Book Read, 2008

"Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff

This is the Father's version of the tragedy of addiction and its effects on family and addict. The son's version is put forth in "Tweak" by Nic Sheff.

Mr. Zoom didn't know these two authors were related, he just knows what kind of books I love and when he saw both of these, he brought them both home.

I am amazed at the rounding out of the experience I feel having the opportunity to see (read) it from both points of view. And having lost a family member to the same addictions that Nic experienced, David's book actually brought me a lot closer to understanding my parents' actions in our own struggles.

I believe that addiction is biological, and a lot - if not entirely out of the control of the addict. But before I read these two books together, I realized that believing that on one hand, I was still quietly blaming our lost family member for the turbulence in our lives. I wasn't able, until now, to let him off the hook. I don't think I've come around to being able to do it effortlessly - as I still have to force a deduction process.

Several times I had to remind myself that my family did not write this book. There were so many things that were hauntingly similar to my own family, and probably hundreds of other families too, but I had to keep making sure the author listed was not my own Father.

I am left feeling a lot lighter about what happened to my own family.