Beautiful Boy

David Sheff recounts his side of the story of his son's drug addiction in this powerful memoir, a counterpart to his son's telling memoir on the same subject (TWEAK). While the two works may be slightly more complete when listened to one after the other, in any order, this powerful and sorrowful story of a father living through his son's meltdown can also stand alone. Narrator Anthony Heald reads at a slightly fast pace that reflects the stream-of-consciousness point of view of the book. While Heald never truly becomes Sheff, his narration is exciting and engaging--but in a more theatrical style than may be appropriate for such a personal memoir. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

April 30, 2007
Expanding on his New York Times Magazine article, Sheff chronicles his son's downward spiral into addiction and the impact on him and his family. A bright, capable teenager, Nic began trying mind- and mood-altering substances when he was 17. In months, use became abuse, then abuse became addiction. By the time Sheff knew of his son's condition, Nic was strung out on meth, the highly potent stimulant. While his son struggles to get clean, his second wife and two younger children are pulled helplessly into the drama. Sheff, as the parent of an addict, cycles through denial and acceptance and resistance. The author was already a journalist of considerable standing when this painful story began to unfold, and his impulse for detail serves him personally as well as professionally: there are hard, solid facts about meth and the kinds of havoc it wreaks on individuals, families and communities both urban and rural. His journey is long and harrowing, but Sheff does not spare himself or anyone else from keen professional scrutiny any more than he was himself spared the pains—and joys—of watching a loved one struggling with addiction and recovery. Real recovery creates—and can itself be—its own reward; this is an honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in the meth epidemic.

May 26, 2008
Father and son each tell his side of a crystal meth addiction.
Beautiful Boy
David Sheff
, read by Anthony Heald. Blackstone Audio
, unabridged, nine CDs, 11.5 hrs., $29.95 ISBN 978-1-4332-0468-5

Sheff's memoir offers his side of the story about his son Nic's downfall into drug and alcohol abuse. Anthony Heald opts for a slightly theatrical performance, which distances the listener from what should be an extremely personal and emotional tale. While never over-the-top, Heald's reading is more grounded in the world of fiction than nonfiction. His vocal interpretations of characters are improbable and the dialogue comes off as unrealistic. A touching story gets lost in translation from word to mouth. A Houghton Mifflin hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 30, 2007).

September 15, 2008
Journalist Sheff has written a moving, heartbreaking account of his son's addiction to methamphetamines and its impact on those around him. The CD gets a little tedious during the lengthy and detailed scientific descriptions of how meth affects addicts' brains and psyches, but Tony and Obie Award-winning actor Anthony Heald does an excellent job with the reading, his voice and intonation conveying the pain and discouragement Sheff must have felt over his son's condition. Recommended for the nonfiction collections of public libraries. [With tracks every three minutes for bookmarking; audio clip available through www.blackstoneaudio.comLJ Best Seller.Ed.]Ilka Gordon, formerly with Marcell Community Coll., Cleveland

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