Book 10/30.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.
David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? The police? The hospital?), the rehabs. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll, but as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on him. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional roller coaster of loving a child who seems beyond help.
This was an eye-opening, beautifully written account of a father’s struggle with his son’s addiction and I am looking forward to watching the movie adaptation starring Steve Carrell and Timothée Chalamet. I saw a lot of myself in Nic because in 2024 I became painfully dependent on alcohol and it completely derailed my life, but I came out on the other side thanks to the grit and determination to do better, coupled with the support of my husband, sister, bestie, GP and therapist.
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** A guide to ratings **
1 star – did not like it
2 stars – it was okay
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing
Lwile the Leo 