Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

I finished Beautiful Boy, which is the same story told in Nic Sheff's Tweak, however, the story is told from the father's point of view. The style of this book is pretty different. You can tell that David Sheff is a much more experienced writer, however, the tone is very similar. In a way I thought this was a sadder story. While Nic's experiences are tragic, of course, it's almost unbearable to read about the worry and devastation his family went through while he was using and even while he's not. You can tell they live on eggshells, hoping he won't relapse, but understanding that the odds are against Nic and in return, against them. David Sheff intersperses the personal trauma with a lot of technical information about methamphetamines and addiction, which I found interesting and terrifying. For example, he states that because there are so many meth labs in California, often the chemical waste is dumped in yards and as a result has seeped into some of the food supply (produce) in California. He also explained the effect that meth use has on the brain and that it takes at least a full two years before a former meth addict's brain scans are "normal," and in some cases, they're never "normal" again. All in all I thought it was pretty frightening. The worst part of the whole book for me was reading about the confusion and heartache that Jasper and Daisy, Nic's much younger brother and sister, have been forced to endure for almost all of their lives. At one point, Jasper, who was about 8 years old at the time told his dad that he thought Nic had stolen his $8 in savings. Unfortunately, he was right. Even though he received an apology letter (which he carried around in his wallet for years) with $8 enclosed once Nic was again sober; I'm pretty sure nothing fully takes away the pain of having your much revered older brother steal from you. In the end, this book is fascinating, troubling, and heartwarming all at once. Reading the experiences of the entire Sheff family throughout Nic's addiction just gives more reason to root for Nic's continued sobriety because it shows how much really is at stake.

Tweak by Nic Sheff

I just finished reading Tweak by Nic Sheff. It's a pretty gritty (true) story about a guy who becomes addicted to crystal meth. It's interesting because Nic comes from such an interesting family. His mother is an editor for Newsweek, his father, David Sheff, is a well-known writer who has written a few books as well as contributed numerous articles to Playboy, Newsweek, and other publications, and his stepmother is the illustrator Karen Barbour. Nic was actually published in Newsweek at 16 when he wrote an article for the 'My Turn' column about his life as a child of divorce and what it was like to be shuttled back and forth between his mother and father. Overall, the book is tough to read because it's so brutally honest. You get all the gory details of how Nic almost lost his arm due to an infection from a dirty needle, how he turned to prostitution to earn drug money, and how he stooped so low as to steal from his 8 year old brother. It's especially heartbreaking to read because it's blatantly obvious that Nic is a good, kind, loving, creative, and talented boy, which makes it all that much more difficult to reconcile that side of him with the frightening shell that he becomes throughout his drug use. I ended this read hoping that Nic will defy the odds and remain sober because I would love to read more from him. I liked his honesty and writing style. I'm currently in the middle of David Sheff's book, Beautiful Boy, which tells essentially the same story, but from the father's point of view. So far I'm enjoying it just as much Tweak, but I'll write more when I'm finished with it.

Chapter 1

If you know me you're probably aware that my favorite hobby is reading. I read constantly, and am usually in the middle of more than one book at any given time. I read everything from autobiographies, to mysteries, to fiction, to "chick lit," to non-fiction, to magazines....well, you get the picture. Anyway, I'm constantly trying to remember to tell my family and friends about books I've read that I think they'll enjoy and with that thought in mind I decided to start keeping a blog about what I'm reading (hence the allusion to chapters in the title of this blog). You'll have to bear with me through some of my more mindless chocies, (Warning: I am planning on reading Stori Telling by Tori Spelling sometime in the near future) but if you do, you just might stumble upon something that strikes your fancy. Feel free to pass on any reccommendations. I'm always looking for new authors, subjects, etc. to read!

"Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them." ~Arnold Lobel