Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
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Houghton Mifflin
Annotation: The story of one teenager's descent into methamphetamine addiction is told from his father's point of view. Contains Adult Language Contains Mature Material
Genre: [Biographies]
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #31616
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Special Formats: Inventory Sale Inventory Sale Adult Language Adult Language
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Copyright Date: 2008
Edition Date: 2009 Release Date: 01/06/09
Pages: 338 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 0-547-20388-8 Perma-Bound: 0-605-21687-8
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-547-20388-1 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-21687-7
Dewey: 921
LCCN: 2006026981
Dimensions: 21 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

Starred Review Although the journey of the subtitle seems too dreadful to experience, even vicariously, Playboy contributing editor Sheff's intense memoir is hard to put down. Beyond the visceral torture of helplessly watching Nic, his adolescent son, descend deep into the rabbit hole of addiction, Sheff confesses to the ubiquitous parental habit of second-guessing every decision he has made throughout Nic's life, especially the ones he is forced to make as he tries to help the young man get and stay clean. His efforts have him turning to any and all resources, from AA to medical experts to rehab centers and finally to friends, for advice and assistance. The experience all but tears him and his family apart as Nic forges his parents' signatures on checks, steals his eight-year-old brother's savings, promises to reform, then repeatedly fails to stick with a rehabilitation program. In the end, it isn't the addiction as much as the repeated failures and relapses that are so debilitating for everyone involved. The book originated in a much-lauded New York Times Magazine article, which Sheff here expands in scope, sharing his and Nic's wisdom, missteps, and successes, and the lessons they learned. A must-read for, at the least, anyone in similar straits.

Kirkus Reviews

"I'll be fine. I've stopped using." That lie is told again and again in this memoir of a father's heartbreaking struggle with his son's addiction to methamphetamines. The clearly charming and talented Nic first tried marijuana in high school and subsequently went through a decade of using, rehabilitation and relapse. Expanding on a 2005 article in the New York Times Magazine, journalist Sheff ( China Dawn , 2002, etc.) takes readers along on the grim roller-coaster ride. While on drugs, Nic leads a life of self-destruction, deception and crime. He breaks into the family home to steal money; he lies about where he is and what he is doing; he asks for help but refuses the terms on which it is offered. The effect on Sheff's family is devastating; trying to save his son and also protect his wife (not Nic's mother) and their two young children, the author suffers a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. He applies his research skills to learn everything possible about methamphetamine, what it does to the brain and what treatments are available. The hard truth is that no one really knows what works best in dealing with meth addiction, or even what doesn't work. He didn't cause Nic's addiction, Sheff comes to understand; he can't control it and he can't cure it. Eventually shifting his focus from Nic's recovery to his own, the author goes into therapy to get past his obsession with his son's problems. Whether Nic will recover remains an open question at the book's end, which offers a glimmer of hope, but no promises and no easy answers. A clear picture of what meth addiction does to a user and those who love him that may help other families better cope with this growing problem.

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Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)
Kirkus Reviews
Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references.
Word Count: 112,793
Reading Level: 6.5
Interest Level: 9+
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 6.5 / points: 19.0 / quiz: 151410 / grade: Upper Grades
Guided Reading Level: Y

#1 New York Times bestseller

“A brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating story, full of beautiful moments and hard-won wisdom. This book will save a lot of lives and heal a lot of hearts.” — Anne Lamott

What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first warning signs: the denial, the three a.m. phone calls—is it Nic? the police? the hospital? His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every treatment that might save his son. And he refused to give up on Nic.

“‘When one of us tells the truth, he makes it easier for all of us to open our hearts to our own pain and that of others.’ That’s ultimately what Beautiful Boy is about: truth and healing.” — Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia

“Filled with compelling anecdotes and important insights . . . An eye-opening memoir.” — Washington Post


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