tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘A sense of urgency has underpinned almost every aspect of my life for as long as I can remember.’
This memoir opens when James Fry is 13 years old, sneaking into his parents’ bedroom to steal money. He knows which floorboards to avoid – he’s done this before – and he feels guilty. But his need to get the money to fuel his alcoholism is paramount. His need to escape outweighs his desire to do the right thing.
This is James Fry’s account of a battle with alcohol addiction which seems largely to be the consequence of bullying at primary school. Escape through alcohol, and through other drugs seems to help. For a little while. But increasingly, James needs more money to fuel his escape from reality and the crimes he commits to obtain the means to escape become more serious.
‘I won’t be long, Mum. I love you. Don’t worry about me.’
I found it hard to read James Fry’s memoir. I felt so sorry for the little boy who tried to get help to stop the bullying, and couldn’t. I felt sorry for his parents who tried to help him at every step, but couldn’t. Imagine how much harder it must be for the children in James’s situation who don’t have caring parents? I kept hoping that James would find the insight he needed, and the support required, to improve his life before he ruined it completely.
Fortunately, unlike many, James Fry’s story has a happy ending. He never gives up trying to find help. Throughout his battles, he is supported by his parents and eventually he gets the help he needs to fight his addictions. And, in his new life, he is helping a lot of other people.
It takes courage to fight these battles, and courage to talk about them publicly. Hopefully, James’s story will help others fighting similar battles. Teachers and parents may also find this memoir helpful: addiction can take many forms, as can post-traumatic stress disorder.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This memoir opens when James Fry is 13 years old, sneaking into his parents’ bedroom to steal money. He knows which floorboards to avoid – he’s done this before – and he feels guilty. But his need to get the money to fuel his alcoholism is paramount. His need to escape outweighs his desire to do the right thing.
This is James Fry’s account of a battle with alcohol addiction which seems largely to be the consequence of bullying at primary school. Escape through alcohol, and through other drugs seems to help. For a little while. But increasingly, James needs more money to fuel his escape from reality and the crimes he commits to obtain the means to escape become more serious.
‘I won’t be long, Mum. I love you. Don’t worry about me.’
I found it hard to read James Fry’s memoir. I felt so sorry for the little boy who tried to get help to stop the bullying, and couldn’t. I felt sorry for his parents who tried to help him at every step, but couldn’t. Imagine how much harder it must be for the children in James’s situation who don’t have caring parents? I kept hoping that James would find the insight he needed, and the support required, to improve his life before he ruined it completely.
Fortunately, unlike many, James Fry’s story has a happy ending. He never gives up trying to find help. Throughout his battles, he is supported by his parents and eventually he gets the help he needs to fight his addictions. And, in his new life, he is helping a lot of other people.
It takes courage to fight these battles, and courage to talk about them publicly. Hopefully, James’s story will help others fighting similar battles. Teachers and parents may also find this memoir helpful: addiction can take many forms, as can post-traumatic stress disorder.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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