I have worked really hard – alongside my editor, fact-checker, and lawyers in the US and UK – to make sure everything in the book is accurate. If there are any errors left in the text, I’d be grateful for your help in correcting them for future editions and for the record. If you spot any mistakes, please email me at the address above. I’ll post corrections on the same date, and give you a shout-out for spotting them.
If there was anything the book left you wondering, please do message me at chasingthescream@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to try to figure out the answer.
- Corrections IX – posted 7th March 2015
On p51, I refer to the World Series baseball game rigged by Arnold Rothstein in 1919, and say “50 million people were listening in.” In fact, the first live radio broadcast of the World Series was in 1921 – I will change this in future editions to say “50 million people were following the result.” Thanks to the reader who emailed about this – I haven’t heard back from him yet about whether I can use his name but I’ll post it if he gives permission.
On p120, I refer to the videogame Rosalio Reta used to play as ‘The Mask of Zelda.’ In fact, it is called ‘The Legend of Zelda.’ Thanks to Mark Whitfield for emailing me about this.
On p251, there’s a page reference that is given incorrectly in the footnotes. I refer to how HIV transmission among drug users has fallen dramatically in Portugal since drugs were decriminalized, and the footnote says the evidence for this can be found on page 36 of Arthur Domaslawski’s research; in fact, it is on page 40. Thanks to Stuart Rodger for pointing this out.
- Corrections VIII – posted February 27th
Alison Wrbik emailed to point out two typos:
On page 276, I wrote: “The cops demanded to know: Where do you buy your marijuana? What suppliers to you know?” The ‘to’ in the last sentence should of course be ‘do.’
On page 293, where it says “I looked him just now,” it should say “I looked at him just now”.
And Ron Dodd emailed to point out some more typos.
On page 51, where it says “he said was broke” – it should say “he said he was broke.”
On page 70, where it says “And yet sometimes Chino went looking for Deborah, in the park, on the benches, or on the corner where should could be looking for business, because Chino wanted her.” It should say: “And yet sometimes Chino went looking for Deborah, in the park, on the benches, or on the corner where she would be looking for business, because Chino wanted her.”
On page 76, where it says “sent to back to prison,” the first ‘to’ should be cut.
On page 191, where it says “if I can just stay enough long enough”, the first ‘enough’ is a mistake.
On page 296, when it says “When I learned from Chino and Bud is…” it should say “What I learned from Chino and Bud is…”
Also, there is an error in Chapter Six that was picked up in my fact-checking conversations with Leigh Maddox and was supposed to be fixed but – due to an editing mistake – appeared incorrectly in the final edition. On page 86, it refers to Leigh’s dad as having been in the US Army. He was in fact in the US Navy.
In addition, Stuart Rodger spotted that I forgot to post one of the audio clips from the book. It is of Chino Hardin saying an act “actually made us look weaker” – I have found that audio clip and it will be posted soon.
Seth Mnookin, writing in the New York Times, suggested an attribution in the book should have been clearer and taken out of the footnotes and inserted into the main text. On reflection, I have concluded he is right. On page 213 I write: “Research published in the Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh compared Widnes, which had a heroin clinic, to the very similar Liverpool borough of Bootle, which didn’t.” This sentence should be clearer, and in future will read: “Research published by John in the Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh compared Widnes, which had a heroin clinic, to the very similar Liverpool borough of Bootle, which didn’t.”
Thanks to Alison, Ron, Stuart and Seth.
If you are reading the book and you spot any other errors please do email me – chasingthescream gmail.com - because it is important to me to make sure everything about the book is entirely accurate.
- Corrections VII – posted February 17th 2015
Clare Barlett and Charles Cairns both emailed to point out a typo on page 231 – where it refers to the “patents” of Dr Hal Vorse, it should say “patients.” Thanks to both of you for spotting this. - Corrections VI – posted 8th Feb 2015
There is a typo on page 268. It says: "When you ban a drug, it's very risk to transport it - so dealers will always choose the drug that packs the strongest possible kick into the smallest possible space." It should of course say 'risky', not risk. Thank you to Erin Klassen for pointing this out. - Corrections V – posted February 8th 2015
On page 183, I state that menthol cigarettes are less addictive than tobacco cigarettes. Ben Richards got in touch to let me know this is based on outdated science, and this claim is now strongly scientifically contested and may well be wrong - indeed, the US Food and Drug Administration says research suggests they are significantly more addictive. I will remove this line from future editions. Thanks to Ben for pointing this out. - Corrections IV – posted 31st January 2015
On some computers, when you click to look at the corrections, it is only displaying the first few hundred words of each new entry, and appears to cut off abruptly in mid-sentence. If your computer is displaying in that way, just click on the headline for the post - for example, where it says 'Corrections IV' - and it will display the full text.
Patrick Riesterer emailed to point out a mistake. In the book, there are three places where I have changed somebody's name to protect their identity. Each time I do so, I explain in the text that I am doing it. They are: 'Dee', the stripper Chino has a relationship with in prison, who was raped by a prison guard (because I felt I shouldn't disclose her sexual assault to people who might know she was in prison in Riker's at that time - it would be a violation of her privacy); 'Hannah', one of Liz Evans' clients, who has subsequently died (because Liz asked me to preserve her client's anonymity); and 'Jean', one of the addicts who is prescribed heroin in the clinic in Switzerland, and who described to me his past smuggling drugs (an offence for which he could still be prosecuted if he was identifiable through the book).
The decision to change the name of 'Dee' was suggested late in the editing process by one of the lawyers who worked on 'Chasing The Scream.' By that time, I had already written the 'note on narrative technique' that appears at the end of the book. In that note as it currently stands, I say that I have altered the names of two people in the book. It should say three people, and I should have updated that reference. I'll do so in all future editions. Thanks to Patrick for spotting this - I really appreciate it. If you spot any mistakes in the book, please do email me - chasingthescream -at- gmail.com.