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Dreamseller

Dreamseller

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Author: Brandon Novak
Publisher: Citadel Press
Category: Book

List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $14.93
You Save: $7.02 (32%)



New (22) Used (7) from $13.40

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars 6 reviews
Sales Rank: 10474

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 276
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.9 x 1.2

ISBN: 0806530030
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.45092
EAN: 9780806530031
ASIN: 0806530030

Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
My Dream Life


Deep down inside I knew that by virtue of the life I had been leading, jail was inevitable and a debt long overdue. But the most disheartening part of this ordeal occurred as the police led me into Central Booking. I had a clear view of the nearby skate park called the Brooklyn Banks, a famous skate spot that I had been shredding since I was eight years old. I could almost see a young version of myself, laughing with my friends, learning new tricks, skating under the warm evening sun.

"As a skateboarder, I was fixated on testing my boundaries, but this was my way of fooling myself into feeling in control. Soon it grew to consume me."


At only twenty-two, Brandon Novak had accomplished more than most people dream of in a lifetime. By the age of fourteen, he had been discovered by legendary skateboarders Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek, and signed on to skate professionally. By eighteen, he had traveled the world, signed autographs for thousands of fans, won big-time sponsorships, and had his photo plastered all over the skate magazines.

"I was a dreamseller. I sold those who loved me their dream that I was a recovering addict. I gained their trust, and betrayed them in order to get my precious next fix."


Yet as swiftly as his career peaked, it crashed, brought down by heroine, a force far more powerful than his greatest ambitions. One day he had it all, the next he was living in an abandoned garage, begging for spare change on the street and bathing in gas station restrooms. Brandon now lived for one thing only his next fix.

"Where once I had the world in my hand, I now had nothing but a distorted, twisted version of what I had once been."

Brandon probably would have died a junkie's death if not for his closest friend, MTV and Jackass star, and music video director Bam Margera, who refused to give up on the dreamseller. Bam invited Brandon into his home and gave him cameos in the CKY videos, his independent films Haggard and Minghags, his hit MTV shows Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union, and the hit films Jackass Number Two and Jackass 2.5. Eventually, Bam convinced Brandon to write the powerful and shocking story of how his addiction destroyed his skateboarding career a story soon to be a major motion picture starring Bam Margera as Brandon Novak, the Dreamseller.


Vivid, harrowing and heartfelt, Brandon s story is a riveting and unforgettable journey from a dream life to a nightmare existence, and ultimately to waking up before it's too late.


Customer Reviews:   Read 1 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars Overall an interesting read, but not the whole story.   October 14, 2008
K Smith
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Overall this was a great read, and thank god this wasn't another 'junkie chic' book pretending to warn of the pitfalls of drugs while bragging about the all the 'awesome' things the author's done despite/while on drugs. Novak's not afraid to get into the ugly, gritty details of being a drug addict and the desperate things he did as an addict - I defy anyone to not have their jaw drop at least once when they read this book.

Considering that after the early promise Novak showed as a skateboarder, he ended up famous essentially for being part of Bam Margera's crew, it's really interesting to read this book and get a better grasp of what Novak is like as a person and not just as an extension of Bam. (Although I have to admit, Novak's brief description of Bam and his friendship in the book is the only thing in about ten years that's made me feel sorry for Bam. It's an eye-opener.)

Having listened to Novak on the radio his voice really comes through in the writing - you can tell in certain places things are phrased exactly as he speaks in real life, so the book doesn't appear to have been overly ghost-written by his co-writer. In writing, he seems to have more intelligence (although that could be Frantz's contribution) than comes across from his radio/tv appearances.

My only complaint about this book is that those with more than a passing familiarity with his life know there is a *lot* missing from this book - it's essentially a collection of stories about his journey from skateboarder to junkie to rehab to ...(I won't spoil the end) - we're not getting the whole story. His father, for one, who he has cited as a huge influence over how his life ended up is completely missing in the text (for legal reasons, I assume). The book feels a little disjointed - partly from the way it was written (swapping back and forward between different times and leaving some fairly key parts of his life out), and partly because Novak kind of writes like an outsider looking in on his life - he seems to lack insight in a lot of passages. (I assume he was writing them from the perspective he had when he was on dope, but it would be interesting for him to have said if he still has the same perspective when he's clean).




4 out of 5 stars Touching   October 4, 2008
Leyla Turkkan (NY)
I now see a complete different side of Novak. His heart and intelligence really show in this touching auto-biography about his struggles through life, how he lost everything, and yet people still had faith in him. The last fifth star is lost due to the ending, its fine, buts its a bit too lose. SPOILER WARNING!!!!!

can any1 clarify this for me? by the end does he live with the fact he is addicted, but stays clean, or continues to abuse heroin?



5 out of 5 stars Loss for Words   October 7, 2008
Jeannette Morales (Los Angeles CA)
To all those people who think that brandon novak is a lost cause and only thinks about himself is all BS!..

..I now have a different perspective on brandon novak because deep down he does really care about his loved ones and was always trying to get help but at the time he was so mentally ill that he didnt know right from wrong and the drugs were his eventual downfall. What i really loved about this story were all of his flashbacks and all of the people who gave him advice and guidance even though he igonored it, and they all played a key role in his life and addiction *SPOLIER* *SPOLIER*(and i liked the ending i thought it meant that he now realises that he is an addict and will always have the temptation..he will always struggle)

This is a really great book if you are a new reader into addiction and recovery



5 out of 5 stars Life of a Jackass Junkie   October 10, 2008
C. Match (Thousand Oaks, Ca)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

The life of a Junkie never has a fairy tale ending. we are told at a young age on how not to do drugs and how bad it is. Brandon Novak writes about his world in the filth and grime of the Baltimore, Maryland streets and his comback as a better, sober, person. With his writting style no one would have ever guesses that this Jackass Junkie could write something in such detail and in such a poetic manner. The story starts with his conscience dissision to return to rehab, for the seventh or eighth time, with flashbacks describing his current state of mind. Who would have thought that a young skater with so much potential and talent could leave it all for a vial of heroine, and i'm sure Novak is still figuring that out for himself. We finally get to learn about Novak's choices in his life through his graphic story of courage, self-doubt, companionship, and betrayl. He retells the slang, codes, and business ethics of the common junkie in Baltimore with such detail that you can feel like your in that filthy garage with Novak. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has once ridden a skateboard.
P.S. Novak writes about his argument with Mike Vallely and I can't say I was dissapointed!



5 out of 5 stars A Great Read   January 6, 2009
T. Petitt (Illinois USA)
I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas. She read it all in one day and she said that it was a really good autobiography of Brandon's life. I am still in the process of reading this book and so far it is very interesting. It is a must read!

addiction  bam margera  novak  

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