Since I started my blog over a year ago, several publishers and marketing companies have offered to send me books to read and review on my blog. I think it is brilliant that publishers are recognizing that the blog-reading public is getting its book recommendations from blogs like mine that periodically review books and not necessarily from what is on the front table at the bookstore.
Now, I must disclose that an overwhelming number of these books have really sucked. Yes, I think that's a technical literary term. But a few months ago, FSB Associates sent me a copy of Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption by William Cope Moyers. Moyers is the son of Bill Moyers who was was part of the Kennedy/Johnson election campaign, became deputy director of the Peace Corps and served as a close advisor and confidant to Lyndon Johnson. He is now more well known for his journalism career and television shows on PBS.
Needless to say, Cope (as he was known in his youth) grew up in a privileged family. Despite his father's high level career, he was an involved father and Cope's mother was both strong and nurturing. Sounds like the recipe for a pretty well-balanced adult, right? Wrong...Cope's addiction problems date back to his youth and taken out of context, don't sound too much different than many people's high school and college experiences...a little binge drinking, drug experimentation, etc.
But as Cope grew into adulthood, career and marriage, he began to live a double life...the life of a functioning, responsible adult and that of a crack addict waving money at prostitutes in bad parts of the city just to hook him up with a dealer.
The story of William's (somehow the name of "Cope" became a little too ironic as he was fighting addiction) addiction is frightening because this could be you, your neighbor, your colleague at work, a professional you respect or your own child. There is nothing in this book that reassures you that it couldn't happen to someone in your life. This is not Lindsay Lohan who maybe got too much too soon and couldn't handle the fame and the attention. William was just a regular guy who happened to have a well-known father.
This book made me think of someone I know who recently celebrated her 5th anniversary of sobriety. When I took her out to lunch to celebrate her 4th anniversary, I asked her, "What was it about today four years ago that got you sober?" She answered, "I woke up in a crack house." Her parents, who have two seats in heaven waiting for them, got her into rehab...this was her THIRD stint! Her parents loved her and believed that she could be saved and that time it worked. To me she is the poster child for redemption. I have encouraged her to be open with my children about AA and why she doesn't drink, etc. As soon as I finish this blog, I'm going to send this book to her.
The story of William's redemption is frustrating because it's not as simple as recognizing that there is a problem and dealing with it. There were setbacks. There were mistakes along the way. There were times when he thought he could just drink "a little" or smoke crack "occasionally"...and each time he found himself in the depths again.
The end of the book lost me just a little bit as he described some of the others who have struggled with addiction...those he helped and those couldn't help. He eventually got a job with Hazelden, the rehabilitation center that helped him become drug-free, and works as an advocate to change public policy to recognize drug and alcohol addiction as illnesses, raise awareness of the problem and tell his story over and over and over again to make people hear the message. The message I came away with is that drug and alcohol addiction are not limited to inner-city, poverty-stricken people with no other choices in life. It can affect any family, regardless of wealth, stature in the community or religion.
Thanks to FSB Associates for giving me the opportunity to read this inspiring and candid account of addiction and redemption. (Please note...I don't get paid for this...I just get a free book...and I have written plenty of not-so-positive reviews about books I have gotten for free!)
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