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msteasam's review against another edition
4.0
This was really interesting. While the narrative felt a little disjointed and repetitive at times, I appreciated the author including his own experiences and struggles with addiction. Regulation of drug use could do with a more empathetic and evidence-based focus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism
aecorsilva's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
fisher does a really good job of presenting an informative yet philosophical text that absolutely engrossed me in a topic i didn't think i would have any interest in, and honestly i was so close to giving 5 stars but:
- i found the book often jumped around a lot that made it confusing to follow, especially in the middle sections where i wasn't as familiar with the historical context, and which also prevented deeper analysis and depth in discussion and explanation (although to be fair that's not uncommon in nonfiction writing in this zeitgeist and he's not particularly worse than other authors)
- the referencing system for this book is horrendous - at the back, there's a small quote followed by the citation for that specific phrase, which is fine now i'm typing it out but let me tell you it was so much more difficult than it needed to be when i was reading and i wish he'd just gone with footnotes (although again i do understand why he didn't - this book is incredibly well-researched which is fabulous and allows for a great overview but also means there's an enormous amount of material to cite - an entire third of my copy was citations)
i know the long criticism section makes it sound like i'm super critical of it, but i just think those were the things i noticed the most (as opposed to the writing style and fabulous selection of statistics and anecdotes, which were amazing and therefore didn't satisfy the nitpicky cigar-smoking monocled critic at the back of my head), and overall i'm very happy i ended up reading this, and i reckon it's a good book to kick off 2024! hopefully all my nonfiction reads will be as insightful as this one :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
stierwood's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
If you are in recovery and looking for something a bit at arm’s length, that will provide you with information to understand yourself better without preaching to you— this is the book. I learned so much and it felt like a breath of fresh air. I got really stressed out at the “recovery” section, though, where it pointed out information I had not known regarding abstinence vs. moderation, so major trigger warning for that because I was really unprepared for it. Fisher writes from an informed and empathetic standpoint, and the combination of these traits in a medical professional was so healing lmao.
It is a heavily American history, so make sure that’s what you’re wanting to get out of it or you’ll be disappointed. I studied American history in school tho, so obvs I was fine. I do agree that the title should have probably said “an American history” or smth.
Not to @ any single reviewer, but I saw a lot of reviews essentially wishing to have seen more of his own personal trauma and the personal trauma of his clients. As someone in recovery, I’d ask why you’d want more of this in a history book. I thought the balance of it was perfect to situate the main theme (general history) alongside his own history and that of his clients. I am gonna make an assumption that he is extremely aware of the possibility for a “true-crime/ trauma porn” esque reading of this book and probably limited it partly to focus on the main theme of American history and partly for this reason. And as someone in recovery, I really appreciated that. We don’t need your pity or your shock. We need you to be informed, and that means learning our history in both the largest and most personal ways possible. Which I think this book balanced exceptionally well.
I’d recommend this to recovering and non-addict folks alike!
It is a heavily American history, so make sure that’s what you’re wanting to get out of it or you’ll be disappointed. I studied American history in school tho, so obvs I was fine. I do agree that the title should have probably said “an American history” or smth.
Not to @ any single reviewer, but I saw a lot of reviews essentially wishing to have seen more of his own personal trauma and the personal trauma of his clients. As someone in recovery, I’d ask why you’d want more of this in a history book. I thought the balance of it was perfect to situate the main theme (general history) alongside his own history and that of his clients. I am gonna make an assumption that he is extremely aware of the possibility for a “true-crime/ trauma porn” esque reading of this book and probably limited it partly to focus on the main theme of American history and partly for this reason. And as someone in recovery, I really appreciated that. We don’t need your pity or your shock. We need you to be informed, and that means learning our history in both the largest and most personal ways possible. Which I think this book balanced exceptionally well.
I’d recommend this to recovering and non-addict folks alike!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lybarron's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
This is a great and nuanced look at addiction mentally, emotionally, and socially. It covers the science, history, and experience of the author in considering addition from multiple angles.
I listened to the audiobook because when I tried to read it as a book I found it hard to focus. As an audiobook it was GREAT.
I listened to the audiobook because when I tried to read it as a book I found it hard to focus. As an audiobook it was GREAT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
toephia's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, and Alcohol