Review: I Love Everybody (And Other Atrocious Lies) by Laurie Notaro

Laurie Notaro has it all. Well, if by all you mean a husband, a mortgage, and *gasp* a JOB! Unfortunately... keeping them all is not as simple as it might seem. Nevertheless, she survives neurotic supervisors, humiliating meetings with her boss, and those wacko elevator people. But that's just the beginning.

If you're looking for a mellow, light and slightly humorous read, well, this one might not be for you. Notaro's spunk and no-nonsense look at reality is seam-splittingly hilarious, if not always perfectly reverent.

This is the funniest book I read since Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Seriously-- looking for a pick-me-up in your down time this holiday season, or need something for that witty cousin you never know what to buy for? Grab some hot cocoa and prepare to laugh-- so drink the cocoa carefully.

Happy Holidays!

Review: Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

Last week I read Beautiful Boy, by David Sheff, and this week I took a look at the other side of the story-- the memoir written by his son Nic. It is raw, intense. You take a ride with him on emotional roller coaster of rehab and relapse and coming to grips with the understanding that this addiction is bigger than he is. Or was. It was very moving. I admire his courage, for baring his soul in this way, sharing his experiences so openly.

And I really enjoyed the bits we heard about the PJ stories he made up for his younger siblings. I'd definitely be in line to buy those! Too funny.

Review: Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

Beautiful Boy is the haunting tale of a father's anguish over his son's addiction, primarily to methamphetamine. It explores the devastation of his family as David's son, Nic, battles his addiction and becomes someone even his family does not recognize. For David Sheff, even in those times, a tenuous hope blossoms-- as long as Nic is still alive, he may recover.

As someone with a long family history of codependents, I strongly identified with the struggle David Sheff endured in order to support his son without being consumed by the choices Nic made. Also powerful were the use of movies, songs, quotes, and other books.

Part of what made this story unique and uniquely powerful to me was the counsel frequently obtained from experts in the field of meth rehabilitation. This is not simply the woeful tale of a man who watches his son war with an evil addiction time and again. It is also a man who hit the books and called in the experts, got as much information as he could about his enemy, his son's enemy. The most evil drug of our day: crystal meth.