The Other Great Depression

Rating:
Summary: Depressing Yet Hopeful; A Great Book
Review: A book that brutally describes what addiction is like, from the viewpoint of an addict, and how to overcome addiction is "The Other Great Depression". Written by comedian Richard Lewis, we learn how he has overcome three decades of alcohol and drug addiction with seven years of sobriety. His book analyzes how youthful traumas and adult insecurities lead to anxieties, depression, alcohol, and drugs. It was Richard Lewis's realization that his lifestyle was leading towards death and that he wanted to live that enabled him to win his struggle to overcome addicitons and regain his life.
Richard Lewis presents many deep personal thoughts about the pressures of youth, dating, and the entertainment worlds to present his own road to the depths of depression and alcoholism. His description of his struggle to overcome his difficulties, which came from his own realization of his need for survival along with assistance from caring friends and his sprituality, brings encouragement to people seeking to overcome their addictions.
One key point Richard Lewis makes is that addicts are screaming for help, even when they deny they need assistance. All too often, we ignore their pleas, in part because many addicts do not know how to ask for help. Addiction can be helped. It may not be easy. Ignoring the addiction is not the way to provide that help.

Rating:
Summary: Depressing Yet Hopeful; A Great Book
Review: A book that brutally describes what addiction is like, from the viewpoint of an addict, and how to overcome addiction is "The Other Great Depression". Written by comedian Richard Lewis, we learn how he has overcome three decades of alcohol and drug addiction with seven years of sobriety. His book analyzes how youthful traumas and adult insecurities lead to anxieties, depression, alcohol, and drugs. It was Richard Lewis's realization that his lifestyle was leading towards death and that he wanted to live that enabled him to win his struggle to overcome addicitons and regain his life.
Richard Lewis presents many deep personal thoughts about the pressures of youth, dating, and the entertainment worlds to present his own road to the depths of depression and alcoholism. His description of his struggle to overcome his difficulties, which came from his own realization of his need for survival along with assistance from caring friends and his sprituality, brings encouragement to people seeking to overcome their addictions.
One key point Richard Lewis makes is that addicts are screaming for help, even when they deny they need assistance. All too often, we ignore their pleas, in part because many addicts do not know how to ask for help. Addiction can be helped. It may not be easy. Ignoring the addiction is not the way to provide that help.

Rating:
Summary: Honest, Hilarious, Scary and Ultimately Spiritual
Review: As a recovering alcoholic with 5 years of sobriety under my belt, I can say that Richard Lewis shows a great deal of insight regarding the issues of addiction and recovery. It is unfortunate that one must plow thru so much dross to uncover the gems.

I think the book would have been much stronger if he had focused on his alcoholism and his success with it. I understand that there is a strong need for honesty in recovery; however, I would have preferred he address his sexual addiction and his eating disorder by simply saying that he is still struggling with them and hopes someday to write of his success with them.

Because he did not list his acknowledgements until the end, I read thru the whole book wondering if he had simply typed it up himself, run a spell-check on it, and bundled it off to the publisher with the instructions, "Don't change a comma!!" So I have to agree with an earlier reviewer who stated that the book needs a good editing. It's unfortunate that it did not get this treatment. It is a good book. With strong editing, it could have been a great book.

I do look forward to hearing of Richard's continuing success in the future.

Rating:
Summary: depressing
Review: I love Richard Lewis, but this book was actually ... depressing. I had to stop reading and just skim the rest. It was repetitious. I never really understood what pain of his childhood he was trying to escape by drinking. I think some editor should have fixed the tone to make it either funnier or more-serious-and-readable. It was too shticky to be meaningful, but too serious to be funny.

Rating:
Summary: Painful, shocking......a soul stripped bare.
Review: I would personally like to hit Mr. Lewis on the head for his three year romance with one of the greatest fantasy figures of the seventies, Baronss Nina van Pallandt. If you were a teenage or adult male at that time, you were reduced to jelly by her picture. You knew she was not for mere mortals but for billionaire mega studs in Cannes, or on the Riviera.
So who gets her? A shleppy Jewish standup comic from NY, whose father was, and this is so perfect, and so very Jewish, a caterer.
As a barmitzvah bandleader, I have spent many years fighting, working with, and plotting the forceful overthrow of many Jewish caterers. Not one of whose children ever dated anyone faintly resembling Nina van Pallandt.
Let me say this. Being a standup comedien is one of the most difficult jobs there is. Mr. Lewis succeeded admirably, and yet his personal demons, or many would say his progammed genes, and the chemical constuct of his body resulted in a breakdown fueled by drugs and alchohol. The scenario is familiar and Mr. Lewis tells it well. My vocabulary contains many of the profanities used by Mr. Lewis, but I think it was a wrong decision to use them this liberally. Mr. Lewis describes his father as the Lee J. Cobb waterfront union leader in "On the Waterfront". You know how the longshoremen speak. The only profanity in the movie was when Brando said to Karl Malden, the priest, "You go to hell". That's it. Not bad for one of the greatest movies ever made.
My life has paralleld Mr. Lewis. It's a war with no armistace, and he seems to be doing well, and I wish him well. Those who like the book may want to see "Drunks", a pretty good movie starring Mr. Lewis, and the late Howard Rollins.

Rating:
Summary: Blown Away
Review: I'm sort of blown away and a little scared as well. I'm in my late thirties and just got out of a bad relationship and was feeling horrible. I also was getting a lot of heat from friends who felt I was an alcoholic. I'm still not sure if I am or not but after reading Richard Lewis's book I have my doubts about that but also feel a hell of a lot better for getting out of my relationship and also in some crazy way actually feel less alone. His book, although unbelievably funny at times and amazingly dark in some places is mostly one of the hippest most perceptive books I have ever read on just plain living. It's weird that a guy like Lewis who I always liked as a comedian but seemed to be so out-of-control ( and in reading I guess for a time he was)can be so in command of his life and I just got a lot of strength and courage to be myself--maybe for the first time--and not care so much about what others think of me. His stream-of-consciousness style was sort of like how he is on stage and yet it was real literary too and I can't remember the last time I was so taken by so many insights in one book. What a memoir! What a read! Thanks, Richard.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I've been a huge fan of Richard Lewis' for many years and have always loved his stand-up as well as his acting. When I read "The Other Great Depression" it blew me away! Now his story-telling brilliance is written for all of us to savor anytime. As honest as he always seems to be on stage, one never knows if that's real. It's real! And then some. The book is revealing, humorous, and tremendously inspiring ... I have a long list of friends and relatives who need to read it--including my girlfriend!

Rating:
Summary: Applause for Lewis!
Review: Lewis does a great job describing the insanity of his addiction and the depths in which it can take a person. I give him a lot of credit to be as bold as he was. Lewis writes of issues, episodes, and obsessions that might be harshly criticized by anyone, but to another alcoholic/addict, these events are all too real. Lewis doesn't hold anything back -- his humor and neurotic personality give this book layers of dynamic energy. Addicted or not, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants or needs to know about the perverse, insidious nature of addiction. Lewis has the strength to discover himself, the courage to face his addiction, and the candor to give it a voice. We can all learn from this intriguing and provocative story. To Lewis I say -- keep working it baby 'cause you're worth it! One day at a time.

Rating:
Summary: Save Your Time (and money)
Review: Reading Mr. Lewis' book was like having a private and meaningful 12-step meeting with him. Yes, there was profanity, yes, there was some stuff about women that made the hairs on my neck stand up and yes, he was a sick and dysfunctional puppy, but Mr. Lewis' story echoes the stories heard in "the rooms" and his thought processes may strike a chord with others who suffer from the disease of alcoholism. Speaking from experience, the lives of suffering alcoholics are never pretty so be prepared for some embarrassing, pitiful and demoralizing scenarios. His brutal self assessment and rigorous honesty are very impressive.

In the end, Mr. Lewis' story shows that the disease of alcoholism is a terrible war fought within the confines of one's mind and spirit, persistently threatening to destroy one's physical being. His strength, on a day to day basis, to be victorious over this killer is encouraging. By staying sober, his hope to be the person he was meant be, is slowly, but triumphantly, realized in the progress he's made towards this goal. Thank you, Mr. Lewis.

Rating:
Summary: look at this...i'm reviewing a book
Review: Richard Lewis has blown me away me away with this book. It is original in style, as it is neither a typical book of comedy bits or rants, nor is it a conventional autobiography. It reads like the writing of a man who sat for a solid amount of time, cutting open his insides and writing them out for the world to read - and I mean that in a good way. Lewis thankfully keeps namedropping to a minimun, but what he does reveal positively about David "Santa Claus" Brenner and others is genuinely touching. The language is often crude, something that Lewis himself seemed apologetic about at a recent reading at Barnes and Noble in New York. To me the language sounds honest and natural as it reflects raw emotions coming straight from the inside of the man. Lewis has said that he feared he would die when he completed this composition. I can barely express how appreciative I am that Richard lived to write this book and has lived on for the next chapter of his life. He writes with remorse (and actually apologizes to them in print) about his past romantic liasons. Yet he also writes with hope in general and specifically in regard to loving and being loved from now on. Although he might take offense at the corny tone of this review and say something like - "my image is changing...I'm getting rave reviews by rabbis on line", I mean this praise with all my heart: You've done a great job and may you be strengthened to go on. Thank you Richard, and G-d Bless!