Survival of the Coolest: A Darwins Death Defying Journey into the Interior of Addiction [Paperback]

William Pryor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1904555136 | ISBN-13: 978-1904555131

William Pryor, a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, was a heroin and then alcohol addict for twelve years in the sixties and seventies. He brushed death several times, but, against overwhelming odds, survived, and, in 1975, was one of the first patients at the first American-style addiction treatment centre in Europe. He grew up in Cambridge in the stifling bosom of privilege; was sent to Eton, which he loathed, and rapidly descended into full-blown addiction as he traveled through Parisian garrets, Greek tavernas and Indian ashrams - and even Trinity College Cambridge. He became part of the sixties avant garde counterculture as a dadaist beat poet in the company of members of Pink Floyd. His experiences - and subsequent transformation to non-addiction - have given him a unique insight into the world of hard drugs and addiction, and his clarity of vision as to the way forward for all those involved in the fall out of the War on Drugs will be invaluable both to the victims and to those engaged in attempting to help them. William presents a compelling argument as to why drugs should be decriminalized. He also gives a powerful analysis of the pervasive mythology of Alcoholics Anonymous and how it traps people in the idea that addiction is an illness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"more enjoyable and more profound than the standard my-drug-hell confessional" -- Mike Jay, author of Artificial Paradises and Emperors of Dreams

Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why a War on Drugs and Just Say No can never work -- Dr. Dorothy Rowe, author of Beyond Fear

About the Author

William Pryor has been a serial entrepreneur, co-founding Airlift Book Company, founding The Green Catalogue and pioneering music distribution on the Internet. He grew up in Cambridge very aware of being a member of the Darwin family. He is the great-great grandson of Charles Darwin and the grandson of Gwen Raverat.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Clear Books (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904555136
• ISBN-13: 978-1904555131
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,497,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Addiction tale with a positive outcome, January 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Survival of the Coolest: A Darwins Death Defying Journey into the Interior of Addiction (Paperback)

As a Darwianian scholar, I'm always fascinated by anything Darwin, so I picked up this book. William Pryor, Darwin's great-great grandson grew up in a world of priveldge that few will ever comprehend. Yet he felt empty and his search for fulfilment and identity took him into the world of hardcore drug addiction at the height of the beatnik movement. He 'hung out' with some of the biggest names in rock and roll forever searching for the illusive answers. When he finally hit rock bottom, and opted for a 'clean' life he found at least a portion of the identity he had been seeking. His recovery has allowed him to build a successful business career as a renowned entrepreneur in Britain and gives him the right to discuss drug-addiction and recovery from a vantage point that few of us ever want to know. This book should be required reading by all those in the recovery field and anyone who was ever baffled by the illure of illicet drugs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arguing strenuously against the "war on drugs" mentality, June 12, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Survival of the Coolest: A Darwins Death Defying Journey into the Interior of Addiction (Paperback)

The Survival Of The Coolest: An Addiction Memoir is the true story of one of the great-great grandsons of Charles Darwin, his addiction to heroin, near-death experiences, and eventual treatment and recovery. Arguing strenuously against the "war on drugs" mentality that pervades today, The Survival Of The Coolest tells of a life where drugs were an effect, not the cause of the author's severe problems. An invaluable, soul-baring personal testimony of descent and redemption, offering a real-world viewpoint of the problem of drug addiction from one who has been there firsthand.