Memoirs of meth addiction

This week the Library will be upgrading the computer software we use to manage our loans and records- “Spydus”. We will have limited access to some of the features of Spydus during the upgrade, so we ask all borrowers to make sure they bring their library cards with them this week.

The Library recently purchased two books, one by David Sheff and one by his son Nic Sheff. “Beautiful Boy: a father’s journey through his son’s addiction” is David Sheff’s chronicle of Nic’s descent into crystal meth addiction. Before meth, Nic was an accomplished athlete, top student and award winning journalist. After meth, he was a trembling wreck who stole money from his eight year old brother and lived on the streets. David writes of his son’s journey, from the first subtle warning signs, through attempts at rehab, to the way past addiction. Armistead Maupin has said of this story “Beautiful Boy is so beautifully written that it will come as a welcome balm to millions of parents and loved ones who thought they were making this journey alone."

After Nic Sheff’s recovery a book editor contacted him and asked if he was interested in writing a memoir about his experience, one that might inspire other young people struggling with addiction. The result is the book “Tweak: growing up on methamphetamine”. Reyhan Harmanci, staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote of this book “Man, the kids are not "alright." But then wholesome childhoods and healthy living were never the stuff of memoir.... Nic Sheff's Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines seldom pulls punches. [He does] an admirable job of telling his story clearly and avoids heavy-handed exposition, and the effect is often moving. The trajectory of drug addiction is nothing new, but Sheff's lucid, simple prose makes the heartbreaking journey seem fresh. More than once, adults praise him for his candor - he lies frequently in his constant quest for more money and more drugs, but he also comes clean (so to speak) many times in the process. It's one of his most appealing aspects, and it's a necessary quality to autobiographical writing. One senses that he's not holding much back. [He] is a writer with a big future ahead of him.”

Both “Beautiful boy” and “Tweak” are available from the Library.