September Book

Just thought I might as well post the book for next month since I have already picked. I am almost done catching up on the books I missed to repent of my sin of missing book club lately-some excellent reads.  My pick is definitely not as light-hearted as many of our latest reads but I think it will provide a lot of fodder for interesting conversation.  I attended another book club when they reviewed it and everyone seemed glad they had read it.

Beautiful Boy By David Sheff
It is the true account of one father's attempt to rescue his son from a serious meth addiction. I think there is something in this book that everyone can relate to or will at some point.  We are all affected by this insane siege of evil that seems to be destroying families everywhere.  There are a lot of interesting topics addressed in this book like family relationships, parenting, pop culture, the current drug culture and how families are affected by the prevalence of drugs. I admire Sheff's candid writing and found his journey riveting and disturbing. There are a few unfortunate language uses in the book but I felt they reflected what the family was going through.

From Publishers Weekly

Expanding on his New York Times Magazine article, Sheff chronicles his son's downward spiral into addiction and the impact on him and his family. A bright, capable teenager, Nic began trying mind- and mood-altering substances when he was 17. In months, use became abuse, then abuse became addiction. By the time Sheff knew of his son's condition, Nic was strung out on meth, the highly potent stimulant. While his son struggles to get clean, his second wife and two younger children are pulled helplessly into the drama. Sheff, as the parent of an addict, cycles through denial and acceptance and resistance. The author was already a journalist of considerable standing when this painful story began to unfold, and his impulse for detail serves him personally as well as professionally: there are hard, solid facts about meth and the kinds of havoc it wreaks on individuals, families and communities both urban and rural. His journey is long and harrowing, but Sheff does not spare himself or anyone else from keen professional scrutiny any more than he was himself spared the pains—and joys—of watching a loved one struggling with addiction and recovery. Real recovery creates—and can itself be—its own reward; this is an honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in the meth epidemic.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

 *I have also read his son's account of the same time period, "Tweak" and though I am not sorry I read it, I cannot recommend anyone read it as it is pretty disturbing and has a lot of foul language.  You will just have to use your own judgement as to whether you want to hear the story from the other side.