David Sheff

A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

Beautiful Boy

charlotte brand

Actually it would be sad to be old, because you guys would be dead." She is indicating Karen and me. “Even Jas- per, because I'm the youngest. But you know, I don't think I will be so scared to die. I think it's like today: the end of a vacation when you are ready to go home"

Jordan

This book sheds light on what most addiction narratives ignore: the hardships and struggles the families of addicts have to go through.

Mark-Olivier

Even if it was a non-fiction, I kinda thought it was a fiction. It was so well written that I got lost in the story... I had to remind me that it really happened. I really liked how it was written from the father's POV. It was different and really informative. I felt empathy for the boy (Nic) but also for the father and their family. It was so personnal, it must have been really difficult for Sheff to write this book,

Caroll-Ann

This book made me cry so many times. I heard about the movie but never watched it and decided to give the book a go before I even think about watching the movie and I am so glad I did. This is a memoir of a dad about his life with a son who’s addicted to meth and he describes perfectly the way he feels during everything Nic (his son) and the rest of the family goes through. Personally if you can handle the topics of drug abuse and those don’t trigger you, then I think everyone should read this. It’s so sad but so damn real and I will definitely reread it somewhen and really go to town with annotations. I just couldn’t put the book down and even read it until 3am last night because I just needed to finish it. 
This is a book that will stay with you forever and you’ll think about it often. It’s just so good and heartbreaking.

Also I am so thankful that people like David and Nic share their story because I just know that they help so many people by doing it. It must be hard to revisit those times during writing as well as discussing the book but I just know how much hope and strength this book might give someone who’s going through something similar. People tend to forget that addiction is a disease and one we need to talk about more often since it’s one that is as present or even more present to this day. Really…whoever you are read this and let it stay with you.

cece

just as good as the movie. inspired my nirvana addiction (no pun intended)

Molly Sheerer

I was recommended this book by a friend and we each gave each other one of our own books to borrow and read. I was a little skeptical at first because from what I heard about the book I did not think it would be something I would enjoy. I also did not know going into it was based on a true story.

 I started reading the books and was immediately hooked by the end of the first chapter. It only took me a little over a month to read since I was busy with work and my film program. There were some parts that dragged a bit but life isn’t always one intense moment after the other so it was expected and every moment was still told so beautifully.

Soon after finishing I watched the film and it stayed true to the book for the most part. I feel I could’ve had the book in front of me and followed it almost all the way through the film which I enjoyed. Seeing it play out made the story hit a lot harder but even reading it I was able to visualize it very well since it was well detailed.

I overall think it’s a story everyone should read/hear and if you haven’t read it already I would recommend adding it to your list.

Nadine 

Terrifying book on a topic that would be every parent’s worst nightmare. Excruciating details- interesting that USA so isolationist even in this - would have expected the author to look abroad to other international knowhow even to Canada where Gabor Matte writes so much on the topic.

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

Emily

How innocent we are of our mistakes and how we responsible we are for them.

David Sheff provides a necessary perspective for millions of grieving parents and loved ones of addicts across the globe. While I've never personally experienced going through something like this, reading this book allowed me to learn, at least a fraction, of how debilitating addiction is, and not only for the addict. Based on Sheff's words, and the response he has received to his writing, people feel alone and guilty in this issue. The fact that he told his story so raw and honestly, not shying away from feelings of shame or guilt, has definitely helped so many people cope. 

This book also exposes how inaccessible and confusing finding resources to help addicts can be, especially for meth. Costs aside, there's no designated person to guide people through this topic. So, while his son is losing life by the day, Sheff has to desperately gather information and use conflicting opinions to form his own. There's no certainty, no sense of control, and it's debilitating.

I did find some of the book to drag a little, but the impact hit me just the same. I'm glad I read a book on this topic, as I really have not been exposed to the idea before-- of not only an addict, but the loved ones whom they affect. 

I really enjoyed the film adaptation back in 2019, and I'm excited to revisit it again. I know Nic himself also has a memoir out called Tweak, but for now I think I'm satisfied with this perspective of the story, and I feel a little burnt out. And that's just from reading it. I can't even imagine living it.

Rachel

David Scheff's son is an addict and David tells his experience with having to go through it as a father and the effect it has on his family. Absolutely heart breaking at times.

Tori Demarzio

Grazia Grassi

A Father's Journey through His Son's Meth Addiction

risa

nale

Carolina Fischer Camelier 

teagan 

Alice Jones 

Jill Lefere

Julie Kelly

Hanna Cormier

Lucy Knox 

Dalayna Devlin

THE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR FILM, STARRING STEVE CARELL AND BAFTA AND GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATED TIMOTHEE CHALAMET ‘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. With haunting candour, David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3am phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the attempts at rehab. 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 Nic. This 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. Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help. Read the other side of Nic Sheff's bestselling memoir, Tweak. Praise for Beautiful Boy:- 'A brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating story, full of beautiful moments and hard-won wisdom. This book will save a lot of lives and heal a lot of hearts'. Anne Lamott 'An important book... moving, timely and startlingly beautiful.' Richard Branson

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

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