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fragglerocker's review against another edition
4.0
Thought provoking -- great mix of biography, reflecting one black man's journey from poverty to being a tenured track professor (including all of the cultural capital he had to acquire along the way), and an introductory overview of scientific study and experimental design. I would recommend this to a lay person unfamiliar with the study of science, and particularly to someone who has an interest in drug policy.
librarylapin's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this eye opening book. In this memoir laced with scientific discovery, Dr. Hart demonstrates a lot of the ideas we have been sold in the war on drugs culture we inhabit. He talks about race and how our views on drugs, the media coverage, and the scientific ignorance about them have all lead to a social construct that devastates communities. In his unique perspective, in which he tackles the role of race in science and drug perceptions based on his personally lived story and his story as a scientist, the reader is able to to see how many myths can be decoded and demonstrated to be false. I did feel that there was an overabundance of bravado in the book. I realize much of it was intentional as the author's point about defending his reputation and having a lot of pride speaks to a motivational factor but at other points it felt like just bragging. When he makes a point to debunk the idea that scientists are "antisocial" (read nerdy), I didn't feel like there was any relevance to his thesis other than letting the reader know that he was very popular, athletic, etc. Aside from this I really enjoyed the format because I love memoir and the science was very methodically inserted into the story being told.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable combination memoir and scientific commentary. Loved the author's insightful exploration of his experiences growing up and maturing into an academic. Much of what he says about drugs is actually really in line with common sense, which I appreciated! I still had some questions about the science of the drug-related issues brought up in this book; for example, he says that only 10-20% of drug users become addicted, but he doesn't address whether some people have biological predispositions toward addiction.
natgoe's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
starrymynx's review
3.0
I picked this book up by accident as I don't typically read memoirs and was looking for a different book a friend recommended to me, but I found the subject in this one interesting. I was hoping for a bit more psychology and a little less personal history, but it was worth reading still. The author opening up about his life around drugs and his studies into addiction opened my thoughts up to things I hadn't considered when dealing with friends and family who have had addictions, so it was worth the read, just not my favorite.
celineguedj's review against another edition
5.0
Necessary read for anyone to learn about the war on drugs.
oursllc's review against another edition
5.0
One of the newest, most fascinating views on drug addiction and poverty written by a man raised on the streets of Miami who went one to study neuroscience. He takes the reader on a journey to understand drug use and abuse previously ignored outside of scholarly papers. Please read.
darwinswench's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5