Hubert Selby Jr. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928 Had lung disease Decided to write books in his spare time Best known book is Last Exit to Brooklyn His books receive mixed reviews because of their frank treatment of controversial issues The books are purposely written using poor grammar, and contain very graphic text about very real situations (

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Protagonists Sara Goldfarb- Widow and mother of Harry who receives a telephone call from a game show, and is told she will be on television. Harry Goldfarb- Son of Sara, best friend to Tyrone, and boyfriend to Marion- Harry wants to spend the rest of his life with Marion, and open a café once they have enough money. Tyrone C. Love- Tyrone is Harry’s closest friend, who is determined to get off the streets and make his mother proud. Marion Silver- Marion is Harry’s passionate, and artsy girlfriend. She loves painting, and dreams of opening a café with Harry. (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Antagonists Heroin- white, odorless, bitter crystalline compound that is derived from morphine; highly addictive narcotic Amphetamines- a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression (

Favorite Character: SARA GOLDFARB She’s very determined to get what she wants. She feels lonely, and just wants some happiness in her life. She’s relatable (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Least Favorite Character: Hospital Staff Very cruel towards Sara Force her to undergo unnecessary shock therapy Ignore her cries for help (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Exposition Coney Island, New York 1970’s Occurs over three seasons beginning in summer Introduced to Sara, Harry, Tyrone, and Marion All, but Sara, are heavily addicted to heroin (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Rising Action Sara Goldfarb- Receives a phone call that tells her she will be on TV Wants to lose weight to fit into her favorite red dress Begins taking prescription diet pills Harry Goldfarb and friends- Desperate to get off the streets Begin dealing heroin to local buyers Tyrone is caught in a drug assassin and is arrested Harry uses their earned money to bail him out (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Climax Sara begins upping the dosage of her pills Goes to television studio, where she is then taken to a mental institution Treated VERY poorly by the staff Undergoes painful force feeding and electroconvulsive therapy In their desperation, Harry and Tyrone leave for Florida to go straight to the drug source An infection from the injection site spreads throughout Harry’s arm, and when they go to the hospital, they are arrested Marion is left in New York without money for drugs, so she begins prostituting (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Falling Action Harry’s infection grows much worse, and eventually he is taken to the prison hospital. It is there that his arm is amputated. Tyrone is left in the prison to defend himself against the racist guards. left in the prison to defend himself against the racist guards. Sara undergoes her final treatments of shock therapy, and is sent to a different hospital. (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Resolution Resolution focuses on Tyrone while he’s in prison. At night, he dreams of when he was young, and when his mom would care for him. He awakens in tears, wishing he could still be held by his mom like when he was a child. (Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.)

Setting Time period: 1970’s- In the ’70’s, heroin addiction was at its peak Helps us understand so many people were desperate for drugs that they were willing to do anything for them. Place: Brooklyn, NY- So many people packed in a small place. Very literal location for this story to take place

Themes Denial- The characters are all in denial of their current conditions. Throughout the story, they continue to tell themselves that everything will get better. They refuse to accept the reality of their situations. The American Dream- The characters are all in pursuit of “the American Dream.” This statement only applies to the very wealthy people of America, and these characters will do anything to obtain it. Hope & Love- This whole story revolves around love. Sara has so much love for her son and deceased husband, and wants to make them both proud when she walks across the stage on television. Harry and Marion have high hopes for their future, and believe that together they can make anything possible. Tyrone loves his mother, and dreams of making her proud.

My Personal Rating I would give this book (and also the movie) a 10 This book is incredibly graphic and blunt when dealing with the world of addiction. It is very hard to understand because of the style in which it’s written, but the text is what gives you such a bitter picture of what living with addiction is really like. It is very straight to the point and gut wrenching. I definitely recommend this book.

Drug Addiction Drug addiction is a very serious issue that affects the lives of millions of people everywhere In 2006, it is estimated that 20.4 million Americans, aged 12 and older, were illicit drug users. Failure in drug use prevention programs result in the growing number of users yearly (“Drug Use in the General U.S. Population, 2007.” World Almanac & Book of Facts (2009): Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Wed. 28 Feb )

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What is it? Addiction is now considered to be a brain disease rather than a failure of will It comes about through a series of neuroadaptive changes causing the brain to be transformed, once the drugs start being taken regularly Once addicted, the user is left with a virtually uncontrollable and compulsive drug craving (Leshner, Alan I. "Addiction Is a Brain Disease." ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 17.3 (2001): Print.)

Examples & Effects All illicit drugs cause changes to the user’s mind, body, behaviors Heroin- nausea, vomiting, severe itching, collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, liver and kidney disease, death Cocaine- hallucinations, stroke, anxiety, paranoia, severe bowel gangrene, nausea, death Meth- hallucinations, delusions (“Meth Bugs’), violent behavior, anxiety, insomnia, hyperthermia, death Inhalants- hallucinations, vominting, hypoxia leading to brain or organ damage, muscle spasms and tremors, sudden death with can come with first time use (

Prevention?  This generation has been the first to receive anti-drug messages since birth Survey taken in 2007 showed that an estimated 114,275,000 Americans twelve years of age and older had used an illicit drug at least once during their lifetimes, 14.4% had used one during the previous year, and 8.0% had used one in the most recent month (Glass, Stephen. "Truth & D.A.R.E." Rolling Stone 781 (1998): 42. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb )

Prevention?  Cont. At least a dozen studies have proven that popular prevention programs and slogans such as D.A.R.E., “Just Say No.” and Red Ribbon Week don’t work! Why? Because they preach the idea that abstinence for life is a realistic goal. These programs have good intentions, but are not sufficient. They do not go into specifics about the effects of drug addiction, and when the program is over, it’s over. It is assumed that the child should be prepared to resist drugs for the rest of their life. (Glass, Stephen. "Truth & D.A.R.E." Rolling Stone 781 (1998): 42. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb )

Promising Techniques Other programs have been developed that have had proven results Some of these programs are Project ALERT, Peers Making Peace, and Fighting Back These programs use techniques such as role playing, group discussions, and guidance for reshaping an adolescent’s view on drugs Some also extend into homes by presenting opportunities to confront family drug use beliefs and habits These programs target a wider age range Students who partake in the programs have shown significant changes in their attitudes and behaviors when focusing on drug abuse Instead of “Just say no”, let’s focus on “Just say KNOW!” (Glass, Stephen. "Truth & D.A.R.E." Rolling Stone 781 (1998): 42. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb )

References Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr Glass, Stephen. "Truth & D.A.R.E." Rolling Stone 781 (1998): 42. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb Leshner, Alan I. "Addiction Is a Brain Disease." ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 17.3 (2001): Print. “Drug Use in the General U.S. Population, 2007.” World Almanac & Book of Facts (2009): Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Wed. 28 Feb