First published 2004
Augusten Burroughs is a successful ad writer, but his personal life is a mess. His apartment is littered with Dewar's bottles, and his boss forces him into rehab. Though he gets sober, staying that way proves difficult as he resumes his former boozy lifestyle. His quest for sobriety grows even more harrowing when he begins a relationship with a crack addict. Burroughs' candid humor shines, even as he recounts his harrowing struggle. This memoir transcends clichés, offering a sympathetic yet unsentimental portrait of addiction.
Genres: addiction, autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, personal-journey
Setting: Manhattan (New York, N.Y.), New York, New York (State), United States
Period: 20th century
336 pages · Paperback · Picador Paper
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, drug-use