbing a drugstore in Redmond, Washington. He was held on $500,000 bail as he awaited trial.
Fogle was arrested for robbing a Seattle pharmacy in 2011. On Friday, March 4, 2011, he was sentenced to 15 years and nine months in prison. On August 23, 2012, Fogle died of "probable malignant mesothelioma" at the age of 75 in Monroe, Washington prison.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 19, 2021
Novela interesante.
James Fogle nos relata las peripecias de una banda de ladrones y drogatas que se dedican a asaltar farmacias y hospitales para conseguir droga. No venden. No trapichean. Solo es para su propio consumo.
Viven al día y al máximo y solo piensan en el próximo golpe.
Bob Hughes, el protagonista, tiene unos valores morales propios y es muy respetado entre ladrones, drogatas y policías.
Su mujer, Diane, es una mujer de armas tomar.
Los acompañan Rick y Nadine, la joven pareja que quiere llevar esa vida.
La novela es deprimente en sí misma por la vida que relata: unos drogatas que solo piensan en meterse droga por la vena. Pero es divertida y está llena de escenas grotescas: la visita a la madre; los robos a farmacias; la broma a los policías.
Al final, el autor nos relata la lucha entre querer cambiar o seguir en ese mundo. Cada una de esas fuerzas quiere recuperar el orden, mantenerse, sobrevivir. ¿Ganarán las ganas del cambio o tal vez no se puede salir de la oscuridad?
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Interesting novel.
James Fogle recounts the adventures of a gang of thieves and drug addicts who raid pharmacies and hospitals for drugs. They don't sell. They don't deal. It's only for their own consumption.
They live by the day and live to the max and only think about the next score.
Bob Hughes, the main character, has his own moral values and is well respected among thieves, drug dealers and cops.
His wife, Diane, is a tough cookie.
They are accompanied by Rick and Nadine, the young couple who want to lead such a life.
The novel is depressing in itself because of the life it tells: drug addicts who only think about getting drugs into their veins. But it is fun and full of grotesque scenes: the visit to the mother; the robberies of pharmacies; the prank on the cops.
At the end, the author tells us about the struggle between wanting to change or staying in that world. Each of these forces wants to restore order, to maintain itself, to survive. Will the desire for change win out, or perhaps it is impossible to get out of the darkness?
James Fogle nos relata las peripecias de una banda de ladrones y drogatas que se dedican a asaltar farmacias y hospitales para conseguir droga. No venden. No trapichean. Solo es para su propio consumo.
Viven al día y al máximo y solo piensan en el próximo golpe.
Bob Hughes, el protagonista, tiene unos valores morales propios y es muy respetado entre ladrones, drogatas y policías.
Su mujer, Diane, es una mujer de armas tomar.
Los acompañan Rick y Nadine, la joven pareja que quiere llevar esa vida.
La novela es deprimente en sí misma por la vida que relata: unos drogatas que solo piensan en meterse droga por la vena. Pero es divertida y está llena de escenas grotescas: la visita a la madre; los robos a farmacias; la broma a los policías.
Al final, el autor nos relata la lucha entre querer cambiar o seguir en ese mundo. Cada una de esas fuerzas quiere recuperar el orden, mantenerse, sobrevivir. ¿Ganarán las ganas del cambio o tal vez no se puede salir de la oscuridad?
-----------------------
Interesting novel.
James Fogle recounts the adventures of a gang of thieves and drug addicts who raid pharmacies and hospitals for drugs. They don't sell. They don't deal. It's only for their own consumption.
They live by the day and live to the max and only think about the next score.
Bob Hughes, the main character, has his own moral values and is well respected among thieves, drug dealers and cops.
His wife, Diane, is a tough cookie.
They are accompanied by Rick and Nadine, the young couple who want to lead such a life.
The novel is depressing in itself because of the life it tells: drug addicts who only think about getting drugs into their veins. But it is fun and full of grotesque scenes: the visit to the mother; the robberies of pharmacies; the prank on the cops.
At the end, the author tells us about the struggle between wanting to change or staying in that world. Each of these forces wants to restore order, to maintain itself, to survive. Will the desire for change win out, or perhaps it is impossible to get out of the darkness?
June 18, 2007
If you have seen the movie, you got to read this. If you haven't seen the movie--get with it!
March 13, 2023
Drugstore Cowboy
Per smaltire il jet lag Malpensa - New York, anni fa ero andata in un Drugstore per comprare della melatonina, anche se quasi certa che non avrei nemmeno aperto il flacone delle pasticche, perché prima di prendere un farmaco, devo trovarmi in uno stato prossimo alla morte, e quello non era il caso.
I Drugstore negli Usa sono degli empori molto grandi, più simili a supermercati che alle nostre asettiche farmacie e vi si vende un po' liberamente di tutto oltre alle medicine, cibo, prodotti per bellezza, riviste etc.
Bob Hughes è un antieroe, si è sempre trovato sulla sponda sbagliata del marciapiede dell'esistenza
Ha 35 anni e quasi sette trascorsi in carcere, il resto dai 14 in su a farsi e per potersi fare, anche più volte al giorno e di qualsiasi sostanza, deve continuamente sfidare la sorte progettando rapine di farmacie.
Minacciare farmacisti al banco, aprire, spaccare, scassinare cassetti e armadietti di notte per portare via tutte le sostanze possibili.
Bob non lo fa mai per spacciare, mai per denaro, al massimo per uno scambio equo, il suo è un uso sempre assolutamente personale, per sé stesso e la sua band che lo segue e sostiene, vinta dal suo indiscutibile carisma.
Bob in realtà è un buono, cowboy moderno che sta sempre dalla parte degli indiani e mai da quella del Generale Custer, e paradossalmente Bob, che ha sempre conosciuto solo la violenza per la violenza, è un ragazzo pulito, possiede una sua morale limpida.
La morale non è mai la legge che sopra lo scranno del giudice recita: "Io sono uguale per tutti" è qualcosa che ognuno ha dentro di sé, cambia secondo la propria natura, non è detto che la mia morale coincida con la tua morale, nonostante Kant.
La fine del libro è struggente perché Bob vuole redimersi, cambiare vita, disintossicarsi, trovarsi un lavoro, smettere di essere un Drugstore Cowboy ma quando il cappello (sul letto) ti perseguita, non c'è scampo, per Bob Hughes così come per nessuno, anche senza essere superstiziosi.
Ora avrei grande desiderio di veder il film con Matt Dillon, omonimo titolo, aspetto al varco le piattaforme che possiedo Netflix e Prime Video per vederlo finalmente free, per ora è a pagamento.
Sono quasi certa che, per una volta le immagini saranno meglio delle parole del romanzo, che in fondo non è granché se non fosse che è anche fortemente autobiografico, aspetto che spesso accentua la drammaticità di una storia.
Per smaltire il jet lag Malpensa - New York, anni fa ero andata in un Drugstore per comprare della melatonina, anche se quasi certa che non avrei nemmeno aperto il flacone delle pasticche, perché prima di prendere un farmaco, devo trovarmi in uno stato prossimo alla morte, e quello non era il caso.
I Drugstore negli Usa sono degli empori molto grandi, più simili a supermercati che alle nostre asettiche farmacie e vi si vende un po' liberamente di tutto oltre alle medicine, cibo, prodotti per bellezza, riviste etc.
Bob Hughes è un antieroe, si è sempre trovato sulla sponda sbagliata del marciapiede dell'esistenza
Ha 35 anni e quasi sette trascorsi in carcere, il resto dai 14 in su a farsi e per potersi fare, anche più volte al giorno e di qualsiasi sostanza, deve continuamente sfidare la sorte progettando rapine di farmacie.
Minacciare farmacisti al banco, aprire, spaccare, scassinare cassetti e armadietti di notte per portare via tutte le sostanze possibili.
Bob non lo fa mai per spacciare, mai per denaro, al massimo per uno scambio equo, il suo è un uso sempre assolutamente personale, per sé stesso e la sua band che lo segue e sostiene, vinta dal suo indiscutibile carisma.
Bob in realtà è un buono, cowboy moderno che sta sempre dalla parte degli indiani e mai da quella del Generale Custer, e paradossalmente Bob, che ha sempre conosciuto solo la violenza per la violenza, è un ragazzo pulito, possiede una sua morale limpida.
La morale non è mai la legge che sopra lo scranno del giudice recita: "Io sono uguale per tutti" è qualcosa che ognuno ha dentro di sé, cambia secondo la propria natura, non è detto che la mia morale coincida con la tua morale, nonostante Kant.
La fine del libro è struggente perché Bob vuole redimersi, cambiare vita, disintossicarsi, trovarsi un lavoro, smettere di essere un Drugstore Cowboy ma quando il cappello (sul letto) ti perseguita, non c'è scampo, per Bob Hughes così come per nessuno, anche senza essere superstiziosi.
Ora avrei grande desiderio di veder il film con Matt Dillon, omonimo titolo, aspetto al varco le piattaforme che possiedo Netflix e Prime Video per vederlo finalmente free, per ora è a pagamento.
Sono quasi certa che, per una volta le immagini saranno meglio delle parole del romanzo, che in fondo non è granché se non fosse che è anche fortemente autobiografico, aspetto che spesso accentua la drammaticità di una storia.
February 26, 2008
The main character of Drugstore Cowboy, Bob, is a junkie who leads a crew that includes "his woman" Dianne in robbing pharmacies. Bob is described in heroic terms; his actions and exploits are narrated with the same shortsighted zeal of a six year old who pulled one over his parents. He is repeatedly called loyal and trustworthy, and his character is lauded for looking out for his crew. But as is any junkie's outlook, the story fails to go beyond a straightforward narrative to express any larger message than hero worship of a very broken human.
The back story of the author is what makes this a 3 star (i.e., one I like) book, though. James Fogle wrote this in prison, where he spent the better part of his life -- for robbing pharmacies.
The writing is unrefined and raw and very stream-of-consciousness. It is painfully obvious that Fogle has absolutely no understanding of women, emotion, or society beyond that of prison and petty criminals, and in a way it is almost an anthropological view of a junkie's mindset. Like primitive painting, the narrative is disjointed but oddly honest and unpretentious in style, despite the disconnect between the author's understanding of how the world works and how it actually does. Even the hardboiled, almost pulp fiction, voice the writer uses is belied by a certain tenderness and almost childlike naivety that slips through despite his best efforts to maintain a tough veneer. And this tone is what made the book a captivating, albeit quirky, read and one I would recommend.
The back story of the author is what makes this a 3 star (i.e., one I like) book, though. James Fogle wrote this in prison, where he spent the better part of his life -- for robbing pharmacies.
The writing is unrefined and raw and very stream-of-consciousness. It is painfully obvious that Fogle has absolutely no understanding of women, emotion, or society beyond that of prison and petty criminals, and in a way it is almost an anthropological view of a junkie's mindset. Like primitive painting, the narrative is disjointed but oddly honest and unpretentious in style, despite the disconnect between the author's understanding of how the world works and how it actually does. Even the hardboiled, almost pulp fiction, voice the writer uses is belied by a certain tenderness and almost childlike naivety that slips through despite his best efforts to maintain a tough veneer. And this tone is what made the book a captivating, albeit quirky, read and one I would recommend.
October 11, 2017
I loved the movie so I decided to read the book. Much of the material is based on the author's personal experiences as a junky who knocked off pharmacies with his partners on the West Coast to maintain their habits, and as a result were marginalized and meshed into a subculture exposed to violence, degradation, incarceration, and often on the run. The narrator owns his experiences like an adventure he takes part in 'by choice' and as an exercise of free will. The tone is one of dark comedy. The book is a quick read with simple vocabulary and lots of speaking parts rounded out by short descriptions and visualizations in and around Portland, Oregon. I felt like I could care about Bob and Diane and Nadine and Rick, maybe even more than they cared about themselves in the end!
November 29, 2018
the hat got them all in the end
December 9, 2008
Ultimate junkie novel, & yes, yes, better than the movie. Contains vital fragments of the informal Junkie Code of Honor.
December 4, 2010
One of my very favorite movies. Scene for scene, the novel is an almost identical experience. Good hard-boiled tone. I read that Fogle got arrested this year for robbing a pharmacy.
July 12, 2010
A dated but moving portrait of the life of a junkie in the 50's 60's and 70's. Despite the pontificating of the lead character (which is understandable in light of his being modeled on the author) he is, in the end, worthy of sympathy if not pity.
June 27, 2010
This is written in a style that I really liked. And the idea is certainly interesting. Not just a tale of your typical druggie looking for his fix - but rather a man who fashions himself as a true cowboy, or "hold-up" man, like those who robbed the Wells Fargo wagons. His matter-of-fact outlook on life. And deep belief in luck and ominous signs, it makes for interesting read. Probably also because I saw the movie years ago, with Matt Dillon, I had a hard time not picturing the main character as Dillon. Maybe not a book for everyone, but I enjoyed it, thought it was well written, and an easy read.
April 9, 2021
This book is exactly what I expected it to be. It is a character driven story, with the anti-hero you can't help but sympathize with. There is nothing earthshattering about the story or the storytelling, but it lets you in on a world that you would never otherwise have exposure to.
Read
September 30, 2012I am currently reading, but I love the real-life drug hustle to make it for another day. James Vogle wrote what he knew. He recently died, in prison, for robbing drugstore.
June 15, 2025
bello, ti tiene sicuramente incollato alle pagine ma non è da 5 stelle. sarà il caso in cui il film è meglio del libro? chi può dirlo? ve lo dirò dopo la visione del film
January 17, 2023
Drugstore Cowboy is a book that differed slightly from the movie version of the same name, by James Fogel. James Fogel spent years in prison, and this book is based on his life.
The Protagonist is called Bob Hughes. At the beginning of the book he's 26 years old. He makes his way through the world by robbing pharmacies and hospitals. 24 hours A-day he's shooting up pills: morphine, speed, dilaudid, you name it. Frankly, I was astonished by how much drugs he consumed.
" Then as soon as the Flash of the heavy narcotics was gone, he and the others would switch to stimulants, and again they would cook up as much as their spoons and outfits would hold. This time the reaction was different, burning up the arms and the back of the neck, literally standing their hair on end, before settling in the mouth. And no matter how bad the solution tasted in a spoon, it was always mildly pleasant to the taste buds after it had passed into the blood stream. At the same time, a warm feeling of well being gradually increased, accompanied by a pounding pulse and small pleasure tremors streaking off in different directions (usually down the legs after starting in the pelvic region), until Hair, skin, and clothes were literally sweat soaked with the joy of it all.
When this wore off, it was back to the heavy stuff - dilaudid, numorphan, or morphine. If the drugs held out, one could spend his entire life hung up in a bathroom or kitchen switching back-and-forth, Bob mused. He himself had done exactly that for days on end, shooting as much as he thought he could get away with without actually killing himself."
He's joined in his gang by his wife Diane, and a young couple: Rick and Nadine. Nadine is somewhat more innocent and naive than her boyfriend.
Early on in the book, Bob and his gang have made a fairly large haul from a pharmacy that they robbed, using tactics of diversion to get into the locked part of the pharmacy. When they get home, they're interrupted in cooking up their drugs by a knock on the door, when another drug user, David, wants to trade some speed for dilaudid. Bob says he doesn't have any dilaudid, but he has some morphine:
"...'yeah man, I got quarters and halves. of course, it's got a little atropine in it, but that won't hurt nothing. Just take you a little old ink blotter, lay the tablets out on it in rows, take a little old Eye dropper, and place one drop of water on each one. Let them set a minute, no more, no less, and the atropine eases right off into the blotter and you're home free. Throw the little fellers off in the spoon and you're raring to go. Simple as falling off a sick whore.' "
Pretty hair-raising. 😂
It's also hair-raising what happens to Nadine, when she stays at the motel room and waits for Bob, Diane, and Rick To rob a hospital pharmacy:
" There was an ominous silence as Rick and Diane entered their motel room. Rick called out, 'Nadine,' and the only answering sound was the quiet hum of the heating system. He opened the bedroom door and noticed that the hat was still on the bed [which put a hex on their operations, accordingtoBob], but Nadine was nowhere to be seen. And then he saw her out of the corner of his eyes as he stepped over to the closet to see if her clothes were still there. She lay crumpled beside the bed on the floor. Her lips and face had a funny bluish hue to them. An outfit hung out of the ditch in her arm. Blood had run back into it, filling it up. It took a moment for Rick to realize that she was not breathing, that she was indeed dead."
Diane is the driver when they go on their pharmacy and hospital heists, and one excerpt had me cracking up at the way she parks:
"as they neared the 45th street commercial area, Diane found a place to park by backing into the car behind them and pushing it 10 feet down the street and then pulling ahead to push the car in front 10 feet in the other direction. Then she backed up again until she was right up against the car behind. This left a quick exit into the street should they need it, which they often did. Bob had taught her this trick years ago when she first learned to drive."
The book is set in Portland, Oregon, at the beginning, but when things get too hot, they take off down the road.
After nadine hexes their plans, Bob decides he's had enough with his lifestyle, that things are not working out for him, and he's going to go straight. Diane doesn't want to do it, so she goes on her own way.
In the movie, Diane ends up getting together with Rick, but in the book, Diane gets a new old man, and she and he are working for Rick now.
Bob talks his way into a methadone clinic, befriending the woman counselor who works there. She tells him that he's the first junkie she's known that actually tells her the truth, at which point Bob philosophizes a bit with her:
" ' Miss Simpson, I think you'll find if you work here long enough that few things will make sense to you. There never was a junkie alive that made good sense. They are not exactly noted for that. they feel, miss Simpson, and everything surrounding their whole trip is felt, and it either feels good or it feels bad. Did you ever stop to think, miss Simpson, that some people may just feel so bad all the time that they got to have something to make them feel better, and without that life just ain't worth the effort? Did you ever stop to think that some people hurt so much naturally, are so depressed with life and their role in it, that they can't stand it without an antidote that will bring them some kind of relief? And, miss Simpson, You can talk to them for years and you may con them out of it for a while, but sooner or later they are going to get hold of something, maybe not dope, maybe booze, maybe glue, maybe gasoline, maybe just a gunshot in the head, or gas, maybe even religion, but something to relieve them of the pressures of their everyday lives.…' "
I rather agree with Bob there.
Bob is a pretty funny character, and he reminded me a lot of Charles Bukowski, but without so much bad language.
This book was sad and funny at the same time.
The Protagonist is called Bob Hughes. At the beginning of the book he's 26 years old. He makes his way through the world by robbing pharmacies and hospitals. 24 hours A-day he's shooting up pills: morphine, speed, dilaudid, you name it. Frankly, I was astonished by how much drugs he consumed.
" Then as soon as the Flash of the heavy narcotics was gone, he and the others would switch to stimulants, and again they would cook up as much as their spoons and outfits would hold. This time the reaction was different, burning up the arms and the back of the neck, literally standing their hair on end, before settling in the mouth. And no matter how bad the solution tasted in a spoon, it was always mildly pleasant to the taste buds after it had passed into the blood stream. At the same time, a warm feeling of well being gradually increased, accompanied by a pounding pulse and small pleasure tremors streaking off in different directions (usually down the legs after starting in the pelvic region), until Hair, skin, and clothes were literally sweat soaked with the joy of it all.
When this wore off, it was back to the heavy stuff - dilaudid, numorphan, or morphine. If the drugs held out, one could spend his entire life hung up in a bathroom or kitchen switching back-and-forth, Bob mused. He himself had done exactly that for days on end, shooting as much as he thought he could get away with without actually killing himself."
He's joined in his gang by his wife Diane, and a young couple: Rick and Nadine. Nadine is somewhat more innocent and naive than her boyfriend.
Early on in the book, Bob and his gang have made a fairly large haul from a pharmacy that they robbed, using tactics of diversion to get into the locked part of the pharmacy. When they get home, they're interrupted in cooking up their drugs by a knock on the door, when another drug user, David, wants to trade some speed for dilaudid. Bob says he doesn't have any dilaudid, but he has some morphine:
"...'yeah man, I got quarters and halves. of course, it's got a little atropine in it, but that won't hurt nothing. Just take you a little old ink blotter, lay the tablets out on it in rows, take a little old Eye dropper, and place one drop of water on each one. Let them set a minute, no more, no less, and the atropine eases right off into the blotter and you're home free. Throw the little fellers off in the spoon and you're raring to go. Simple as falling off a sick whore.' "
Pretty hair-raising. 😂
It's also hair-raising what happens to Nadine, when she stays at the motel room and waits for Bob, Diane, and Rick To rob a hospital pharmacy:
" There was an ominous silence as Rick and Diane entered their motel room. Rick called out, 'Nadine,' and the only answering sound was the quiet hum of the heating system. He opened the bedroom door and noticed that the hat was still on the bed [which put a hex on their operations, accordingtoBob], but Nadine was nowhere to be seen. And then he saw her out of the corner of his eyes as he stepped over to the closet to see if her clothes were still there. She lay crumpled beside the bed on the floor. Her lips and face had a funny bluish hue to them. An outfit hung out of the ditch in her arm. Blood had run back into it, filling it up. It took a moment for Rick to realize that she was not breathing, that she was indeed dead."
Diane is the driver when they go on their pharmacy and hospital heists, and one excerpt had me cracking up at the way she parks:
"as they neared the 45th street commercial area, Diane found a place to park by backing into the car behind them and pushing it 10 feet down the street and then pulling ahead to push the car in front 10 feet in the other direction. Then she backed up again until she was right up against the car behind. This left a quick exit into the street should they need it, which they often did. Bob had taught her this trick years ago when she first learned to drive."
The book is set in Portland, Oregon, at the beginning, but when things get too hot, they take off down the road.
After nadine hexes their plans, Bob decides he's had enough with his lifestyle, that things are not working out for him, and he's going to go straight. Diane doesn't want to do it, so she goes on her own way.
In the movie, Diane ends up getting together with Rick, but in the book, Diane gets a new old man, and she and he are working for Rick now.
Bob talks his way into a methadone clinic, befriending the woman counselor who works there. She tells him that he's the first junkie she's known that actually tells her the truth, at which point Bob philosophizes a bit with her:
" ' Miss Simpson, I think you'll find if you work here long enough that few things will make sense to you. There never was a junkie alive that made good sense. They are not exactly noted for that. they feel, miss Simpson, and everything surrounding their whole trip is felt, and it either feels good or it feels bad. Did you ever stop to think, miss Simpson, that some people may just feel so bad all the time that they got to have something to make them feel better, and without that life just ain't worth the effort? Did you ever stop to think that some people hurt so much naturally, are so depressed with life and their role in it, that they can't stand it without an antidote that will bring them some kind of relief? And, miss Simpson, You can talk to them for years and you may con them out of it for a while, but sooner or later they are going to get hold of something, maybe not dope, maybe booze, maybe glue, maybe gasoline, maybe just a gunshot in the head, or gas, maybe even religion, but something to relieve them of the pressures of their everyday lives.…' "
I rather agree with Bob there.
Bob is a pretty funny character, and he reminded me a lot of Charles Bukowski, but without so much bad language.
This book was sad and funny at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2018
Soy fan de la película y creo que es una adaptación muy buena.
En cuanto al libro, que para eso estamos aquí, tengo que decir que me ha gustado mucho. Creo que no es un libro de fácil lectura: tiene diálogos larguísimos sin interrupciones, faltan descripciones y la acción da la sensación de estar a veces algo incompleta. Pero es que lo escribió un señor en la cárcel contando su vida por lo que yo, personalmente, "perdono" esas cuestiones, que creo que se solucionan con la práctica.
Me ha gustado, los personajes me han parecido interesantes y consigue que te acabes enamorando de Bob, aunque sepas que hace las cosas algo regulín a veces.
En cuanto al libro, que para eso estamos aquí, tengo que decir que me ha gustado mucho. Creo que no es un libro de fácil lectura: tiene diálogos larguísimos sin interrupciones, faltan descripciones y la acción da la sensación de estar a veces algo incompleta. Pero es que lo escribió un señor en la cárcel contando su vida por lo que yo, personalmente, "perdono" esas cuestiones, que creo que se solucionan con la práctica.
Me ha gustado, los personajes me han parecido interesantes y consigue que te acabes enamorando de Bob, aunque sepas que hace las cosas algo regulín a veces.
January 13, 2020
"Después de cada atraco, todos se daban un gustazo. Bob reía entre dientes imaginando la cantidad tan grande de benzos o dilaudid que hiciera que la cuchara literalmente rebosara. Al entrarle en vena, la droga le provocaba un cálido picor que se disparaba hasta invadirle el cerebro con una dulce explosión que comenzaba en la nuca y se extendía velozmente, produciéndole tal placer que el mundo entero adquiría un aspecto delicado y noble. Todo lo grandioso se adscribía a ese instante. Tu peor enemigo no eran tan malo. Las hormigas que había en la hierba tan solo hacían su trabajo. Cada recuerdo adquiría el tono rosado del éxito"
March 1, 2020
... que la novela se lee rápidamente, además de por la forma en que está escrita (frases cortas y concisas), porque «pasan cosas» y quieres saber qué tal va a ir a Bob Hughes y a sus secuaces. Sintetizando al máximo diría que va de ladrones-yonkis o yonkis-ladrones, como quieras verlo (yo opto por la segunda). Es puro realismo sucio con su filosofía de realismo sucio...
Reseña completa en https://denmeunpapelillo.net/drugstor...
Reseña completa en https://denmeunpapelillo.net/drugstor...
February 22, 2023
a captivating read that transports you into the book. definitely one of my fav books. the ending killed me, i really sympathized and rooted for this band of addicts. bob’s narration was engaging and witty. his obsession with hexes was hilarious. idk how to write a review that doesn’t read like a 2nd grader’s attempt at a paragraph.
June 25, 2009
Fogel was in jail when he wrote this & its a great book, & story of a misspent youth! The movie wasn't bad either, good cast, nice cameo of the godfather of heroin -Bill Burroughs, at the end.
January 18, 2012
Kind of beautiful in places, kind of tedious in places, in dire need of chapter breaks.
July 29, 2013
Saw the movie years ago and enjoyed Matt Dillon. The book was just as good if not better. I didn't know that James Fogle wrote it from a prison cell.
September 17, 2013
Excellent.
May 5, 2014
True story...the movie is like a verbatim from the book...Fogle died in prison...still entertaining, if you like crazy stuff like this!!!!
April 28, 2017
Made into what may be my favorite Portland movie. It was unpublished at the time the film came out. Fogle died in prison.
February 13, 2015
A very quick read. Having not seen the movie, I loved the book. Fast paced and to the point. It reads like a biography of sorts.
February 24, 2020
Hope the movie is better than the book. Never thought I'd think that.
June 28, 2020
Buen retrato de la vida de un drogadicto atípico o distinto a lo que se concibe hoy en día.
February 8, 2021
A flawed, yet intriguing look at drug addiction and the ethics involved, this novel has compelling antiheroes and commentary on what humans do for comfort.
August 24, 2025
James Fogle, who spent 50 of his 75 years in prison, mostly for robbing pharmacies in the Pacific Northwest, wrote this novel about a four person crew of drug addicts who rob pharmacies in the Pacific Northwest. I found it a fascinating read, and very well written, tightly constructed yet delving deeply into the mental world of the addict robbers. The main character is Bob Hughes, the undisputed leader of the crew, and he rules because of his expertise. Bob plans each robbery carefully, taking into consideration the uniqueness of each situation. He also knows how to crack open locked drawers, windows, and doors. Bob is superstitious, mercurial, slightly kooky, all of which can be hard for the others to tolerate. Diane Hughes is his wife, and she is unfiltered, saying revealing and outrageous things on a regular basis. Diane loves Bob, and Bob loves her, although they may love drugs more. Their odd relationship is interesting and kind of touching. For Diane, the addict’s life is the desirable life, having abandoned her two children because she (after kicking her habit) couldn’t stand the dull life of a housewife. Rick and Nadine are the two young people and junior members. Rick is described as the muscle of the group, yet he (like the others) is no thug. He seems the most levelheaded of the crew. Nadine is there mostly because of her boyfriend Rick, although she likes the drugs. Nadine doesn’t like dealing with Bob’s moods, and she’s losing her patience.
The mind set, the psychology, the relationships, the culture, the daily life, and, yes, the values of this band of thieves are, I think, brilliantly captured. The group have various justifications for their lifestyle, a sense of superiority to the boring straight life, a belief also that they are distinct from the individual addicts scrambling to survive on the streets. As successful, ambitious robbers, they don’t have to fight each other over drugs, as they have a liberal supply for each of them. As Fogle notes, most addicts can’t maintain romantic relationships, because their partner becomes a burden or competitor in their search for drugs. Here they are, two steady couples. They pride themselves in not looking like addicts, since their skill at shoplifting means they often have new clothes.
The view of addicts differs greatly from Hubert Selby Jr’s masterpiece, Requiem for a Dream. In Selby’s work, you sense early on that the four addicts are doomed. It’s a bleak book. Fogle presents tragedy and misery as often companions of the addict’s life - overdose resulting in death, getting beaten or killed by rivals, the misery of withdrawal and the sacrifice of dignity in order to procure drugs. Yet in Fogle’s world, there is the pleasure of being high, you can have a long run, you feel free of straight society and its hassles and boredom, you can choose rehab if you need a change. The life of the addict is a life option, albeit a very dangerous one. It’s the option Fogle ichose.
Dan Yost, the writer who discovered Fogle, helped edit the book. Fogle only had a sixth grade education, so his spelling and grammar were awful. Yet Yost found him to be otherwise a natural born writer. Yost tried hard to find a publisher, without success. The manuscript, however, was the basis for the movie with Matt Dillon. Then the book was published because of the movie’s success. While in prison, Yost wrote six other novels and a few short stories, all unpublished. It’s hard to understand why publisher after publisher rejected Drugstore Cowboy.
Asked what kind of person he was, Yost said Fogle was very popular with the fellow inmates, former addicts, and addicts that Yost met. Yost was fond of him as well.
But I bet the pharmacists hated him.
The mind set, the psychology, the relationships, the culture, the daily life, and, yes, the values of this band of thieves are, I think, brilliantly captured. The group have various justifications for their lifestyle, a sense of superiority to the boring straight life, a belief also that they are distinct from the individual addicts scrambling to survive on the streets. As successful, ambitious robbers, they don’t have to fight each other over drugs, as they have a liberal supply for each of them. As Fogle notes, most addicts can’t maintain romantic relationships, because their partner becomes a burden or competitor in their search for drugs. Here they are, two steady couples. They pride themselves in not looking like addicts, since their skill at shoplifting means they often have new clothes.
The view of addicts differs greatly from Hubert Selby Jr’s masterpiece, Requiem for a Dream. In Selby’s work, you sense early on that the four addicts are doomed. It’s a bleak book. Fogle presents tragedy and misery as often companions of the addict’s life - overdose resulting in death, getting beaten or killed by rivals, the misery of withdrawal and the sacrifice of dignity in order to procure drugs. Yet in Fogle’s world, there is the pleasure of being high, you can have a long run, you feel free of straight society and its hassles and boredom, you can choose rehab if you need a change. The life of the addict is a life option, albeit a very dangerous one. It’s the option Fogle ichose.
Dan Yost, the writer who discovered Fogle, helped edit the book. Fogle only had a sixth grade education, so his spelling and grammar were awful. Yet Yost found him to be otherwise a natural born writer. Yost tried hard to find a publisher, without success. The manuscript, however, was the basis for the movie with Matt Dillon. Then the book was published because of the movie’s success. While in prison, Yost wrote six other novels and a few short stories, all unpublished. It’s hard to understand why publisher after publisher rejected Drugstore Cowboy.
Asked what kind of person he was, Yost said Fogle was very popular with the fellow inmates, former addicts, and addicts that Yost met. Yost was fond of him as well.
But I bet the pharmacists hated him.
January 28, 2020
James Fogle writes from a personal perspective about a topic that most know little about; the life of a chronic junkie. Fogle bases this story close to home in the Pacific NW which he paints a beautiful picture of. Fogle does an excellent job telling the story of a marginalized character and making the audience want the protagonist to succeed. It is strange rooting for someone who is clearly not a law abiding citizen and is ruining the lives of himself and others but Bob Hughes is someone you cant help getting behind. The book is based off James Fogles real life experiences which shines through when you hear the expertise he speaks with. Overall I would recommend this book to young adults who want to hear some crazy stories about living on the fringes of society.
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