''Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues'' is a novel written by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

, his ninth published novel. Authorship credit is shared with his brother Douglas Crichton, resulting in the only time the pseudonym Michael Douglas was used. It was originally published in 1970. It was serialized in the December 1970, January 1971 and February 1971 issues of '' Playboy'' magazine.

Plot summary

In order to hook up with his new California girlfriend, a Harvard graduate involves her in an ill-fated plan to smuggle a suitcase full of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

bricks from

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

to Boston.

Background

Crichton wrote the book with his brother, then 19 years old. He said he wrote it "completely from beginning to end". Then his brother rewrote it from beginning to end, and then Crichton rewrote it again. Crichton said the novel was "interesting to me because it attacks what is to most people a puzzling area. What really happens to nice, middle-class, well-educated, suburban, bright kids who get into drugs? Why do they get into the position of having these experiences? The book is not sociology; it's fiction, but it pokes at some of these things."

Reception

The critic from the ''Los Angeles Times'' called it an "unremarkable tale" with a "paucity of plot" but thought the ending was "exciting".

Film adaptation

A film version of the book was released in 1972. It was an American independent film directed by Paul Williams. It stars Robert F. Lyons and features

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

in his film debut in the supporting role of John, the campus drug dealer. Barbara Hershey appears in the role of Susan, the novice drug-courier who loses the bag of bricks on a cross-country flight from

to Boston.

References

External links

*
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972)
at '' The New York Times Movie Review'' Novels by Michael Crichton 1970 American novels Alfred A. Knopf books American novels adapted into films Works published under a pseudonym {{US-novel-stub