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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
If you're from another planet, just a visitor who's never been to Earth before, this book might be interesting to you.
If you're a teetotaler who has never had a drink in your life, and you've also lived all alone in a cabin in the woods for your entire existence, this book might be informative and enthralling to you.
But if you've ever watched a movie or read a book or imbibed alcohol or met someone who has imbibed alcohol, this book is one big DUH.
You mean to tell me that alcohol makes people less shy?! And alcohol makes people call their friends late at night?! And drunk people sometimes black out and don't remember what they did the night before?!
I just kept waiting for something, ANYTHING, interesting or unique to happen, anything that didn't make me say, "WELL, DUH!" out loud. Why is this woman writing this book? Where is the impetus that makes people decide to publish their life story?
I don't want to make light of alcoholism or make it seem like being an alcoholic isn't a big deal -- I know it is. And maybe I've just known too many alcoholics and heavy drinkers, and most people will find this story fascinating and surprising in some way that I can't.
I really tried to like it. The title is great, and I'd heard so many wonderful things about it. But honestly if they take out the parts that are the super boring details of her personal life, they could use this to teach elementary school kids about the effects of alcohol. Yes, it makes you drunk. Yes, sometimes it makes you laugh, and sometimes it makes you angry. Yes, your decision making skills are hampered when you drink a lot. DUH. Nothing but duhs, duhs all around.
(In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that I found the book so boring and frustrating that I couldn't even get through the whole thing. I stopped several times while reading it and kept trying to come back to it, and each time I'd think, "Why don't I just read the back of this cereal box instead?" or "I'd rather sit here and watch this Tide commercial, it's really good," until finally I gave up. In the end, I made it all the way to page 219, and I have to say, it's one of my prouder accomplishments in life.)
If you're a teetotaler who has never had a drink in your life, and you've also lived all alone in a cabin in the woods for your entire existence, this book might be informative and enthralling to you.
But if you've ever watched a movie or read a book or imbibed alcohol or met someone who has imbibed alcohol, this book is one big DUH.
You mean to tell me that alcohol makes people less shy?! And alcohol makes people call their friends late at night?! And drunk people sometimes black out and don't remember what they did the night before?!
I just kept waiting for something, ANYTHING, interesting or unique to happen, anything that didn't make me say, "WELL, DUH!" out loud. Why is this woman writing this book? Where is the impetus that makes people decide to publish their life story?
I don't want to make light of alcoholism or make it seem like being an alcoholic isn't a big deal -- I know it is. And maybe I've just known too many alcoholics and heavy drinkers, and most people will find this story fascinating and surprising in some way that I can't.
I really tried to like it. The title is great, and I'd heard so many wonderful things about it. But honestly if they take out the parts that are the super boring details of her personal life, they could use this to teach elementary school kids about the effects of alcohol. Yes, it makes you drunk. Yes, sometimes it makes you laugh, and sometimes it makes you angry. Yes, your decision making skills are hampered when you drink a lot. DUH. Nothing but duhs, duhs all around.
(In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that I found the book so boring and frustrating that I couldn't even get through the whole thing. I stopped several times while reading it and kept trying to come back to it, and each time I'd think, "Why don't I just read the back of this cereal box instead?" or "I'd rather sit here and watch this Tide commercial, it's really good," until finally I gave up. In the end, I made it all the way to page 219, and I have to say, it's one of my prouder accomplishments in life.)
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault
Well written, having powerful prose and beautiful phrasing, this book surprised me with how quickly I got tangled up in her web of alcoholism. It reminded me of [b:Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget|23341862|Blackout Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget|Sarah Hepola|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423750824s/23341862.jpg|42901339], [b:The Glass Castle|7445|The Glass Castle|Jeannette Walls|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1523542886s/7445.jpg|2944133], and [b:Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|12262741|Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|Cheryl Strayed|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453189881s/12262741.jpg|17237712] - three of my favorite books, not because of addiction, but because of the firsthand accounts of these women overcoming the odds and making their own way, despite being put down by their families or their situations.
Very well written, honest, and real. I'd recommend it to anyone who is in recovery or wants to know more about alcoholism and alcoholics. She's fairly gung-ho on Alcoholics Anonymous, but most people are who find a solution there. It's very sad to know that another addiction, smoking, contributed to her death at such a young age, and so we are robbed of reading about her experiences in later sobriety.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A vital read for anyone who wants to gain insight into alcoholism and what it's like to be an alcoholic. Knapp is an excellent writer, and her memoir has an elegance to it that doesn't sacrifice an ounce of honesty or insight. Heartbreaking, unflinching, and intent on getting to the truth behind the stories, this book is invaluable and not to be missed.
Trigger warning.Docked a star because her opinions on sex-while-drunk have not aged well.
Pro-tip: If you have sex with someone who's intoxicated or incapacitated due to alcohol (or drugs), they can't consent! That makes it r*pe. Period.
Trigger warning.
Pro-tip: If you have sex with someone who's intoxicated or incapacitated due to alcohol (or drugs), they can't consent! That makes it r*pe. Period.
I'm really surprised that so many people loved this book so much. I found it boring. She just kind of spouted off "facts" about alcoholics from AA and the big book. A memoir should be a personal story... This book didn't feel like it was telling a story, and I didn't feel like I was actually getting to know the author for real. Also, about halfway through the book, she just started repeating things she already said. I'm not sure why I even finished this book. Waste of time.
I was disappointed not to like this. I skimmed it quite a bit toward the end, and I have to admit that I don't feel I missed much. The book is quite repetitious. I understand that seems to be because Knapp is trying to demonstrate the dangerous patterns and cycles alcoholics find themselves in, but I didn't really think it made for a very insightful structure. I didn't feel that much was revealed, nor did Knapp draw any conclusions to close the loop in her own story, but rather settled for generalizations. I was hoping she would draw more conclusions about her original point - that alcoholism is a relationship that can grow destructive and become a disease, just like any other toxic relationship. She just kind of kept repeating the same points about alcoholism and drinking over and over and telling different anecdotes about people she'd met in AA. It could be because I'd heard such great things about this book and how it provided its readers with clarity or inspired such great feeling for Knapp's struggle, or because I have read some excellent memoirs about alcoholism, but I felt that this came up a little short for me.