30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Powerful, Well-Researched, Compelling Look At The Faces of Addiction, December 29, 2008
This review is from: America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life (Hardcover)
America Anonymous is a powerful, important look at addiction in this country, through the lives of eight and a half addicts (author Denizet-Lewis alludes to his own sex addiction) as well as research into modern medical thinking on addiction and recovery. What makes this such a readable book, and one that will surely spark debate, is that Denizet-Lewis chooses to combine various kinds of addictions, from crack to alcohol to sex, food, and shoplifting. He acknowledges that some of these are not yet recognized in the DSM and that doctors and specialists vary on how best to treat people like his chosen subjects, and this additional information highlights the drama that unfolds.
For three years, he follows his subjects into recovery, whether that takes the form of an online support group for shoplifters or into a court-ordered home for addicts. The vibrant personalities all make for compelling reading, even when it's sometimes hard to have sympathy for them (for me, that moment was the $4,900 fee Sean pays for his sex addiction rehab). But if there's any point Denizet-Lewis is desperately trying to make, it's that for people like him, it's not just about willpower. Save for Bobby and perhaps Todd, who both seem torn between getting clean and staying in their chosen lifestyles, the others ardently want to change their behavior and go to great lengths to do so.
At one point, Ellen, who used to weight 300 pounds and is a "food addict," talks to her sponsor about how to cope and what the real issues are, and their conversation was fascinating to me, especially when Marianna, the sponsor, says, "Accepting that happiness comes from the outside rather than the inside is the difference." Her idea is that we have to focus on connecting with other people in order to have a whole life. I'm not necessarily I sure I buy that, or ever idea presented in America Anonymous, but I appreciate that each of these addicts struggles and explores how to heal both from their addiction and the issues behind it, each coming up with different coping strategies.
This book doesn't seek to answer every question ever about addiction, and would have been foolish to try. Instead, Denizet-Lewis both raises numerous questions and humanizes addiction, by claiming his own and by showing the complexity of the issues, including one's surroundings, outside opportunities, and the reasons behind these behaviors (such as shoplifters feeling like they're "owed" something). Marvin, the 80-year-old alcoholic, is especially compelling, and Denizet-Lewis deftly explores issues unique to elderly populations (such as the stigma around the word "alcoholic").
I'm not an addict, but I love many people who are, and what intrigued me especially about this book was how the Twelve Steps can also be applied to the rest of us. Those who did a "searching and fearless moral inventory" were clearly striving to create better lives for themselves, and those around them, and seeing them succeed (even with some setbacks) was inspiring. I could have kept reading about these quirky, funny, stubborn, and strong characters for many more pages, and found myself thinking about them and their complicated lives long after I finished the book.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Read about Addiction in America!, January 4, 2009
This review is from: America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life (Hardcover)
As a recovering shoplifting addict since 1990 and as an addictions therapist and author myself, I am immensely impressed and gratified by Mr. Denizet-Lewis's new book "America Anonymous." He shares about his own background as a recovering addict but, more importantly, plumbs the depths of the lives of 8 other American addicts in recovery as well. I'm particularly pleased that he covers some of the lesser-surveyed addictions such as shoplifting.
This book offers something for everyone--addict and non-addict alike. In addition to the in-depth stories, Mr. Denizet-Lewis gives historical perspectives on addiction and treatment as well as more contemporary and future trends. His writing style is engaging and evocative. The book reads in equal parts as novel and treatise. I can't recommend highly enough this offering.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Penned Look Into Addiction, March 11, 2009
This review is from: America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life (Hardcover)
Whether you are on the outside looking in when it comes to addiction, or you are personally going through it, this book is a well-penned look into what addiction truly is. The eight characters in the book were extremely intriguing and I loved the fact they were from a myriad of different lifestyles - moms, grandmothers, college students. I also especially loved that the author was open enough to include tidbits of his own struggle with addiction. I found it to be an excellent portrayal into what life as an addict is like.
My only criticism, if it could be called that, is I would like to have seen a little deeper into these people's lives. I felt like I was truly connecting with the individuals documented in the book, but was missing something. We were never privy to what a situation looked like when someone really relapsed.
Overall, I thought this was one of the most intriguing and well-written books on addiction.
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