Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction,Books,Free Shipping,0618683356,

	Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff
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Product Details Binding Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number 362.299 EAN 9780618683352 ISBN 0618683356 Manufacturer Houghton Mifflin Co Number Of Items 1 Number Of Pages 326 Publication Date February 26, 2008 Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co Release Date February 26, 2008 Availability Usually ships in 24 hours Product Description Sheff s story is a first: a teenager s addiction from the parent s point of view a real-time chronicle of the shocking descent into substance abuse and the gradual emergence into hope. Before meth, Sheff s son Nic was a varsity athlete, honor student, and award-winning journalist. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who stole money from his eight-year-old brother and lived on the streets. With haunting candor, Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs, the denial (by both child and parents), the three A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the attempts at rehab, and, at last, the way past addiction. He shows us that, whatever an addict s fate, the rest of the family must care for each other too, lest they become addicted to addiction. Meth is the fastest-growing drug in the United States, as well as the most addictive and the most dangerous wreaking permanent brain damage faster than any other readily available drug. It has invaded every region and demographic in America. This book is the first that treats meth and its impact in depth. But it is not just about meth. Nic s addiction has wrought the same damage that any addiction will wreak. His story, and his father s, are those of any family that contains an addict and one in three American families does. Amazon Best of the Month, February 2008: From as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on Nic Sheff's string. Bright and athletic, he excelled in any setting and appeared destined for greatness. Yet as childhood exuberance faded into teenage angst, the precocious boy found himself going down a much different path. Seduced by the illicit world of drugs and alcohol, he quickly found himself caught in the clutches of addiction. Beautiful Boy is Nic's story, but from the perspective of his father, David. Achingly honest, it chronicles the betrayal, pain, and terrifying question marks that haunt the loved ones of an addict. Many respond to addiction with a painful oath of silence, but David Sheff opens up personal wounds to reinforce that it is a disease, and must be treated as such. Most importantly, his journey provides those in similar situations with a commodity that they can never lose: hope --Dave Callanan 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. David Sheff recounts his side of the story of his son's drug addiction in this powerful memoir, a counterpart to his son's telling memoir on the same subject (TWEAK). While the two works may be slightly more complete when listened to one after the other, in any order, this powerful and sorrowful story of a father living through his son's meltdown can also stand alone. Narrator Anthony Heald reads at a slightly fast pace that reflects the stream-of-consciousness point of view of the book. While Heald never truly becomes Sheff, his narration is exciting and engaging--but in a more theatrical style than may be appropriate for such a personal memoir. L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine Starred Review Although the journey of the subtitle seems too dreadful to experience, even vicariously, Playboy contributing editor Sheff's intense memoir is hard to put down. Beyond the visceral torture of helplessly watching Nic, his adolescent son, descend deep into the rabbit hole of addiction, Sheff confesses to the ubiquitous parental habit of second-guessing every decision he has made throughout Nic's life, especially the ones he is forced to make as he tries to help the young man get and stay clean. His efforts have him turning to any and all resources, from AA to medical experts to rehab centers and finally to friends, for advice and assistance. The experience all but tears him and his family apart as Nic forges his parents' signatures on checks, steals his eight-year-old brother's savings, promises to reform, then repeatedly fails to stick with a rehabilitation program. In the end, it isn't the addiction as much as the repeated failures and relapses that are so debilitating for everyone involved. The book originated in a much-lauded New York Times Magazine article, which Sheff here expands in scope, sharing his and Nic's wisdom, missteps, and successes, and the lessons they learned. A must-read for, at the least, anyone in similar straits. Chavez, Donna Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Publishers Weekly : 'An honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in the meth epidemic.' Library Journal Starred : 'An excellent book that all parents can relate to whatever their children's situation.' 'Those of us who love an addict — or are addicts ourselves — will find BEAUTIFUL BOY a revelation.' — Martin Sheen, actor 'A welcome balm to millions…who thought they were making this journey alone.'— Armistead Maupin, author of The Night Listener 'This book is going to save a lot of lives, and help heal…hearts.' — Anne Lamott, author of Grace (Eventually) '…moving, timely, and sobering. It's also startlingly beautiful.' - Sir Richard Branson, chairman, Virgin Group 'An extraordinary story of pain, perseverance and hope.' — William C. Moyers, author of Broken '…honest, reflective and deeply moving. BEAUTIFUL BOY is about: truth and healing.' — Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia 'For…any one who has ever wrestled with holding on and letting go.' — Thomas Lynch, author of The Undertaking 'A masterpiece of description and feeling…immediate, informative and heartbreaking.' — Susan Cheever, author of Note Found in a Bottle --Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly : 'An honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in the meth epidemic.' Library Journal Starred : 'An excellent book that all parents can relate to whatever their children's situation.' 'Those of us who love an addict — or are addicts ourselves — will find BEAUTIFUL BOY a revelation.' — Martin Sheen, actor 'A welcome balm to millions…who thought they were making this journey alone.'— Armistead Maupin, author of The Night Listener 'This book is going to save a lot of lives, and help heal…hearts.' — Anne Lamott, author of Grace (Eventually) '…moving, timely, and sobering. It's also startlingly beautiful.' - Sir Richard Branson, chairman, Virgin Group 'An extraordinary story of pain, perseverance and hope.' — William C. Moyers, author of Broken '…honest, reflective and deeply moving. BEAUTIFUL BOY is about: truth and healing.' — Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia 'For…any one who has ever wrestled with holding on and letting go.' — Thomas Lynch, author of The Undertaking 'A masterpiece of description and feeling…immediate, informative and heartbreaking.' — Susan Cheever, author of Note Found in a Bottle --Publishers Weekly 'An honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in the meth epidemic.' (Publishers Weekly ) 'An excellent book that all parents can relate to whatever their children's situation.' (Library Journal Starred ) 'Those of us who love an addict — or are addicts ourselves — will find BEAUTIFUL BOY a revelation.' — Martin Sheen, actor 'A welcome balm to millions…who thought they were making this journey alone.'— Armistead Maupin, author of The Night Listener 'This book is going to save a lot of lives, and help heal…hearts.' — Anne Lamott, author of Grace (Eventually) '…moving, timely, and sobering. It's also startlingly beautiful.' - Sir Richard Branson, chairman, Virgin Group 'An extraordinary story of pain, perseverance and hope.' — William C. Moyers, author of Broken '…honest, reflective and deeply moving. BEAUTIFUL BOY is about: truth and healing.' — Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia 'For…any one who has ever wrestled with holding on and letting go.' — Thomas Lynch, author of The Undertaking 'A masterpiece of description and feeling…immediate, informative and heartbreaking.' — Susan Cheever, author of Note Found in a Bottle Sheff s story is a first: a teenager s addiction from the parent s point of view a real-time chronicle of the shocking descent into substance abuse and the gradual emergence into hope. Before meth, Sheff s son Nic was a varsity athlete, honor student, and award-winning journalist. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who stole money from his eight-year-old brother and lived on the streets. With haunting candor, Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs, the denial (by both child and parents), the three A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the attempts at rehab, and, at last, the way past addiction. He shows us that, whatever an addict s fate, the rest of the family must care for each other too, lest they become addicted to addiction. Meth is the fastest-growing drug in the United States, as well as the most addictive and the most dangerous wreaking permanent brain damage faster than any other readily available drug. It has invaded every region and demographic in America. This book is the first that treats meth and its impact in depth. But it is not just about meth. Nic s addiction has wrought the same damage that any addiction will wreak. His story, and his father s, are those of any family that contains an addict and one in three American families does. DAVID SHEFF's work has appeared in the New York Times, Outside, Rolling Stone, Wired, Fortune, and elsewhere. His piece for the New York Times Magazine, 'My Addicted Son,' generated several hundred letters from readers and won an award from the American Psychological Association for 'Outstanding Contribution to Advancing the Understanding of Addiction.' Introduction It hurts so bad that I cannot save him, protect him, keep him out of harm's way, shield him from pain. What good are fathers if not for these things? — Thomas Lynch, 'The Way We Are' 'Howdy Pop, God, I miss you guys so much. I can't wait to see you all. Only one more day!!! Woo-hoo.' Nic is emailing from college on the evening before he arrives home for summer vacation. Jasper and Daisy, our eight- and five-year- olds, are sitting at the kitchen table cutting, pasting, and coloring notes and welcome- home banners for his homecoming. They have not seen their big brother in six months. In the morning, when it's time to leave for the airport, I go outside to round them up. Daisy, wet and muddy, is perched on a branch high up in a maple tree. Jasper stands below her. 'You give me that back or else!' he warns. 'No,' she responds. 'It's mine.' There is bold defiance in her eyes, but then, when he starts to climb up the tree, she throws down the Gandalf doll he's after. 'It's time to go get Nic,' I say, and they dash past me into the house, chanting, 'Nicky Nicky Nicky.' We drive the hour and a half to the airport. When we reach the terminal, Jasper yells, 'There's Nic.' He points. 'There!' Nic, an army green duffel bag slung over his shoulder, leans against a NO PARKING sign on the curb outside United baggage claim. Lanky thin in a faded red T-shirt and his girlfriend's cardigan, sagging jeans that ride below his bony hips, and red Converse All-Stars, when he sees us, his face brightens and he waves. The kids both want to sit next to him and so, after throwing his bags into the way back, he climbs over Jasper and buckles in between them. In turn he clasps each of their heads between the palms of his hands and kisses their cheeks. 'It's so good to see you,' he says. 'I missed you little boinkers. Like crazy.' To us up front, he adds, 'You, too, Pops and Mama.' As I drive away from the airport, Nic describes his flight. 'It was the worst,' he says. 'I was stuck next to a lady who wouldn't stop talking. She had platinum hair with peaks like on lemon meringue pie. Cruella De Vil horn-rimmed eyeglasses and prune lips and thick pink face powder.' 'Cruella De Vil?' Jasper asks. He is wide-eyed. Nic nods. 'Just like her. Her eyelashes were long and false — purple, and she wore this perfume: Eau de Stinky.' He holds his nose. 'Yech.' The kids are rapt. We drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. A river of thick fog pours below us and wraps around the Marin Headlands. Jasper asks, 'Nic, are you coming to Step-Up?' referring to his and Daisy's upcoming graduation celebration. The kids are stepping up from second grade to third and kindergarten to first grade. 'Wouldn't miss it for all the tea in China,' Nic responds. Daisy asks, 'Nic, do you remember that girl Daniela? She fell off the climbing structure and broke her toe.' 'Ouch.' 'She has a cast,' Jasper adds. 'A cast on her toe?' Nic asks. 'It must be teeny.' Jasper gravely reports, 'They will cut it off with a hacksaw.' 'Her toe?' They all giggle. After a while, Nic tells them, 'I have something for you kiddos. In my suitcase.' 'Presents!' 'When we get home,' he responds. They beg him to tell them what, but he shakes his head. 'No way, José. It's a surprise.' I can see the three of them in the rearview mirror. Jasper and Daisy have smooth olive complexions. Nic's was, too, but now it's gaunt and rice-papery. Their eyes are brown and clear, whereas his are dark globes. Their hair is dark brown, but Nic's, long and blond when he was a child, is faded like a field in late summer with smashed-down sienna patches and sticking-up yellowed clumps — a result of his unfortunate attempt to bleach it with Clorox. 'Nic, will you tell us a P. J. story?' Jasper begs. For years Nic has entertained the kids with The Adventures of P. J. Fumblebumble, a British detective of his invention. 'Later, mister, I promise.' We head north on the freeway, exiting and turning west, meandering through a series of small towns, a wooded state park, and then hilly pastureland. We stop in Point Reyes Station to retrieve the mail. It's impossible to be in town without running into a dozen friends, all of whom are pleased to see Nic, bombarding him with questions about school and his summer plans. Finally we drive off and follow the road along Papermill Creek to our left turn, where I head up the hill and pull into our driveway. 'We have a surprise, too, Nicky,' says Daisy. Jasper looks sternly at her. 'Don't you tell him!' 'It's signs. We made them.' 'Dai-sy . . .' Lugging his bags, Nic follows the kids into the house. The dogs charge him, barking and howling. At the top of the stairs, Nic is greeted by the kids' banners and drawings, including a hedgehog, captioned, 'I miss Nic, boo hoo,' drawn by Jasper. Nic praises their artistry and then trudges into his bedroom to unpack. Since he left for college, his room, a Pompeian red chamber at the far end of the house, has become an adjunct playroom with a display of Jasper's Lego creations, including a maharaja's castle and motorized R2-D2. Preparing for his return, Karen cleared off Daisy's menagerie of stuffed animals and made up the bed with a comforter and fresh pillows. When Nic emerges, his arms are loaded with gifts. For Daisy, there are Josefina and Kirsten, American Girl dolls, hand-me-downs from his girlfriend. They are prettily dressed in, respectively, an embroidered peasant blouse and serape and a green velvet jumper. Jasper gets a pair of cannon- sized Super Soakers. 'After dinner,' Nic warns Jasper, 'you will be so wet that you will have to swim back into the house.' 'You'll be so wet you'll need a boat.' 'You'll be wetter than a wet noodle.' 'You'll be so wet that you won't need a shower for a year.' Nic laughs. 'That's fine with me,' he says. 'It'll save me a lot of time.' We eat and then the boys fill up the squirt guns and hasten outside into the windy evening, running in opposite directions. Karen and I watch from the living room. Stalking each other, the boys lurk among the Italian cypress and oaks, duck under garden furniture, and creep behind hedges. When there's a clean shot, they squirt each other with thin streams of water. Hidden behind some potted hydrangeas, Daisy watches from near the house. When the boys race past her, she twirls a spigot she's grasping with one hand and takes aim with a garden hose she's holding in the other. She drenches them. I stop the boys just as they're about to catch her. 'You don't deserve to be rescued,' I tell her, 'but it's bedtime.' Jasper and Daisy take baths and put on their pajamas and then ask Nic to read to them. He sits on a miniature couch between their twin beds, his long legs stretched out on the floor. He reads from The Witches, by Roald Dahl. We hear his voice — voices — from the next room: the boy narrator, all wonder and earnestness; wry and creaky Grandma; and the shrieking, haggy Grand High Witch. 'Children are foul and filthy! . . . Children are dirty and stinky! . . . Children are smelling of dogs' drrrroppings! . . . They are vurse than dogs' drrroppings! Dogs' drrroppings is smelling like violets and prrrimroses compared with children!' Nic's performance is irresistible, and the children, as always, are riveted by him. At midnight, the storm that has been building finally hits. There's a hard rain, and intermittent volleys of hailstones pelt down like machine-gun fire on the copper roof tiles. We rarely have electrical storms, but tonight the sky lights up like popping flashbulbs. Between thunderclaps, I hear the creaking of tree branches. I also hear Nic padding along the hallway, making tea in the kitchen, quietly strumming his guitar and playing Björk, Bollywood soundtracks, and Tom Waits, who sings his sensible advice: 'Never drive a car when you're dead.' I worry about Nic's insomnia but push away my suspicions, reminding myself how far he has come since the previous school year, when he dropped out of Berkeley. This time, he went east to college and completed his freshman year. Given what we have been through, this feels miraculous. By my count, he is coming up on his one hundred and fiftieth day without methamphetamine. In the morning the storm has passed, and the sun shimmers on the wet maple leaves. I dress and join Karen and the little kids in the kitchen. Nic, wearing flannel pajama bottoms, a fraying wool sweater, and x-ray specs, shuffles in. He hovers over the kitchen counter, fussing with the espresso maker, filling it with water and coffee and setting it on a flame, and then sits down to a bowl of cereal with Jasper and Daisy. 'Daisy,' he says. 'Your hose attack was brilliant, but I'm going to have to repay you for it. Watch your back.' She cranes her neck. 'I can't see it.' Nic says, 'I love you, you wacko.' Soon after Daisy and Jasper leave for school, ... Customers who bought this item also bought Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines Manic: A Memoir Hope's Boy: A Memoir A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father Change of Heart: A Novel Customer Reviews for: Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction Rating - Great read! David Sheff helps others learn a lesson it took him years, and a brain bleed, to learn. That lesson is that if you let him, the addict in your family will take down everyone in his path in order to continue to experience the pleasure of his high. It's a heartbreaking journey, but at the end of the book, the son is clean, at the expense of the rest of the family. But the father has decided not to let his son rob the life from him, his wife, and other two children any longer. This seems even more important than ... Read More Rating - Very good... "Beautiful Boy" is a harrowing, well written, and honest look at drug addiction. It will be sadly familiar to anyone who has known a meth user. Although Nic Sheff fares better than some, his life is frequently derailed by his addiction. His father (and mother and stepmother, although they play less of a role) is driven to the point of a breakdown by fear and worry about when Nic's next relapse will occur, and what it will entail. David Sheff writes with the clarity and attention to detail that you find in quality ... Read More Rating - a brave memoir After catching a bit of David & Nic Sheff's interviews on "The Today Show," I decided to read both of their memoirs. While waiting for "Beautiful Boy" to arrive, I read some reviews on it and some of them were fairly critical. I was really moved by this book. As a mother, I could feel his pain as he described the anguish of not knowing where his child was--out on the street, high, or possibly dead somewhere. David Sheff was very brave in writing this book--he is open and honest when he describes the decade ... Read More Rating - How to ruin your kid's life 101 My heart bleeds for Nic-he never stood a chance with these parents! Though the author clearly loves his son-he did him no favors by treating him like his best pal instead of a son. Taking him to parties where people do drugs, having strings of girlfriends in and out of his life. He cheated on Nic's mother, moved in with the girlfriend and her kid. Then he gets dumped by her-more psychological damage on top of the divorce to Nic. I can't imagine how Nic's mother could have picked up and got married, and moved 500 miles ... Read More Rating - Amazing Book, Captivating and In Depth Look at Addiction I saw this book waiting on line at a Starbucks and bought it on a whim. I'd never read anything by David Sheff before and thought it would make some nice light summer pool side reading...it was much more than that. It is a captivating book that really gets into not just how and why young people become addicts but the effect that it has on their families and gives insight into how he coped in living through it. It is a really great book for anyone who has ever known, loved or had to live with an addict, alcoholic, or person with addictive ... Read More see more reviews See all books by author David Sheff

Books : Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction