Kbrooks' Biography Reviews
Drugs/Alcohol
Beautiful Boy
by David Scheff
David Scheff loves his son more than life itself. It shows in this touching memoir about addiction. In order to help his son, David tries tough love, not giving his son any assistance unless he agrees to go into rehab. Sometime this works, but eventually his son ends up using again. Beautiful boy shows the strain addiction puts on the entire family, not just the person using. It is a great read. I give it ***out of five stars.
Cooked
by Jeff henderson
Jeff Henderson was just another drug dealer. He spins this story with tales of high living on what he though was a victimless crime. The money that he and his cohorts were able to go through is atonishing. But like most drug dealers who either end up dead or in prison, Jeff goes to prison. It is there where he works in the kitchen to ensure that he has enough to eat, a little freedom and money on the side. It is also there were he learns how to cook and this skill sets him up for his life after prison. He reads as much as he can while in prison and develops a game plan on how to get his first cooking job. After a rocky start, he lands the job of a lifetime and starts an outreach program to help other trouble youth to become chefs. This is an awesome book and a must read for young adults who are living on the edge of destruction. I give it **** out of five stars.
Tweak
by Nic Sheff
This is the son of author David Scheff whom he writes about in Beautiful Boys'. Tweak is an account of what was going on with his addition to heroin, crack and his drug of choice meth. He takes the reader on a wild ride with seedy characters and very close calls. He is very blunt and candid in his recall and the reader will probably have a hard time putting this book down. It is more detailed than Beautiful Boy and it is much more interesting. I give it **** out of five stars.
Million Little Pieces
by James Frey
Despite the warnings from the media on the false classification of this book, (fiction rather than non-fiction) this book is very difficult to put down. Frey does not glamorize drugs and alcohol, he takes you on a journey through the dark side of addiction. He arrives at rehab bone thin with four teeth missing and a gaping hole in his jaw. He befriends some questionable characters in his quest to relinquish the hold that drugs and alcohol have on him. The idea of having major dental work without anesthesia is enough to drum up sympathy for the author, even in the aftermath of the book drama. This book will cause the reader to rethink the uses of substances in their own life as well as the live of their loved ones. Fiction or non-fiction, this book wakes you up and demands that you pay attention to the subliminal message within the text. I give this book **** out of five stars.
A Piece of Cake
by Cupcake Brown
Cupcake Brown has been through it all. Her mother dies at the age of 34. She along with her brother can’t live with her stepfather but are remanded to the custody of her biological father, who has never spent any time with them or supported them in any way. Their father is anticipating a big insurance payout and when that falls through, he send both kids to foster care. Cupcake lives with Diane, a very abusive lady with other foster care children. At this home, she is beaten and raped. She runs away and her life goes downhill from there. She is homeless, drug addicted and penniless. Former drug addicts come to her rescue and she eventually turns her life around, but not without many relapses. This book is for anyone who has family members that are struggling with demons such as drugs, alcohol or homelessness, to have hope and to understand that you can turn it around, with support. I give this book **** out of five stars.
My Story
by Jenny Jones
My Friend Leonard
James Frey
This second offering from author James Frey proves to be as exciting as his first. The story continues with one of the characters from rehab, Leonard. Leonard becomes a mentor to James and showers him with a superstar lifestyle, including dinners at exclusive restaurants, Cuban cigars, filling his refrigerator with food and money for questionable runs to deliver packages. Leonard eventually drops off the face of the earth and Leonard has to adjust and carry on. There is a surprise ending that unless you are telepathic, you will not see coming. This is a great read and very entertaining. I give it **** stars.