Rating: 
Summary: A dramatic account of a struggling addict's rehabilitaion.
Review: I felt that this book was an excellent read. The story captivated me and brought forth a new sense of reality of what it must be like to be dependant on a substance.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful and moving account
Review: This book was a spontaneous buy for me. I feel that I was lucky enough to end up with the kind of writing that changes lives, much as the situation the author is writing about with his confrontative journey to sobriety. Whether your addiciton is a substance, behavior, feeling or action, this very powerful and moving account of one man's journey can provide many deeply felt opportunities to listen within.Growing up in a family with many addiction issues myself, the book has become a stepping stone for our own family's discussion on the impact of such destructive behaviors - both as instigator and as victim/survivor. My 12 year old daughter chose this book for her 7th grade book report, saying that it speaks to why it is always important to listen every step of the way along life - you could miss something that makes a BIG difference. I hope Mr. Frey is able to continue his literary career and the success of this first book. He has a lot of talent and with a committment similar to addressing his life issues, he will go far. We can all learn much from this man.
Rating:
Summary: Addictingly Fantastic!
Review: From the first page, I felt like I was on that plane with James. I felt like I knew his family, met his friends, entered and endured rehab with him. I felt what he felt and saw what he saw. The book was so honest, gripping, brutal, descriptive and beautifully written. I was pulling for James throughout the entire story.
Best and most unforgettable book I have or ever will read!
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing but Good
Review: A disturbing book. Good, though. Interesting if you like books like My Fractured Life or Requim for a Dream and looking into a different kind of world.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've ever read on addiction
Review: This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was the most truthful account of addiction. Out of all the books I have read on addiction/substance abuse, this was definitely the best. I really enjoyed reading about James and all the other characters in the book - I couldn't put the book down! I look forward to reading more books by James Frey.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!!
Review: Few books have left me wanting to meet the author and have lunch with him. This book did. Long after I finished reading it, I thought about the characters and their lives. While I come from a family with addiction, to love this book and be touched by it, one does not have to. While one of the reviewers did not like the writing style, it is exactly, in my opinion, what made this book so great. A reader does not need quotation marks to understand who is speaking. Frey wrote, as Conrad said in his review, like a poet. It is simply an amazing book that should be read by all and more than once.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great...
Review: I had high hopes for this book, but it's falling short of my expectations...how many times do I want to hear about basically the same thing (i.e. I want a drink, I really want a drink, I want to do drugs, etc.) Also, there are a couple of style points that I wish were different: Frey doesn't use any quotation marks, which makes it difficult to understand if the character is saying the lines or simply thinking them; and I dislike the overuse of capital letters (Friends, Room, Street Corner, Rock Star, etc. are all capitalized no matter where they fall in the sentence -- this doesn't add anything to the story). Not a bad book, but not worthy of all the 5 star ratings, IMO.
Rating:
Summary: A million little pieces...
Review: Is an amazing book. There are many books out there about addiction but this one by far exceeds anything else I have read. I talked about this book to everyone I knew after I read it because I was so amazed that one person could go through all that Frey did and come out on top. I cried many times...you will not be able to put this down.
Rating:
Summary: Unnerving
Review: This is raw. It is unlikely you will be able to get through this book dry-eyed. Do not only read it because you have experience with someone who went through rehabilitation; this book is about Life. James' story grabs you somewhere in your soul right from the beginning and it doesn't let you go. The style is unusual and adds greatly to the easy flow of the narrative.
Rating:
Summary: This story is not what you expect it to be...
Review: This is not your usaul rehabilitation story. The main character grabs you on the first page, and you do not want to let him go.
As I read his story I really started to like him,and wanted him to reach his goal. You know he has done some incredibly harmful, mean, criminal and uncaring things along his addictive life, yet you will still root for him.
You are in the clinic with him and his pals. You can't wait to get to the "lunch" table everyday to see what is next. When each patient leaves you are scared and happy for them. I definitely wanted to know more about each character.
When I finished this story I wanted to share it with my other reading friends, and I wondered if it would be helpful to other addicts.
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