Book Price Comparisons
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 tragic and moving i bought this book on a whim, and i have to say it moved me. i felt nicks pain, having been there myself more than 10 years ago, i understood his "disjointness" completely. utterly. it made me cry at the end, and i pray he keeps fighting for himself and his sobriety. it weird to have gone through it, and then read someone elses accounts, it seems so bad, and then "oh, i did that." ripped my heart out. i will hold onto this one for my own kids to read. i am really interested now in reading his fathers book, interesting to see all of this through the eyes of a parent. good read.  Stunning, beautiful, sad, and ultimately healing I just finished this-- couldn't put it down once I started. I went through every emotion you can imagine. Believe it or not, some of the story is really funny -- I laughed aloud -- but I also cried. THere were entire sections during which I didn't breath. And finally I felt something you don't always feel in books about this subject: genuine, pure, true hope. Journey Into Addiction, Good Sequel to "Beautiful Boy" **** This book is much easier to understand if you read the author's father's book, also recently published, called "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction" by David Sheff. By reading his father's account of the same time, you understand from a parent's perspective just what is going on with Nic Sheff. You understand how brilliant and talented Nic is (he will not tell you this in his book) and you understand what this novel explores---his descent into methamphetamine addiction, how he lived for many years, how he squandered his potential by avoiding dealing with life, and the consequences in his life and in the lives of those he loves. Once you know more about who the young author is, you can appreciate his book so very, very much more. The author is honest and transparent about the life he has lived as an addict, and the book is worth reading for this alone. Not many of us who haven't been through it can imagine what an average day is like for a meth addict, and this book shows us that. The insight this book truly gives you is what goes on inside an addict's mind, and how an addict views life and circumstances---very differently from a non-addict. Many of the terms may be confusing to those of us unfamiliar with drug culture (for example, "tweak", "rig", "push off") but again, they are explained in his father's book "Beautiful Boy". So, read "Beautiful Boy" first from the parental perspective---don't miss it---and then, if you are still intrigued, as I was, follow up with "Tweak" and venture more deeply into the mind and life of the addict---who eventually becomes a likable person to the reader, not just an intensely selfish and initially totally unlikable addict. The author is courageous in sharing his life so openly in this book. I think it will make an impression upon you and leave you with a read you will not soon forget. Recommended, especially after reading the "prequel". ****  Could be a good book -- but is so disjointed that it is impossible to follow. This is a frustrating book -- it has elements of a good book within it. However, the narrative is so disjointed and poorly constructed that it is difficult to tell if the book is supposed to be non-linear or just a poorly-done linear storyline. Perhaps the author was attempting to replicate the hyperactive mind of someone on methamphetamine. Whatever the reason, the story was so hard to follow that it took a force of effort for me to read past the first ten pages. The book resembles "A Million Little Pieces" in that it is a mix of novel and memoir providing a raw account about a young twenty-something year old man abusing drugs, while selling both drugs and his body as a male prostitute, and generally acting like a despicable person to line up his next dose of methamphetamines and other drugs. Oh and the protagonist's name is the same as the author's name. There are some glimmers of a fascinating book in here. The prose is straightforward (even if there are far too many confusing flashbacks). Too bad the glimmers are buried in a book that was crying out for a solid editor. | |||||||||||||