What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff's journey through his son Nic's addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first subtle warning ...
Read More
What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff's journey through his son Nic's addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the rehabs. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic.Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 352 p. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 352 p. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 352 p. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents and worn corners. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
As the father of a young adult with a debilitating chemical dependency problem, I found that reading this open description of David Sheff?s painful attempt at learning to live with his son?s difficult life helpful and, in some strange way, hopeful. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an addict in their life.
Kenamac
Aug 11, 2011
Great book hard read
It's a hard read if you have a child in this situation but extremely informative and ultimately hopeful.
profnor
Aug 13, 2009
touching, insightful and informative
What a beautiful story...how deeply a father cares for his son. It was touching and insightful as well as informative. Thank God, I never had to deal with a child's addiction but it made me appreciate how close we actually came as a family in having to deal with such a powerful issue.
anitaj
Jan 23, 2009
I read this book a year ago. Since then I've given it to others whenever I've become aware that they are the parents of someone whose has a meth addiction. I spent 15 years as the parent of two children who were addicted. Having personal experience of the angst, I cried at times as I read and remembered, at a deep emotional level, the trauma involved. The author is exceptionally articulate. As I read the story of his experience with with is son, I literally felt again the sense of terror that was involved in not knowing whether my son or daughter would survive. The story is enriched by his sharing of valuable and encouraging information from the research he sought out during his journey. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to deepen his or her understanding of the complexities involved for individuals and families caught up in the cultural epidemic that meth addiction represents.
SCMetro
Apr 13, 2008
Difficult But Must Read for Parents of an Addict
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff was given to me by a friend who works in the drug addiction services arena. She figured that it would be therapeutic for me as my son was an addict for ten years and has maintained sobriety for the past two years. Little did I know how reading Beautiful Boy would bring up raw nerves that I thought had been dealt with in the past. David Sheff is an excellent writer. The reader is quickly captured by this story of a father and son who obviously love each other and who both have incredible passion and excitement for the world in which we live. The author has also included a lot of data from professionals to do with drug use, abuse, addiction, therapies and pharmacological facts which help to bring credibility to the battle that ensues. The only negative comment that I have regarding this book is that I felt that the author became a victim verses the survivor mentality that was present for all but the last few chapters. Upon completion of the read, I immediately went on Alibris to order Nic's book, Tweek, so that I could read about the other side of the equation. Would highly recommend to any reader. Drug addition effects so many of us that it is impossible to invision anyone who could not learn something helpful in the process of reading Beautiful Boy.