Speed is an autobiographical novel about the ins and outs of the life of a methamphetamine addict.

Throughout the book the life of the speed addict is explored and the stories of how Burroughs got from being a teenage speed-freak to getting arrested and tried for forging a prescription is touched upon.

Speed was almost rejected by its publisher due to its crude themes, such as the in-depth sex scene between Burroughs and his child love, Maria.

His third work, Cursed From Birth, was compiled by David Ohle and published posthumously.

Due to the author's having an almost identical name to his more famous father, and because the book deals with themes often featured in his father's writings, Speed is often erroneously credited to the elder Burroughs.