The Streets of Baltimore

The Streets of Baltimore by Brandon Novak is a memoir that goes back to Brandon’s roots. As a Baltimore native, this story starts at the beginning, when things first began to go downhill for the skateboard prodigy. The book opens with his expulsion from high school and follows the high school dropout’s life of addiction and his eventual rise to stardom on MTV’s show Viva La Bam.

The Streets of Baltimore is an honest depiction of Brandon’s time as a down and out addict hustling to survive and stay high in Charm City. It recounts the crack houses, dope dens, drug-tortured love triangles, and run-ins with cops that made regular appearances in Brandon’s life during his struggle with addiction.

Although Brandon’s heroin addiction was consuming him, his childhood friend and Jackass alumnus Bam Margera helped him rise to MTV fame. The junkie was now living a life of fame, fortune, and prestige, but it was all a lie.

From the outside, Brandon Novak looked like he had it all, but behind the scenes, he had never been so broken down. His addiction hadn’t gotten any better and his mental health was on the decline. The young T.V. star struggled with thoughts of killing himself even though, from an outsider’s perspective, he appeared to have “made it.” In reality, his fast rise to fame was quickly followed by a self-destructive, downward spiral.

Eventually, after becoming homeless, several overdoses, and more than a few inpatient treatment programs, Brandon Novak was able to get sober. The Streets of Baltimore is his story of the many ups and downs along the way as a struggling heroin addict hustling on the streets of Baltimore. His book offers hope to those struggling with addiction themselves and who believe they may never be able to escape this disease. If Brandon Novak was able to get sober, you can too.