The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
belvidere's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
lackaaadaisical's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
artemis_thehufflepuff's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
chasingholden's review against another edition
4.0
The Urge is a truly wonderful and unique way of enjoying the history of addiction whether you are new to the topic or rather familiar with it. Weaving personal stories from his patients with examples from literature, popular culture, and intimate pieces of his own reality as well.
Perfectly laid out this book is a welcome gem to the genre of addiction literature and the brilliance of Carl Erik Fisher shines once again.
Thank you so much to netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. This is a subject that has always fascinated me and I am happy to say this book did not disappoint! Don't forget to pick up your copy as soon as possible!
Perfectly laid out this book is a welcome gem to the genre of addiction literature and the brilliance of Carl Erik Fisher shines once again.
Thank you so much to netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. This is a subject that has always fascinated me and I am happy to say this book did not disappoint! Don't forget to pick up your copy as soon as possible!
chasingholden's review against another edition
4.0
The Urge is a truly wonderful and unique way of enjoying the history of addiction whether you are new to the topic or rather familiar with it. Weaving personal stories from his patients with examples from literature, popular culture, and intimate pieces of his own reality as well.
Perfectly laid out this book is a welcome gem to the genre of addiction literature and the brilliance of Carl Erik Fisher shines once again.
Thank you so much to netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. This is a subject that has always fascinated me and I am happy to say this book did not disappoint! Don't forget to pick up your copy as soon as possible!
Perfectly laid out this book is a welcome gem to the genre of addiction literature and the brilliance of Carl Erik Fisher shines once again.
Thank you so much to netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. This is a subject that has always fascinated me and I am happy to say this book did not disappoint! Don't forget to pick up your copy as soon as possible!
ninjakiwi12's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Fun(ny) fact(s): I first learned about this book from the PBK's 2023 summer reading list of all places?
Favorite quote/image: "Addiction is profoundly ordinary: a way of being with the pleasures and pains of life, and just one manifestation of the central human task of working with suffering. If addiction is a part of humanity, then, it is not a problem to solve. We will not end addiction, but we must find ways of working with it: ways that are sometimes gentle, and sometimes vigorous, but never warlike, because it is futile to wage a war on our own nature." (pg. 300)
Honorable mention: "Science can be a powerful tool in social movements, and scientific stories about substances are easily twisted to fit the dominant prejudices of the time...the actual science didn't really matter; it was all retrofitted onto the existing story of possession. Science was just being used to bolster claims that seemed self-evident." (pg. 90-91)
Why: Interweaving his own personal story of addiction with a global history of addiction, Fisher brilliantly and compassionately tells a story of humanity's response to addiction, highlighting different frameworks for understanding addiction, policies, and treatments, challenging readers to question their own stereotypes of addicts and where those preconceived notions came from. As a psychiatrist himself, he offers critical insight into attempts to understand and treat addiction, but also as a recovering addict himself, he shows the human side of suffering, making this about people and not just statistics. This is book is not just about the addiction of a few, but a story about power of a few and the suffering of many, especially in communities of lower socioeconomic status and of color.
Favorite quote/image: "Addiction is profoundly ordinary: a way of being with the pleasures and pains of life, and just one manifestation of the central human task of working with suffering. If addiction is a part of humanity, then, it is not a problem to solve. We will not end addiction, but we must find ways of working with it: ways that are sometimes gentle, and sometimes vigorous, but never warlike, because it is futile to wage a war on our own nature." (pg. 300)
Honorable mention: "Science can be a powerful tool in social movements, and scientific stories about substances are easily twisted to fit the dominant prejudices of the time...the actual science didn't really matter; it was all retrofitted onto the existing story of possession. Science was just being used to bolster claims that seemed self-evident." (pg. 90-91)
Why: Interweaving his own personal story of addiction with a global history of addiction, Fisher brilliantly and compassionately tells a story of humanity's response to addiction, highlighting different frameworks for understanding addiction, policies, and treatments, challenging readers to question their own stereotypes of addicts and where those preconceived notions came from. As a psychiatrist himself, he offers critical insight into attempts to understand and treat addiction, but also as a recovering addict himself, he shows the human side of suffering, making this about people and not just statistics. This is book is not just about the addiction of a few, but a story about power of a few and the suffering of many, especially in communities of lower socioeconomic status and of color.