Tweakerworld
Jason Yamas. Unnamed Press, $28 (288p) ISBN 978-1-95121-370-1
Documentarian Yamas, a “boring middleclass white boy from the suburbs,” falls into a world of meth, the hedonistic “parTy n’ play” queer subculture, and drug dealing in this turbulent memoir. Thirty years old in 2016, newly addicted, and convinced his drug-addled descent will be worthy of film, Yamas defends his lifestyle even as his personal and professional relationships dissolve. Abruptly dumped, he aborts rehab, gets kicked off a film project, and flees Hollywood for the Bay Area to move in with his brother. He invites an old collaborator to work on a project but ends up selling meth instead, eventually securing “a heavy hitting deal with the Mexican Cartel” and Betty, a major local drug distributor—“a squat old lady, her hair stale blonde and slicked back like a greaser.” Even as he descends into a world of circling law enforcement and sleepless psychosis, he considers himself “a character... in this story about addiction and community and about the intersection of sex and drugs in gay culture. I mean, it’s about so much more that I’ve yet to even discover!” Wisely, he chooses to avoid moralizing, focusing instead on his gripping “experiential journey.” In the end, he makes it out, mind and body intact enough to produce this book. It’s a testament to resolve and a remarkable view of a multifaceted, and at-times destructive, subculture. Agent: Laura Usselman, Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency. (Mar.)
Details
Reviewed on: 12/21/2022
Genre: Nonfiction
Compact Disc - 979-8-4001-3150-9
MP3 CD - 979-8-4001-3151-6
Open Ebook - 978-1-951213-76-3