Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

7 reviews

littleseal's review against another edition

This was a hard fucking read. I had to put it down several times for a variety of reasons: the explicit discussion about drug abuse (I actually hyperventilated during one scene), the anger I felt towards the addiction, and life getting in the way.

I applaud anyone who can work with people with drug addiction. It's a hard thing to deal with, and why I stay pretty far away from it as a therapist. I wanted to scream when Nic was with 'Zelda'. 'Lauren' seemed like a walk in the park compared to the issues 'Zelda' brought out in Nic.

If you have a weak stomach, proceed with caution. However, I do feel that this book gave me pretty great insight into the world of addiction. Will I work with clients who abuse drugs? Probably not. But I can still appreciate the writing.

Side note, it was hilarious that James Frey book was mentioned since that was also a addiction book that turned out to be fake. I haven't seen anything about this one being fake, so going to hope it isn't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

andrea_lachance's review

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

2.0

Not for me

someone recommended this book so that I could understand them better. I was optimistic about Tweak because it has been on my radar and I've heard good things about it, so I got the push I needed to finally listen to it.

I...didn't enjoy this book. I think Nic Sheff does a great job capturing his authentic mindset, how his addiction impacted the way he thought and acted. It's like listening to his journal with his messy thoughts. That part I can appreciate. But overall, I didn't find it a pleasant listening experience (which I understand is "the point"). Nic was extremely privileged to have a safety net; an affluent family, white privilege that prevented him from getting arrested several times, and connections that got him jobs.

I thought the book would end around the halfway point, but then Nic relapsed and there were 6 more hours of the book left.

I'm not going to dunk on Nic Sheff as a person. This is his personal experience with drugs and addiction. what I will dunk on is the quality, pacing, and impact of the book on me - personally - as someone who has been directly impacted by living with an addict.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death, Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Vomit

tetedump's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

applesaucecreachur's review

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

Before getting into what this book offered, I need to mention the racial descriptions (and unnecessary and inaccurate accents by the audiobook reader), fatphobia, and subtle sexism were all highly offputting. That said, Tweak gives naked insight into one young man's path to, struggle with, and recovery from addiction. I am glad that I read what seems to be an accurate (or at least realistic) account of such an experience. I will carry this with me in my practice as a care-giver. That said, Nic Sheff did not write solely about crime and drug use. He wrote about introspection, spirituality, relationships, meaning, and healing. It may not be a highly necessary book (though maybe D.A.R.E. die-hards would suggest otherwise), but I am grateful nonetheless that I came across it.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fatphobia

hannah_m_g's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

Bought this after reading Beautiful Boy (the companion memoir) not expecting to like it as much - I actually enjoyed it more. It's more fast-paced and less repetitive in comparison, reads more like a story, and offers the full picture of what actually happened with Nic. I don't know which I would suggest reading first - Beautiful Boy offers a lot of interesting facts and research into drug addiction and of course the devastating outside perspective of the parent. I would recommend Tweak if you're purely interested in the first-person perspective of addiction. Reading Tweak afterward definitely felt like filling in all of the gaps in David's story. I enjoyed both of them, but feel more connected with Nic's story, though I suspect that is an age/circumstance thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

beetsnotbombs's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia

shewantsthediction's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

2.0

Well that was mostly a waste of my time.

Nic somehow manages to be both sympathetic and infuriating in this book - sympathetic because he has bipolar disorder and feels like a raw, exposed nerve all the time; he's so sensitive he feels he needs to dull his feelings and quiet his mind with drugs, which is definitely relatable. But he's also infuriating because of his repetitive, spiraling thought patterns and the way he describes other people. Most women are either "fat" or "wearing too much makeup" - except for the ones he finds attractive, of course. There's also some ableist/racist things in here - one of his friends uses the "r slur" and he describes a Black woman as "masculine-looking," which is just a tale as old as time. 

He's also your typical privileged person and just thinks some very nasty thoughts about other people in general. Still, I respect that he at least owns his dickishness - it almost makes you like him a little. Oh and he's also a writer, who of course idolizes a bunch of other white male writers. The only ones I can remember right now are Charles Bukowski and George Miller, but you get the picture. 

He writes decently - his sentences are punchy, short, with a staccato rhythm that I think fits the topic well. He has a bad habit of tacking on "and things" or "and stuff" to the end of his sentences, though. My personal opinion is that he needed a harsher editor on this. The book is way too long and the escapades are similar enough that they could've been easily condensed. A lot of him getting high/sober/relapsing over and over again is just repetitive and not very interesting past a certain point. Like I understand it's a story about addiction, but ultimately it's unsatisfying because

we never get closure with the girlfriend he has in the second half of the book, Zelda, or any of his friends. He also never gives us his final thoughts on the whole "god" ordeal he was sweating over the whole book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Vomit

Minor: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Racism