You Can't Win (edit title)

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Liked It Rated 5 stars “This is an excellent book to give to budding juvenile delinquents. Though we are not certain of the true identity of the man called "Jack Black," this autobiography vividly portrays a man who lead a life of crime and who felt that "Society represented law, order, discipline, punishment. Society...” see full review » see other reviews »

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  • Rated 5 stars

  “This is an excellent book to give to budding juvenile delinquents. Though we are not certain of the true identity of the man called "Jack Black," this autobiography vividly portrays a man who lead a life of crime and who felt that "Society represented law, order, discipline, punishment. Society was a machine geared to grind me to pieces. Society was an enemy." His childhood takes place in Missouri, but he quickly goes on the road and speaks of pre-1906 earthquake era in San Francisco's tenderloin and Chinatown districts. He also portrays prison life in Canada, beginning and ending with harsh whippings. Probably most interesting is his description of the code of ethics within the crime and “Johnson” (hobo) communities. But most importantly, it speaks of a man who knew his life of crime was terribly destructive to both himself, and to others. He eloquently notes, "I was wrong. I knew I was wrong, and yet I persisted . . . I had lived in an atmosphere, of larceny, theft, crime . . . that was the atmosphere I breathed. 'If you live with wolves, you will learn to howl.'" Speaking of howl, this book has a colorful Foreward by Beat Generation personality William S. Burroughs.”

  tapbirds wrote this review Wednesday, March 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No

  
  
  • Rated 4 stars

  “this is a great memoir of a criminal's life in late 19th-early 20th century america. full of fascinating characters and a big influence on writers of the beat generation, it's early underworld history you probably can't find anywhere else. ”

  stella d wrote this review Tuesday, September 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No

  
  
  • Rated 5 stars

  “It's the pranksters Bible...I mean the HOBO BIBLE. ”

  patch406 wrote this review Tuesday, November 13 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No

  
  
  • Rated 0 stars

  “one of the few books i have bought, in recent years, new. its a keeper. will read again. i would like to find more info on this man. he stumbled onto a life of crime, lived many years as a wandering criminal and drug addict, and eventually became a librarian. ”

  kaumy wrote this review Sunday, June 3 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No

  
  
  • Rated 4 stars

  “The proto-beat book. Really takes you back to the period and makes one ponder some of our preconceptions about criminal behavior.
  Recommended reading for any lovers of the Beat movement.”

  ChestertonsGhost wrote this review Thursday, March 1 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No