This is in my top five favorite books of all time and let me tell you why. This book, though controversial, is full of the gritty truth about addiction. How do I know? My husband is a recovering addict, clean and sober now for 18 months.
We both read this book, my husband saw himself in the main character and I saw how bad it COULD have been for us, throughout his addiction. The author, James Frey, takes you on a journey through alcohol and drug addiction, hitting your bottom and finding help in a treatment center.
The book starts with this poem:
“The Young Man came to the Old Man seeking counsel.
I broke something, Old Man.
How badly is it broken?
It's in a million little pieces.
I'm afraid I can't help you.
Why?
There's nothing you can do.
Why?
It can't be fixed.
Why?
It's broken beyond repair. It's in a million little pieces.”
I offer this to you as a set up into the tone and emotion that the book contains. At first the flow of the book is difficult to get into, as opposed to the writing styles we are used to. This is very first person and puts us in the position of the main character.
I believe the book was meant to be based on a memoir; however with the controversy surrounding this issue, I can not claim this as a fact. When you step into the mind of James and all that he is feeling, you quickly lose yourself into his world of drugs, homelessness, crime and lucid thoughts.
You go with Jameson a plane and to a treatment center, through detox, and the ups and downs he encounters in his recovery. The infamous dentist visit is a harrowing account of having a root canal done with no anesthetic.
In treatment, you will meet the many characters in his facility and get to know their lives as they impacted James. You also experience love with James when he meets a fellow drug addict and is drawn to her.
If you have ever been affected by drugs or alcohol in anyway, as the addict or dealing with an addict, this is a must read. If you have not been affected by an addict, read it anyway.
This book is bound to break down some of the stigmas about addicts and alcoholics by showing the inner hell that they do through. Addiction is not about the drug, it's about the problems that are deeper. What recovery is about is finding your true self and honoring your strengths, it's also about making healthy decisions and treating the disease as just that.
People have gotten away from the fact that alcoholism and addiction are physiological diseases, not just a choice. Americans have created such a stigma around alcoholism the most, because it is a legal substance and a very heavy rite of passage for young adults in this country.
Please open your mind as you read this book, I hope it helps you to understand other people or even yourself a little better.
