You Can’t Win

Jack Black was a burglar, hobo and opium user who rode freight trains across the American West around the turn of the century, and wrote it all down without self-pity or apology. His account of thieves, jails and the code among outlaws became a cult text, deeply influencing William S. Burroughs. Guillermo del Toro calls it a deep dive into the underbelly of America and a chronicle of Purgatory, noting Burroughs loved it.