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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Really a portrait of excessive, but understandable parental guilt “If only I had/hadn’t done such and such, it would have been different.” He writes in present tense, which annoyed me at first, but then I saw it did serve a purpose: present tense for near past, past tense when the father is describing his own teen years.
david sheffs style of writing is probably one of my favorites.
what stood out to me the most were the long phases of him never knowing where is son was or if he was still alive, as well as his detailed description of nic as a child, which made it seem as if you actually know him. hell, i even felt like he was my son at times.
i‘m thankful for this book, for david being so emotionally raw and honest. it has shown me again how life can change in on second, even if you thought of it as under control before
what stood out to me the most were the long phases of him never knowing where is son was or if he was still alive, as well as his detailed description of nic as a child, which made it seem as if you actually know him. hell, i even felt like he was my son at times.
i‘m thankful for this book, for david being so emotionally raw and honest. it has shown me again how life can change in on second, even if you thought of it as under control before
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was a re-read (first read spring of 2023).
I think this book is a beautifully haunting representation of the horror of addiction.
Obviously, his experience is a privileged one- Nic survived, his family had the money to deal with the issues, Nic was never sent to prison. All of this is addressed throughout the memoir with the struggles of other families and addicts. It takes luck and privilege to try to beat the disease, which is, I think, the main point of the ending. There is so much wasted money in the business of rehab, but if there were coordinated efforts (unlike the failed war on drugs), there are so many more people that could be helped.
I think this book is a beautifully haunting representation of the horror of addiction.
Obviously, his experience is a privileged one- Nic survived, his family had the money to deal with the issues, Nic was never sent to prison. All of this is addressed throughout the memoir with the struggles of other families and addicts. It takes luck and privilege to try to beat the disease, which is, I think, the main point of the ending. There is so much wasted money in the business of rehab, but if there were coordinated efforts (unlike the failed war on drugs), there are so many more people that could be helped.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced