Hubert Selby, Jr.

A raw depiction of life amongst New York's junkies, hustlers, drag queens and prostitutes. Meet Georgette, a hopelessly romantic and tormented transvestite; Vinnie, a disaffected and volatile youth who has never been on the right side of the law; and Harry, a power-hungry strike leader.

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Sarah Sammis

Last Exit to Brooklyn is one of those infamous books that caused an uproar when it was first published and is now kept in print for its historical merits.

Curious about the book, I got a copy through BookCrossing about 2 years ago and I have finally gotten around to reading it. While it's classified as a novel, it's really more accurately six short stories tied together by location and characters. The stories are all written in free flowing dialect that ignores conventional spelling and grammar. Topics covered include: alcoholism, homosexuality, homophobia, transsexual identity, poverty, gang rape and life in the projects.

For all difficult subjects, coarse language and grammarless writing, the book is actually a quick read. It took me about twenty pages to fall into the rhythm of the stories. The stories compare most to the modern day blog rant. In fact, the similarities with the modern blog spoiled some of the book's charm for me and I began to wonder how well it would translate into LOLCAT.

annalyse! 

very simply, it was my fault for not reading enough about the book before starting it. personally, i hate trauma p*rn and don’t find much value in it. the book was exceptionally difficult to get through, but again, it was truly my own fault for going into this book blind.

Cola

This was a fantastic read and like most people I had kind of a hard time getting through it all in one sitting. It paints this hellish nightmare of Brooklyn. These characters and their tragedies feel like they hit close to home for me. It's like I've known these people all my life, and maybe in some way I have.

I call it the "tragedy of the working class man." That's what Brooklyn is. That's what it's always felt like to me. My perspective here may be a little different because I grew up there. Even though these characters are the seediest of what you would find in Brooklyn or anywhere for that matter, I know them. 

Everyone from Brooklyn is just trying to prove they're good enough, that they've worked hard enough, that they deserve to be happy. I think they themselves have a hard time believing it, and so often they fall short of what could be a better life. 

There was that one particular scene with the union workers that always comes to mind. They're all riled up, ready to fight at a moments notice. They're upset that some of them missed the first brawl. They wake up with the anticipation and an attitude that says "make my day." It's the same feeling I carry some days. It's the feeling I've seen my friends and family from Brooklyn carry around with them. 

Yes. This book is set in the 50s. Yes. It's about junkies, alcoholics, drag queens, and prostitutes. But at the core of these characters, they're everyone I've ever known growing up. And I think that's why this book was hard for me to get through.

Hubert Selby

With a new Introduction by Irvine Welsh 'Last Exit to Brooklyn will explode like a rusty hellish bombshell over America, and still be eagerly read in 100 years' Allen Ginsberg Few novels have caused as much controversy as Hubert Selby Jr.'s notorious masterpiece. Described by various reviewers as hellish and obscene, it tells the stories of New Yorkers who at every turn confront the worst excesses in human nature. Yet there are moments of exquisite tenderness in these troubled lives. Georgette, the transvestite who falls in love with a callous hoodlum; Tralala, the conniving prostitute who plumbs the depths of sexual degradation; and Harry, the strike leader who hides his true desires behind a boorish masculinity, are unforgettable creations. Last Exit to Brooklyn was banned by British courts in 1967, a decision that was reversed the following year with the help of a number of writers including Anthony Burgess. 'An urgent tickertape from hell' Spectator

Rachel

I enjoyed Last Exit to Brooklyn. It wasn't what I had expected, but I don't mind. I like how Hubert Selby writes, it took sometime getting use to, (again, it's been awhile since I've read him) but I caught on really fast. The stories are very intriguing and they don't really relate to each other but some of the characters are used in several and will mention something in a different plot in a different chapter. The stories focus on the struggles and dreams of people in Brooklyn. They are not you're everyday characters, many you would expect to dislike, but you feel their pain, understand them and want to see revenge to people who wrong them. It's an exciting book because the characters are so different. 3.5/5

Jawad Abdulrazzaq

Jordan

Daria Kornilova 

Nicklas Persson

Taous Merakchi

Rustė Tervydytė

David McDonagh

Hubert Selby Jr.

Few novels have caused as much controversy as Hubert Selby Jr.'s notorious masterpiece. Described by various reviewers as hellish and obscene, it tells the stories of New Yorkers who at every turn confront the worst excesses in human nature. Yet there are moments of exquisite tenderness in these troubled lives. Georgette, the transvestite who falls in love with a callous hoodlum; Tralala, the conniving prostitute who plumbs the depths of sexual degradation; and Harry, the strike leader who hides his true desires behind a boorish masculinity, are unforgettable creations. Last Exit to Brooklyn was banned by British courts in 1967, a decision that was reversed the following year with the help of a number of writers including Anthony Burgess.

Last Exit to Brooklyn

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