Sheff—contributing editor to Playboy and writer for Wired, Fortune , and Rolling Stone , among other publications—first introduced readers to Nic in "My Addicted Son," an article he wrote for the New York Times in 2005. Here, he tells the rest of the story of his son's struggle with methamphetamine addiction. Sheff writes of his own "addiction to addiction" as he stood by his son through five rehabs and four relapses and painfully learned that relapses are part of recovery. Between relating the chaotic episodes of his son's behavior on drugs, Sheff inserts educational and informative material on the nature of different drugs that he learned from his own research. An excellent book that all parents can relate to whatever their children's situation, this is highly recommended for public libraries as well as college and high school libraries for parents, students, and teachers alike.—Dorris Douglass, Williamsom Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

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. (Aug.)