Binge [Paperback]

Charles Ferry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

After having been befriended by a successful young computer wizard, Weldon Yeager, 18, leaves the man drunk and passed out in a motel room, stealing his car and personal possessions, assuming his identity, and going on a wild drunken binge that leaves four college students dead and himself under police guard in a hospital, facing four counts of second-degree murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Weldon, 18, wakes up in a hospital with his right foot gone. His front teeth are gone, too, and when he talks he spits blood on his hospital gown. He soon loses control of his bowels. He doesn't remember how he got this way.

This is Binge, Charles Ferry's stunning book that begins with Weldon Yeaher waking up minus a foot. It takes Yeager, and the reader, the length of the novel (only 94 pages) to patch together details of his drinking binge, during which he ran over four people with a stolen car before hitting a tree.

Ferry shows his main character wheeling, dealing and stealing his way from drink to drink. The book captures the denial, self-deception and consequences of the young alcoholic's life.

Binge may be the most powerful book ever written about teenage alcoholism and drunk driving. From the first sentence to the last, the reader is in the twisted mind of an alcoholic as he destroys his life.

Binge. Once you've read it, you'll never forget it." -- Sheryl James, Staff Writer, Detroit Free Press.

About the Author

Charles Ferry (b. 10-8-27) dropped out of high school at age 16 and joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a radioman/tail gunner on a torpedo bomber during World War II. After the war, he fought a severe addiction to alcohol for 25 years, drinking his way into 14 different jails, three of them twice and one of them the largest walled jail in the world, Jackson (Michigan) Prison. He licked the problem in 1970, which is when he began his creative writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: Daisyhill Pr (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963279904
• ISBN-13: 978-0963279903
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,146,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It got my Attention, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Binge (Paperback)

BINGE

By Charles Ferry

A drunken man is hospitalized from being in an accident, convicted for murder of the second degree...

Weldon Yeager always was drinking. He also was very good looking, a true Casanova. The story starts in the hospital with Weldon beginning to wake up. He notices a cop sitting by the door. He asks the nurse what happened. She told him he got in an accident and killed two people. Then he realizes his foot is hurting really bad. It turns out that they had to amputate his leg. Throughout the book Yeager is telling the cop everything that happened on his dangerous adventure. He was on his way to Loon Lake to see his old girl friend Livie. He later finds out that he had hit Livie in the big car accident. Weldon was really emotional now. He hopes so much that she lives through this big tragedy. Will she?? This is the first book I read by Chuck Ferry and it was great. After you read Binge you will want to read more books by him. I know I do. Chuck Ferry did a good job of keeping you interested in the story. For a while in the middle of the story it did get a little dull because nothing exciting was going on. The rest was great though. I think that lots of kids and even grownups can relate to Binge because lots of people know someone who was drinking and driving, and the effects it can have on other people's life. You, the audience would enjoy all the action scenes when he is on the verge of being caught. Another great aspect of the story is that it is very easy to read. The only difficult part is you need to know when he is talking in the past or present. If you read this book you will enjoy reading a whole lot more. This story is nothing like any story I have read before. It is my FAVORITE.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most interesting, most believable story I've ever read., June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Binge (Paperback)

Binge

By Charles Ferry

In the book Binge the main character, Weldon Yeager wakes up in the hospital after being in a very serious accident. The story takes place in the hospital with a police officer interviewing him. A result of this accident was he had hit four students, two who had died already and the other two were in critical condition. The whole accident revolved around Weldon Yeager, who had been drinking the night before. Weldon had been intoxicated at the time of the accident. Another twist to this story is one of the people who was injured in the accident was Livvie, the girl of his dreams. Throughout the story Weldon is being interviewed about the accident. The interview goes into great detail about the accident and just like the story has a lot of twists in it. The author of this book is Charles Ferry. Ferry is a great author and if you have not read a book by this man I encourage you to do so. His writing style is excellent. He leaves you at the edge of your seat throughout the story. He goes into great detail and gives you mental images which is why he is such a great author. It is very easy for students to relate to this story. This story teaches you the harms of drinking and driving and you don't even know it. I also think this is a great book just because it is so easy to relate to. This is a very fast book to read and you shouldn't have any problems reading it. Over all, this book is extremely good and is hard to compare to others because I have not read any other book written as well as this one. By Kevin Gomba

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth about alcoholism., March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Binge (Paperback)

"I've never before read such a truthful book about alcoholism." Tina Rogers, Psychologist, Center for Human Resources, Port Huron, Michigan.