Book #1, Blog #3

Wow. There is so much about this book. I hate it, I love it; it's the truth, it's a lie. In short - it's good.
Frey captures addiction and paints it so accurately that I don't care if he embellished or even completely made up his account. It makes me see my own addictions (though no drugs or alcohol) for what they are. I love his insistence on personal responsibility. It's not a "disease", it's a choice.
But at the same time, I think his constant anti-12 Steps, anti-The Program attitude would be devastating to recovering addicts who have found help and hope in the 12 Steps and The Program. I know some of those folks who are hurting and healing. I don't think I could recommend this book to them without feeling as if I were some how offering them their own excuse to return to their "drug of choice." Frey absolutely does not paint a pretty picture of addiction, but it's so vivid that it could almost be tempting.
His language and his experiences are like cold water in the face, but I wouldn't use the word refreshing. I want to know why he choose the scribble pages. The Tao makes sense but I still think it's a sorry excuse for self-important folks to wave in the face of Believers as the only truth...and tout the concepts of no absolute truths.
This book really is A Million Little Pieces - with each piece invoking a feeling or response of some kind. Some disgust and some hope. Definitely not for the weak of heart or stomach or mind. The cover image of a hand covered in little round candy sprinkles makes sense to me. It's reaching out and you can feel its texture. That feeling is so much what the book creates within the reader. Reaching out...covered..hesitant..enticing...