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.
Amazon Best of the Month, February 2008: From as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on Nic Sheff's string. Bright and athletic, he excelled in any setting and appeared destined for greatness. Yet as childhood exuberance faded into teenage angst, the precocious boy found himself going down a much different path. Seduced by the illicit world of drugs and alcohol, he quickly found himself caught in the clutches of addiction. Beautiful Boy is Nic's story, but from the perspective of his father, David. Achingly honest, it chronicles the betrayal, pain, and terrifying question marks that haunt the loved ones of an addict. Many respond to addiction with a painful oath of silence, but David Sheff opens up personal wounds to reinforce that it is a disease, and must be treated as such. Most importantly, his journey provides those in similar situations with a commodity that they can never lose: hope --Dave Callanan
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A book that does not hide harsh reality:
This book was a good read, but a sad one. I true story of a fathers love for his terminally addicted son, and how more often then not it cuts through the addicted persons loved ones like a knife.
Prepare to feel like a parenting failure:
This book made me scared, sad, hopeless and afraid for the future of my own children. And they are in grade school. I don't need this fear undermining me and making me second guess my parenting choices. I read the book to the end with the fervent hope that I would read an epilogue that was happy and hopeful; something along the lines of Nic struggled but has been alcohol and drug free for ten years. He's happy, married, has kids and is a brilliant father. I'm sure that sounds naive but I want to... more info
Helpful read for me:
I was hesitant to read, but it was suggested to my by a friend. I have a son with similar problems and was currently living the nightmare, so I didnt know if I could handle reading it. But I did, and I am glad I did. It helped me to know that what we have gone through isnt new and we aren't alone. By reading what the author went through I learned alot to apply to my own situation. If you have an addict child, this book may benefit you. It did me. I read the sons book right after. I wanted to see the other... more info
A Father's Love:
This book is the true story of David Sheff and his son, Nic, who gets hooked on drugs. It tells how his family deals with it, but at times it goes off the track. Most of the time though, I was rivetted buy it. Great story and I recommend you read it. I didn't love it, but I liked it a lot!!
