America Anonymous is the unforgettable story of eight men and women from around the country-including a grandmother, a college student, a bodybuilder, and a housewife-who are struggling with addictions. For nearly three years, acclaimed journalist Benoit Denizet-Lewis immersed himself in their lives as they battled drug and alcohol abuse, overeating, and compulsive gambling and sexuality. Alternating with their stories is Denizet-Lewis's candid account of his own recovery from sexual addiction and his compelling examination of our culture of addiction, where we obsessively search for new and innovative ways to escape the reality of the present moment and make ourselves feel "better."Addiction is arguably America's biggest public-health crisis, triggering and exacerbating many of our most pressing social problems (crime, poverty, skyrocketing health-care costs, and childhood abuse and neglect). But while cancer and AIDS survivors have taken to the streets-and to the halls of Congress-demanding to be counted, millions of addicts with successful long-term recovery talk only to each other in the confines of anonymous twelve-step meetings. (A notable exception is the addicted celebrity, who often enters and exits rehab with great fanfare.) Through the riveting stories of Americans in various stages of recovery and relapse, Denizet-Lewis shines a spotlight on our most misunderstood health problem (Is addiction a brain disease? A spiritual malady? A moral failing?) and breaks through the shame and denial that still shape our cultural understanding of it-and hamper our ability to treat it.Are Americans more addicted than people in other countries, or does it just seem that way? Can food or sex be as addictive as alcohol and drugs? And will we ever be able to treat addiction with a pill? These are just a few of the questions Denizet-Lewis explores during his remarkable journey inside the lives of men and women struggling to become, or stay, sober. As the addicts in this book stumble, fall, and try again to make a different and better life, Denizet-Lewis records their struggles-and his own-with honesty and empathy.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an estimated 23 million Americans are hooked on drugs or alcohol, representing an annual economic loss of $524 billion. Millions more have become enslaved to other compulsive behaviors: overeating, sex, gambling and shoplifting. In his first book, Denizet-Louis follows eight average Americans—including an athlete and a grandparent— who are struggling with addiction. The author covers three years in the lives of his subjects, portraying them with candor and compassion, giving these compulsions a more human face by telling the story of his own sex and pornography dependence, for which he twice sought inpatient treatment. This book provides an intriguing glimpse into the brain of an addict and the new hit or miss treatments—dopamine blockers and antieuphoria medications. While the excerpted e-mails and taped monologues might test the reader's patience, Denizet-Lewis is a compelling storyteller, and his wide-range of stories of addiction, relapse and recovery far exceeds other books in the genre. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"I couldn't put this book down. I was blown away by the remarkable cast of characters, who come fully alive in Benoit's gentle hands. He exposes and explodes a million myths about addiction, never succumbing to the temptation to make addiction -- or recovery -- less complex than it is. This unforgettable book is far more than a compilation of irresistible, artfully told stories about addicts. It's about truth, healing, survival, and hope." -- David Sheff, author of Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
"Benoit Denizet-Lewis writes with an impressive mix of transparency and compassion about the addict's eternal battle between will and action. He sees deep into the sadness of desperate people, and equally deep into the systems that redeem such sadness. This is an intimate, compelling volume." -- Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
"This book reaches into the dark depths of the heart and soul of addiction by telling the stories of people who have struggled to find their way into the light of healing. I t is a collage of potent experiences from ordinary people -- women and men caught in the web of addiction whose fight for recovery will inspire anyone who reads Benoit's book." -- William Cope Moyers, author of Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption
"One of the best books I've read in the last year, and one of the most powerful I've encountered about addiction." -- Rachel Kramer Bussel, The Huffington Post
"A dazzling portrait of eight addicts and their intimate, sometimes heartbreaking struggle... Addicts will read this book; those who want to understand addiction should read it!" -- Susan Cheever, The Daily Beast
"An arresting, personal glimpse into the merciless world of drug and behavioral addiction. All eight of the people (Denizet-Lewis) followed are gripping subjects, and he describes their plights in seasoned, dexterous prose." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A graceful, compelling book focusing directly on people, not on concepts or proscriptive ideas. Denizet-Lewis relates their successes, relapses, and struggles to stay clean with warmth, clarity, and a deeply refreshing, unpuritanical frankness." -- Kate Christensen, ELLE
"I was skeptical about another book about addiction, but Denizet-Lewis finds a fresh, provocative approach to the subject... I often felt like I was right there listening to the conversations. And, boy, was I paying attention." -- Rochelle Olson, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Engrossing... Denizet-Lewis gives readers a sense of the ravaging power of addiction." -- Vikas Turakhia, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"America Anonymous makes for addictive reading." -- Johnny Diaz, Boston Globe --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"Benoit Denizet-Lewis writes with an impressive mix of transparency and compassion about the addict's eternal battle between will and action. He sees deep into the sadness of desperate people, and equally deep into the systems that redeem such sadness. This is an intimate, compelling volume." -- Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
"This book reaches into the dark depths of the heart and soul of addiction by telling the stories of people who have struggled to find their way into the light of healing. I t is a collage of potent experiences from ordinary people -- women and men caught in the web of addiction whose fight for recovery will inspire anyone who reads Benoit's book." -- William Cope Moyers, author of Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption
"One of the best books I've read in the last year, and one of the most powerful I've encountered about addiction." -- Rachel Kramer Bussel, The Huffington Post
"A dazzling portrait of eight addicts and their intimate, sometimes heartbreaking struggle... Addicts will read this book; those who want to understand addiction should read it!" -- Susan Cheever, The Daily Beast
"An arresting, personal glimpse into the merciless world of drug and behavioral addiction. All eight of the people (Denizet-Lewis) followed are gripping subjects, and he describes their plights in seasoned, dexterous prose." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A graceful, compelling book focusing directly on people, not on concepts or proscriptive ideas. Denizet-Lewis relates their successes, relapses, and struggles to stay clean with warmth, clarity, and a deeply refreshing, unpuritanical frankness." -- Kate Christensen, ELLE
"I was skeptical about another book about addiction, but Denizet-Lewis finds a fresh, provocative approach to the subject... I often felt like I was right there listening to the conversations. And, boy, was I paying attention." -- Rochelle Olson, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Engrossing... Denizet-Lewis gives readers a sense of the ravaging power of addiction." -- Vikas Turakhia, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"America Anonymous makes for addictive reading." -- Johnny Diaz, Boston Globe --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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,
By
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.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Read about Addiction in America!,
By Terrence Shulman (Southfield, Michigan) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
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.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Penned Look Into Addiction,
By Andie (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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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