Customer Reviews

Ludes: A Ballad of the Drug & the Dream

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Nobody would ever want Mr. Stein as a high school instructor after seeing his portrayal of horribly boring teachers. However, his book, Ludes, is well written and gripping.

The book outlines the descent of a colleague through Hollywood social strata, a movie town success story derailed by a growing addiction to Quaaludes. This guy falls hard, battles his love for Ludes, and ultimately fails.

There are many reasons to like this book. Ben Stein's writing has a clarity of vision so vivid, like Stephen King he can put a scene in your head. Mr. Stein's understanding of addiction is beautiful. It is so well written, and applies to any substance because he focuses on what motivates people to embark on a self destructive spiral.

Quaaludes have been banned for decades, but addiction rages on with meth, opiates, alcohol and designer drugs. The observations Mr. Stein shares about his friend can apply to anybody.

This isn't just a book about addiction. It is a tragic story, beautifully written. You can feel the sun, smell the smog of LA, and down on the street, understand some of the terror and desperation that racks the addicts there.

This book is also a primer of drug addiction. Mr. Stein has an excellent understanding of it; not from handbooks but from personal experience watching his friend decline over years.

I highly recommend Ludes to anyone seeking to understand a loved one with a drug problem.

Great read about Tinseltown, money and quaaludes.
Contains one of my all-time favorite lines: "This is the last time I fly out to the coast for a lousy eight hundred grand!"