As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was on vacation for a week in August and had the pleasure of reading several great books. One of my beach reads was "Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man" by Bill Clegg.
I had never heard of this book, but one of my friends brought it to the beach house after having just finished reading it herself. I read the description on the back of the book and decided to start reading.
The book is the true story of Bill Clegg, a young, handsome man living in New York City who risks loosing his entire life for crack. Bill has just started a business with his best friend, he has a devoted, wildly attractive boyfriend and a posh Manhattan lifestyle. That all changes when he becomes a slave to his addiction.
Bill describes his crack binges and the physical side effects with such a raw, grittiness that at times I honestly felt like my skin was crawling. On a few occasions my chest began to feel tight as the stress and anxiety over his situation became too much. After reading certain chapters I had to close the book and take a break. This is the same feeling I get while watching "Intervention" and was also the same feeling I had while reading James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," which also centers around an addict.
While this is certainly not a happy or uplifting book is it fascinating and strangely powerful. You find yourself fully immersed in Bill's world and his unrelenting quest for the next hit.
I'm currently reading Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" which is, no pun intended, addicting.
What are you reading?
