After catching a bit of David & Nic Sheff's interviews on "The Today Show," I decided to read both of their memoirs. While waiting for "Beautiful Boy" to arrive, I read some reviews on it and some of them were fairly critical.

I was really moved by this book. As a mother, I could feel his pain as he described the anguish of not knowing where his child was--out on the street, high, or possibly dead somewhere. David Sheff was very brave in writing this book--he is open and honest when he describes the decade of Nic's drug abuse and he clearly realizes that he had several missed opportunities to possibly help his son. He owns up to some very serious mistakes and bad choices he made that didn't help his son's situation, but perhaps contributed to it.

I am fortunate, in that I have not been touched with addiction in my immediate family. David Sheff was able to clearly communicate the way addiction impacts a family--not just the addict. His memoir about the constant ups and downs, the constant anxiety, the ever present reality that a slip from sobriety is just around the corner--it allowed me to have an understanding of how incredibly awful addiction is and how all-consuming it becomes to those who love the addict.

I would absolutely recommend this book to any parent--it opened my eyes up to how easily a "good" kid can slip down a very dark hole that is nearly impossible to dig out of, especially without the love and constant support of his family.

This book disturbs me on so many levels. I can't put into words how sorry I feel for the author's son Nic.

IN a nutshell-his father cheats on his mother, and a nasty divorce ensues. His mother obviously doesn't give two flips about her son and remarries-and moves 500 miles away!! How could you do that to a toddler?! I have a child that age and would move mountains to stay close to him!! Obviously the child was going to be given to his father by default. His father who treats him like a buddy and puts him second to his love life. How damaging for a child that age to crawl into bed with his dad and find some random woman there. Then there are moves, new schools, being shuttled to his mother for holidays/summers...is there any wonder this child ended up in this kind of trouble? And I can't forget to mention dad still smokes pot occasionally and smokes it WITH Nic. What a fine example to set. But don't worry-the author is happy to let you know that it is not his fault, and spends the entire book justifying and glorifying his behavior.

I hope for Nic's sake he is able to stay clean and lead a happy life-no thanks to his selfish parents

I saw this book waiting on line at a Starbucks and bought it on a whim. I'd never read anything by David Sheff before and thought it would make some nice light summer pool side reading...it was much more than that. It is a captivating book that really gets into not just how and why young people become addicts but the effect that it has on their families and gives insight into how he coped in living through it. It is a really great book for anyone who has ever known, loved or had to live with an addict, alcoholic, or person with addictive-compulsive tendencies or anyone who has just wondered how or why some talented bright people who seem to have perfect lives have turned to drugs and addiction. Philadelphia has a large community of "street kids", homeless youth in their late teens and 20 somethings many of whom look like not too long ago they were living in nice suburban homes or going to college and I'd often wondered how or why they wound up that way. This book is about exactly that. Definitely the best summer reading I've found in awhile.

Beautiful Boy is an informative book about drug abuse. The author is a journalist so it is well written and well researched. Mostly it is the author's personal experience and the agony of having a child addicted to drugs. The author blames himself for his son's drug problems. I believe he did contribute to his son's drug problem, by not focusing on prevention when his son was young.

The author's mistakes can help you see can give you pointers on how to encourage your child away from drugs. For instance, if your child is smoking pot at 12 years old, take it seriously and get him in some type of drug treatment. The author eventually realizes that his son's school gave him the wrong advice. But at first it was easier to ignore his son's problems and just focus his career and his love life instead.

The author mentions that he told his son about his drug history. Many experts do not recommend this. If you tell your child about your drug history, you are giving them permission to use drugs.

The author does not explain how his son (except at school) is able to use drugs. Know where your child is and get them involved in healthy activities, so hopefully, they don't have time to do drugs.

It is an interesting book. I found the pros and cons and whether drug abusive is a disease informative. I still don't think drug abuse is a disease.

This book can give you pointers on how to keep your child away from drugs. Do the opposite of what the author did. Focus on your child not your love life.

I thought that this book would aid me in gaining perspective on the effects drug abuse has on a family, and at first I thought it did. However, after a week or two pondering the book I come to the conclusion that the author spent more time trying to glorify and justify his handling of his sons addiction than actually dealing with the problems head-on. For example, the author comments on how difficult it is for a child to grow up properly in a long-distant joint-custody broken home, yet he makes no mention of any effort to rectify the situation with his former spouse when the situation seems entirely preventable. He goes on and on about suffering about worries and health issues he incurred due to his sons addiction, but in retrospect I didn't detect a great deal of effort on his part to head the problem as it arose.

In all, well written, but too much of an effort to glorify a tragedy.

All of us have had problems with children during the growing up phases. But this real life accounting of a father's love and concern for his child only goes to point out how addictive drugs can be at anytime in your life. It is something that never leaves. The reader is left with the feeling that, as a father, you have done all you can do with love, treatment and compassion. The rest is up to the child or young adult in this case. As it is said in Alanon and other groups, you are powerless over the addict and have to admit that and move on. I have not read the child's point of view yet. Something every parent should read before it is too late.

The book was a detailed, living testimony regarding the challenges of an addict and people who are close to an addict. Mr. Sheff opening shared the guilt he felt/still feels and yet there is little he can do. As a person who has recently experienced the pain and agony of loving an addict I can tell you that the only way to move beyond the experience is to trust in God -- get to know him. Mr. Sheff is not a believer, but I pray that he will some day. God is reaching out to him.

This book will hit home... and will bring tears... if this is a reality for a loved one... I caught myself in tears and true empathy during parts of this book. Many pieces of it sounded so familiar and so true to life. As much pain as it was to read in parts, it helped to ease the anger and the hurt feelings from going through the process of dealing with a loved ones addiction. It was recommeded to me by a friend... and I am definately recommending it to anyone living this reality with someone or even someone who is struggling with addiction.

We picked this book for our book club, mostly because of all the hype it's been getting. We buy it, start reading, and wish it would end already. Only 2 of us in the club have actually finished it, the rest (6)have simply lost interest in it.
I wouldn't go as far as saying this guy ruined his son's life with a divorce (my parents are divorced too and I didn't get into drugs or anything like that). If reminds me of aaaaalllll those people who think they are "special" or "cool" because the come from a "broken home" or who often compete to see who is more dysfunctional.
He makes some good points, such as your freshman year of college is always the hardest... true, but the worst I ever did was skip a few classes to catch a movie or go for coffee.
The book starts out kinda cool, then gets slow, then it's interested again, then slow, on and on and on and on....
I don't want to "spoil" it. I am a parent myself, my kids are still young and have their whole lives ahead of them, and he makes a good point about you can only do so much as a parent, eventually they will make their own decisions. HOWEVER... he's a little too out there with the liberals for me. i.e. would you take your 6th. grader to a Nirvana concert? (yes, Kurt is dead, but you know what i mean). I can see him trying to be the cool, hip dad, taking your kids to concert, buying them "explicit lyrics" CDs, cursing and all to "fit in", all because his son is so brilliant. Of course his son is brilliant, but then again all our kids are brilliant to us, eventhough other people may not see how brilliant they are.

I don't expect I'll be lining up to purchase Nic's book either.

We picked this book for our book club, mostly because of all the hype it's been getting. We buy it, start reading, and wish it would end already. Only 2 of us in the club have actually finished it, the rest (6)have simply lost interest in it.
I wouldn't go as far as saying this guy ruined his son's life with a divorce (my parents are divorced too and I didn't get into drugs or anything like that). If reminds me of aaaaalllll those people who think they are "special" or "cool" because the come from a "broken home" or a dysfunctional family.
He makes some good points, such as your freshman year of college is always the hardest... true, but the worst I ever did was skip a few classes to catch a movie or go for coffee.
The book starts out kinda cool, then gets slow, then it's interested again, then slow, on and on and on and on....
I don't want to "spoil" it. I am a parent myself, my kids are still young and have their whole lives ahead of them, and he makes a good point about you can only do so much as a parent, eventually they will make their own decisions. HOWEVER... he's a little too out there with the liberals for me. i.e. would you take your 6th. grader to a Nirvana concert? (yes, Kurt is dead, but you know what i mean). I can see him trying to be the cool, hip dad, taking your kids to concert, buying them "explicit lyrics" CDs, cursing and all to "fit in", all because his son is so brilliant. Of course his son is brilliant, but then again all our kids are brilliant to us, eventhough other people may not see how brilliant they are.

I don't expect I'll be lining up to purchase Nic's book either.

This book really builds empathy and understanding for families drawn into this dreadful problem. I just finished acting in two consecutive plays that coincidentally dealt with addiction and recovery and this book just expanded what I learned from that experience. Most of this information I had heard or read before, but when it is delivered in such a personal way it becomes more meaningful. Toward the end I became more and more anxious to get to some final resolution and I am sure the family felt and still feels that way, but their lives are not a book that they can just put aside. The mental state that the author arrives at in the epilogue was especially surprising and interesting. I am eager to read Tweak for another point of view.

Beautiful Boy is dead on. My son is a 17 year old drug addict. I look at pictures of him as a small child and wonder what the hell happened. It's excrutiatingly sad. I'm actually selling my copy of the book on Amazon, and all of my other books- everything I have, because rehab is so expensive- $28,000.00 cash up front. I will do whatever it takes to save my child's life. Beachbookery.

Being that I'm currently going through much the same thing that David Sheff went through--albeit on a smaller scale (if there is such a thing as a "smaller scale" of addiction when your own kid is the addict)--Beautiful Boy made me cry like a baby many, many times. I'm sure if you read it, it will affect you, too. So many of the thoughts the dad has are dead on with what I've experienced over the last four years. And the realization that he finally came to--that one way or another, your child will live or die with or without you, and it's really out of your control, so you have to let go of it--is the one thing that I just haven't been able to get my arms around yet. I totally understand what he's saying. But letting go is so, so, so hard. I get daily updates from my kid's counselor at rehab (my son signed a full disclosure agreement). And I cry after reading them. I never in a million years thought that I'd have an addict for a son who would be in rehab 360 miles away from home at age 18. It's tough. To everyone who is reading this review and has a younger child: Talk to them about drugs. Talk about the dangers, talk about alternatives to self-medication, etc. You do NOT want to go through what David Sheff went through and what my wife and I are going through and have gone through for 4+ years. You'll just have to trust me on that one. Kudos to Mr. Sheff for writing one of the best books I've ever read. I wish nothing but the best for him and his son, Nic.

I felt like there were some really great opportunities for author David Sheff to develop a few more plot lines besides the sheer despair that he felt each time his son deserted his promises to "be clean". Perhaps he could have explored the facts about the major drug companies abilitiy to irradicate certain substances found in the manufacture of meth. Sheff never really makes the connection as to the inner reasons for his son's drug addiction, there is much speculation and wondering and self blame, but there is no real admission of hereditary, parenting effect, environmental, or a combinatin of them all. The ending also leaves you hanging. Where is he today? Did all the therapy work? Ah, yes, now the son gets to write "his side of the story", clever.

Loved this book! It is a very honest and heartbreaking depiction of the back-and-forth existence of being the parent of an addict. The father makes no excuses and continually reassesses his impact and/or responsibility in his son's illness. No self-pity or blame placed - just raw emotion. I hope to never have to go through this, but will give this book to anyone suffering through it. BEAUTIFUL BOOK!

A wonderful book. I read it in 3 days. Especially good if you are a parent. His writing & honesty are amazing.

I had never "listened" to a book before. It really made a great book come alive. The narrator did a fantastic job of making me feel the anguish of this parent. It was truthful, even when not flattering to a consciencious parent. It made the reader understand how people can care about someone and love them deeply, but for a parent with a child in the throes of addiction it's painful beyond words until David Sheff put pen to paper. And then you still know while you hear the words and feel the pain, you can't make your heart stop in the same way unless you were to experience such a malignancy yourself. It was a beautiful haunting tale that I will never forget. And I will always root for this man and his son.

Beautifully written and articulate. The author/father spoke is such candid terms, as if he was talking to you personally. Very poignant. A must read for anyone who knows someone who has an addiction... or for anyone who wants more understanding of this baffling and troubling disease. I learned so much! I really appreciated the father's self-reflection and conflict as he went back and forth between worrying, enabling, helping, detaching and loving his son. (Of course, he ALWAYS loved his son; at times, though, he didn't know how to both love him AND help him, which was the most challenging part of his journey.)

As a spouse of a newly recovering drug addict, I found this book comforting in my time of grief and turmoil. Seeing how a father reacted to his family being torn apart by drug addiction and how he dealt with it helped me come to terms with the hell that I was/am going through.

Excellent read for anyone whose family has been affected by drug abuse

is the overwhelming message of honest, highbrow, author and father David Sheff, who supports the theme by recounting the details of his son Nic's privileged life. Sheff admits to (and sufficiently beats himself up about) certain actions and behaviors of his own that he allows may have contributed to a less than perfect upbringing for his "beautiful boy," including the divorce from his wife when Nic was just three-years-old, his involvement in a series of short-term relationships following the break-up (he eventually marries and has two more children), and his own former drug use. Even taking into account the primary bad stuff, the life of a socio-economic "have" shines through. Mr. Sheff was able to afford counseling for his young son's divorce-related worries, an expensive, exclusive high school, airplane tickets galore (Mom lived in LA, Dad in SF and they shared custody), and the cost of several stints in rehab (partially covered by insurance). Although a (p 72) "remarkable" child who his father contends has benefited from joint custody, in being "more responsible, sensitive, worldly, introspective, and sagacious than he might have been otherwise," Nic's path towards a bright future became his road not taken. Instead, he was sidetracked by the use of (p 133) "the devil's own drug," methamphetamine.

David Sheff's view of his son's unfortunate trip to hell and back (and to hell again) makes for interesting reading, especially with its many marvelous references to contemporary books, music and movies, and insightfulness on the devastating effects of addiction on family members of the user. Ultimately, Mr. Sheff is willing to concede a couple Al-Anon's clichés (p 310) "I cannot control it and I cannot cure it." Skip William Moyers' Broken in favor of David Sheff's Beautiful Boy.

The horrible tale of a father trying to help his son overcome methamphetamine (Meth) addiction. There is stealing, running away from home, hospitals, problems with the law and also rehabilitation centers
It is almost a journal, step by step of how the addiction progresses and the feelings a father gets when he sees his son going deeper and deeper into this addiction.
It clearly shows the impotence of someone who wants to help but cant do more than help himself.
The father being an ex-Meth user explains his feelings of guilt and helplessness.
I truly enjoyed the ending because it is so terrible! but real!

It is a book every parent must read, even if they don't have someone to call addict in their house.

"Beautiful Boy" express the agony of parents over a child's addiction with sensitivity, honesty in a moving way. Added value is the inclusion of interviews with experts, the latest thinking on addiction and information on research. Strongly recommend this highly readable book.

It's hard to write an honest book when the book will reveal that you, its central character, are a helpless onlooker to the terrible waste of a beautiful person, your beautiful boy, your eldest son. David Sheff has written that book.

David's son Nic was, is, special. He began winning writing prizes at an early age. He had a clear, tender visage and a brilliant mind. He was obviously destined for worldly success. All that promise died when, at age 11, he started using pot, then booze, then LSD.

Then he graduated. To meth.

Methamphetamine isn't a trendy drug. It isn't imported. It isn't a party favorite. It's manufactured in filthy garages by deranged addicts-turned-dealers, a trip of last resort for people who simply must go the downward route. It turns its users into raging animals, then passive wraiths, enhancing their sexual peaks and darkening their lowest fevered valleys. Nic, the sweet, smart, beautiful boy, became evasive, dishonest, a thief, a prostitute, a street person --- he sank and sank.

David grew up in a generation that embraced the use of drugs --- pot smoking, in the Berkeley hills where he raised Nic and his two half-siblings, was completely acceptable. Not using drugs would have been abnormal. So the good, liberal dad anticipated that Nic might have contact with drugs and might need some guidance. He saw his son turn into a skeletal stranger, but he chose to believe it was just a little pot, just a little alcohol, just something that could be dealt with easily by counseling or, at the most, a period of a few weeks in standard rehab.

For both father and son, it took years --- agonizing, tragic, lost years --- to understand that Nic was not going to emerge one day as a normal guy, finish college and settle down. Nic was unmoored. David learned that addiction begins with a predilection lurking way back in the genetic code. But what happens next are acts of will. The addict knows that he or she must break the addictive cycle, go into rehab and stay with the program. But over and over again, addicts like Nic refuse and reject that avenue of salvation. They are in a dance with evil, and often, for reasons no one else can understand, they want to die.

David and his wife despaired when Nic would sneak in and steal their belongings or write bad checks on their accounts. They were exhausted by trying to care and yet be tough, forced to use every encounter with Nic as a confrontation to convince him to do something he didn't want to do. David lived through all the guilt trips --- it was his fault for divorcing when Nic was young, for not figuring things out soon enough, for not doing something that could have saved Nic. But what? Then came anger and resentment at being used, ripped off by his addict son; then Nic would disappear again and David would think with horror, "Nic could die." David knew that Nic needed to have a serious crisis so he could see the need for a change. He'd been told that for the change to take hold "you have to be alone, broke, desolate, desperate." Surely Nic had been all those, but he didn't come up and stay up. Nic's little half-sister Daisy put it wisely: "It's like Nic is like my brother who I know and this other guy who I don't."

David realized one day that he missed Nic and wanted him back, but that the Nic he loved was gone already, and forever. Yet still there were those precious times, such as when Nic would come home occasionally and play with his half-sister and brother, or when David was immobilized after a near-fatal subarachnoidal hemorrhage and Nic was there, sitting by his bed, holding out a lifeline to his ailing father like a flickering promise. Such times keep a parent hoping, even when they find themselves collapsing in tears at an Al-Anon meeting, pouring out their story to a roomful of strangers.

It took guts to write this book, and guts to live through what David Sheff has lived through. He offers the few tips he has picked up along the way, but he doesn't consider himself a font of advice. With Nic still in some stage of recovery at the book's close, David can only say, "I am confident I have done everything I could to help Nic. Now it's up to him...our relationship can evolve into one of independence, acceptance, and compassion, with healthy boundaries. The love is a given."

--- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

One of the best books I have read in the last year and one of the most riveting memoirs I've read in a long, long time.

David Sheff is able to portray the frustration, anger, angst and incredible agony of living with a loved one who is addicted without being self-serving or over dramatic.

Each time his son disappears, your stomach drops and you are almost there with Sheff while his worry and doubt eat away at him. Each time Nic fails, you want to shout at him and each time he gets back up you want to cheer for him.

Sheff's hope and grief come through in every chapter and you are constanly left wondering "what if?"

But while Sheff succeeds mightily in putting you in the room with him, he doesn't wallow nor does he force his readers to wade in self pity.

I've already ordered Tweak and I'm hoping Nic has all of the candor of his dad and even half the story-telling ability.

In the back of all our minds when our beautiful sons and daughters are born is the realization of all the evil that can be laid upon them by society and by themselves. Those adorable, cute, huggable children face step after step of hazardous life --- made especially hazardous during the teenage years when being "with it" often means being dumb.

This book is where many of us have not gone but know we could have gone. Sheff is a courageous writer.

After standing in line at Starbuck's for as it seemed, over a month, I decided to purchase this book on Amazon.com. I haven't regretted it. David Sheff offers an inside look at a Father and Son and a horrible addiction. The book made me both happy and sad and at times, and gave me a stomach ache because of the drug's powerful pull. It's such a HOT topic these days. For those of you who have thought about buying this book - do it!

Unfortunately the father/author spends so much time telling us about his idyllic life and self-importance that he fails at a thorough and genuine self-evaluation and revelation. I spent the time while reading the book wondering if he ever really listens (treats young Nic as a little adult and repeats the same by needing to explain Nic's addiction to his four-year old) and why he cannot give his son some space (He attends an AA meeting with his son as a gesture of support. I can only imagine what the AA group was thinking.).

I have been in the drug and alcohol treatment business in the San Francisco area for 30 years. I can testify that the events in this family's life are unfortunately true and more frequent than many people would like to know. I consider this book a major contribution to our field because it is such a well-written journey of the addict and his/her family. I recommend that people read and embrace the truth of this book, no matter how fearsome the content.

This was an excellent book from a parent's point of view concerning a child's drug addiction and the tumult that it causes in a family. It is very heart-rendering and makes a person want to step back and take a look at their own family so that you can identify the signs or signals that your children are giving off before they get over their heads in this type of a situation. Be prepared with the kleenexes when you read it!

This was a high-demand book that I thought would be difficult to find. Not so with the Amazon system. Found a reputable source, good price, good delivery time within minutes. Ordered used, but when it came (quickly by the way) it looked new. Very happy with the whole transaction.
Since it was right at tax time, I have not yet had a chance to read it. But my wife got to it first, so I'll have to wait a little.
Very pleased altogether. Keep up the good work.
R.K.Shields

As the parent of a child with a drug addiction, this was a very emotional book. There were times I had to set the book aside. It was an emotional journey and the author took you along for that journey. It should be in every parent's library.

This book is really half of a whole. I read this one, and then Tweak. You could read them the other way 'round, but this way worked for me. This one gave a larger overview of the landscape both books cover. This one is a broader view, more like a birds eye view with a global sense of the action. Tweak is more like a creeping, crawling journey though one set of alleys, hills and valleys.

As I worked my way through the books, I felt extreme spiritual pain. This was the most Terrible and Awesome (in the archaic sense of the words) experience, and yet at the end it gave me profound insight. Nic was seeking a sense of wholeness and a sense of peace. He wanted to be a person who exemplified something he could not quite figure out, and he wanted to stop feeling pain. He used drugs as a short cut to get to this place. And as a result he lost everything. Yet when he did the hard work to find out that he was in fact a whole person all with in himself, and he could reach with in and experience his own peace, the need for drugs slept.

In Beautiful Boy, David discovers the same thing. As long as he waits on Nic - something outside of himself - to give him peace, he never has it. But once he can let go, make the sacrifice of his belief that he must, or can control Nic, he begins to find his own peace.

When you stumble across the answer to a question you never asked, the knowledge may pass you by, or at worst strike you as odd. But when you gain the answer you seek (here finding a sense of a whole person or a sense of bliss and peace) by cheating, or a short cut (in this case drugs), the result can destroy you. You always sacrifice something for knowledge (time, opportunity to do or know something else, etc). But when you choose the sacrifice and go through the struggle for understanding, in the end you gain, learn and grow. If you jump ahead to the end, you no longer get to choose what you are going to give up, the price is higher, and you gain nothing from the glimpse you gain of the answer.

This could have been written by me. I have lived though the same lies and deceit as David. Many years of pain and anguish. Tens of thousands of dollars in cash and property stolen for Heroin. I'm Trying everything to get and keep my son sober. In and out of rehab centers, In and out of jail. As with David, I keep trying and trying, hoping that someday it will sink in. In the mean-time I'm watching my son kill himself with Heroin.
This is a must read for anyone who's family member is an addict. David Sheff tells it like it is. And those of us who have or are living it, appreciate David Sheff for having the courage to put it in print.
It helps to know that I'm not alone in my frustration, my fears, my guilt, my depression. It's encouraging to know that there is hope, however remote, of recovery. Thank you, David,

"David Sheff takes us on a "ride" that no parent wants to endure. For those of us who have "been there", this book offers hope, camaraderie and comfort."

Judy Herzanek/Why Don't They Just Quit?

This book does an excellent job in describing the ultimate state of disrepair in which we find the traditional treatment industry; ineffective therapists, 15 minute med management meetings in which psychotropic medications are dispensed without thorough workups, inpatient treatment programs that create an artificial environment and support system that can't be replicated in the real world, separate support groups for the addict (AA) and the family (ALANON)......a treatment scheme that hasn't changed much, at least for the better, since 1938. Close to 90 percent failure rates yet little changes. Unnecessary despair, learned hopelessness, all while ignoring the basic physiology of addiction.

All because addiction is perceived to be a matter of choice. Lung cancer is predominantly a matter of choice. Heart disease; a matter of choice. Type II diabetes, obesity....all can be argued as a matter of choice. Yet only addicts and their families are asked to serve their life sentences, anonymously, in church basements, whispering their first names only until they draw their last breath.

It's time for a new approach. The approach can start with ALANON using their platform to cause people like Mr. Sheff to understand that adult decisions made during the early formative years of child rearing can have a lasting effect of the behavior of those children. In fact acrimonious divorce is a common theme in the treatment of many DSM categories. His inability to take responsibility for his actions is one of the things that keep many people addicted, The notion that all that is wrong in every life is caused by the addicted individual; that they are the epicenter for all that is wrong simply because they are willing to take on that unfair burden, is quite unhelpful.

In many ways, Mr. Sheff needs to be accountable for his mistakes that led to his son self medicating past experiences. And he must also take responsibility for not finding him appropriate medical treatment during his adolescent years. The decisions for treatment were not your son's, sir. They were yours. You have some responsibility in the failure of treatment too.

Imagine if Mr. Sheff, after diagnosis with an aneurism, was treated in a group environement without specialized medication or nutritional support that was essential for recovery. Imagine if an aneurism was treated as a matter of choice; a moral or character defect. imagine being powerless over your aneurism. Imagine art therapy instead of a drill to the skull to alleviate pressure. Apply the same standards and expect the same results: avoidable, premature death.

In all, if this book was intended to be entertaining or cathartic, then it hits its mark. If it was meant to be instructive or helpful to the millions suffering from or related to addiction, it does a disservice.

I finished this book a few weeks ago and I still can't stop thinking about it. Perhaps this is because Beautiful Boy does more than just tell a story it also teaches readers about meth. which makes me categorize it more as non-fiction, than as a memoir. Sheff's powerful use of language and rhetoric makes readers feel vulnerable as if we too are immersed in Shef's daily struggle, a struggle that rationally I know is real from beginning to end but yet kept me asking throughout: "how could this be real." I still don't want to believe the reality of meth, something I thought I knew a lot about until I read this book. Read this book and it will change you, and your perception of addicts.

It may be to early to write this review because I'm only half way through the book. I am finding that I am skipping over parts because they are a little boring for me. When I finish the book I'll write another review; hopefully it will be more positive.

I believe if you have school-age children you should read this book, along with Nic Sheff's memoir "Tweak". You may not think your child is vulnerable to drug addiction but who does? This book, along with "Tweak", does a great job of exploring the heartbreak of cycles of addiction and recovery. Parents so often put blinders on when it comes to their own children, and this book can help open our eyes so perhaps we will see the signs before it's too late. I read this book as an education I hope I never have to use, but either way it was engaging and well-written.

This was a great read--I agree with others who said they couldn't put it down. As a mother of a five-year old, I was captivated by this book when I saw it at Starbuck's and felt compelled to read it. The only parts that dragged a bit for me were the author's extensive research on the drug epidemic and crystal meth in particular. I was more drawn to his depictions of "everyday" family life when all of the madness with his older son was happening. So heartbreaking to read about the father's anguish, but I found myself thinking--what about his other children, and his relationship with his wife? It was satisfying to read that Mr. Sheff realized that he had become obsessed with his oldest child and finally made the decision to seek help to get through his own addiction to his son's problems and treatment. I would love to read a sequel to the book to find out how Nic is now doing and the rest of the family. Very interesting and beautifully written story about a family in crisis--but the love they have for each other survives the pain they all go through.

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth AddictionI purchased the book on CD as I spend a lot of time in the car and am a captive audience there. I marvel at David Sheff's ability to put my feelings into words, I said to my wife, "He is telling our story". My wife and I have been on a similar journey over the past nine years with our son. We have gone through all the highs and lows described so well in this book. I found myself crying with David, as I too have a beautiful boy that has been lassooed by the evil meth's. There is plenty of love in our family, on both sides, as in David's, and that has never deminished, but does take a back seat to the meth's. Then remorse comes and a feeling of shame, maybe, at letting down the two people that love him the most and are continually there to pick up the peices. Then the tenticle of meth's comes out and grabs a hold, and my wife and I are back on the rollercoaster. How true it is that when you say to yourself "I can't take anymore", you can and do. We pray for God to heal our Steven and continue to hold on to that image of our beautiful boy as we choose to remember him. The boy the laughs easily, in an infectious manner. The boy that is a shoulder for anyone who is down and out. The boy that would have been a great husband and father until he was hijacked by the meth's. Yes, we are still hopeful of recovery, our son is only 24 and has his whole life in front of him.I also put my optimism in a small box in my heart and do no longer leave it out to be trodden on and downladen with the disappointment of another trip down crystal lane. I realised i too believe in the three "C's" altough it took this book to make me realise that I did and to give that feeling or belief a title. I have also found this book a help to other people who are in the same situation and even those who aren't, by giving them an understanding of what we are dealing with on a day to day basis. As empathetic as these non-experienced friends are, they could never really know what it is like to leave in the world we live in. There is so much more to this story, but in saying this, I feel David has captured the essence of what it is all about. I have now ordered his son's book to maybe get a perspective from the other side of the fence.

This book has gotten a lot of publicity, and ultimately I couldn't resist the urge to read this book, even though I am blessed and fortunate to say that neither of my kids are in any sort of situation like the author describes here (knock on wood).

In "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction" (326 pages), author David Sheff tells the story of how his teanage son descends in the hell of meth-addiction (after having gone through a bunch of other drug-related issues). The feelings described by the father are complex, many of them having to do with guilt (the author describes his younger days of ample drug use), shame and an utter sense of frustration. "I torment myself with the same unanwerable questions: Did I spoil him? Was I too lenient? Did I give him too little attention? Too much? If only I never used drugs. If only his mother and I had stayed together. If only and if only and if only..."

It is something that I don't wish on anyone, and I pray I won't have to deal with that ever in my family. I must say, though, that one thing struck me in this book as completely incomprehensible and foreign, namely the relaxed attitude that many figures of authority (including in schools) had when the son was found to be smoking/selling pot. "They all do it." Say what? What kind of an environment or community is that? That aside, "Beautiful Boy" is a page-turner from start to finish, and I can't wait to pick up the book that the son has written (it was released simultaneously with this book).

I LOVED this book. David Sheff is a wonderful writer and perfectly captured (I think) his journey with his son. I like that he wrote it from HIS perspective, and not his son's (though I plan to read his son's book next). There is no fluff. He wrote it in such a way that you take the journey with him. I was actually glad when the book ended because I could breathe again! Bravo, Mr. Sheff!

As a mother of a meth addicted son, this book hit home with direct force. The story is different, yet the same. All the emotions, the sleeplessness, the raw pain were experiences that I went through. The path that David Sheff took researching and not finding the answers were my experiences also. I really could not put this book down. My only regret is that it is not available in paperback to send to my son who is currently incarcerated. I continue to wish for the best for him and this book gives me hope that a recovery from Meth is possible. I have also bought Tweak and can't wait to start reading.

If you have a friend, relative or loved one addicted to meth, this book is a must read !!

This story was eloquent and raw, riveting and passionate and worthy of every parents attention. This is a story that could belong to anyone but hopefully noone. I recommend this book to fellow parents in hope we can take something from it that might be useful to our children.

I bought the book and looked at it for days before reading it. Then I couldn't put it down. Every caring parent of a pre teen should read it. You don't think it can happen to you, we certainly didn't. But as the book says marjuana is the gate way drug. don't take the use of it lightly. My son's dead end came at 29, and he was not an addict. He always smoked marjuana and tried some drugs in college, graduated, worked and tried crack once and died.

We did not have the unendurable long time suffering as the author tried to get help for his son.
The author is an incredible writer and very honest. It shows how a drug user can lie and fool his parents in the beginning. Parents need to know the signs.

Every parent wants his/her son to get the best, and do well in life. "Beautiful Boy" tells how this long-term perspective quickly faded into just getting through the day - either finding (again) the lost soul in some back alley, E.R., or precinct station, or tip-toeing through 24-hours of abstinence.

There is plenty of disappointment, as Sheff's son (Nic) descends through smoking, marijuana, suspension from prep school, floundering in college, and meth, then cycles through rounds of promises, rehab, treatment, and relapse. Meanwhile, Sheff wonders how much his own prior (limited) drug experiences, divorce, genetic makeup contributed - blaming himself as much as anything else.

"Beautiful Boy" also sandwiches in a number of theories about addition - while they sound credible, the whole psychotherapy area has elsewhere been proven replete with have-baked ideas backed by incomplete statistical analysis. Thus, the wise reader will not put too much stake into the theories presented.

At the end there is hope that Nic is stabilized and off drugs. Nonetheless, there is the lingering sadness of a life that could have been (Nic's), and the damage done to his parents and siblings.

This is a wonderful, brave, painful, rich, candid book. It proves what I believe to be true - it can happen to anyone. We are all just a few bad decisions away from a life changing event for the worse. It can happen to someone who is smart and talented with resources and life opportunities. This book illustrates the love parents know for their children that is limitless. Beautiful Boy speaks the truth about the tangles of addiction whether that addiction be meth, or coke, or an eating disorder or gambling. I will parent with a caution and knowledge that I thought I had, but rather, that became more robust, refined and educated having read Beautiful Boy.

Never have I read such a moving book as "Beautiful Boy". I know in my heart after reading it and "Tweak" that all of it came from David Sheff's heart and soul. No one realizes just how much addiction takes away from not only the one addicted but the family also. I am proud of David for loving his son unconditionally and for trying to learn more and more to help Nic and himself and his family in the right way. Very easy to read, it is hard to put down and is heart breaking as it is hopeful. You have to read both books, Beautiful Boy and Tweak. Excellent books that I hope will help them heal and others.

This book is written by an accomplished writer and tells the parent's side of a child's addiction. It is well written, and especially interesting if paired with the son's book. I recommend that you read "Tweak", written by Nic Sheff, the son, first, then follow with this book to get the entire story.

I had to stop so many times. I couldn't read through my tears. So often I thought, "I could have written this". Addiction becomes the never-ending story. The blaming of self becomes insidious and the sorrow unbearable. This book has made me feel both hopeful and hopeless. I feel that all of us that love addicts are fighting the dark side. I don't know if my son has the will power or the strength to win this battle. As an agnostic I have placed my son in the hands of God. I will never give up hope or lose faith because my dream is my son healthy, happy and smiling again. But, like the author throughout this book, I will site the title of a song from a very old Fleetwood Mac album. "I saw you, coming back to me". Thank you David Sheff for sharing your hope and your pain. I am reading Nic's book now but as I read it my son is missing. It is almost too much.

anonymous