David Sheff & Nic Sheff Talking & Signing April 3, 2008

David Sheff’s story is a first: a teenager's addiction from the parent's point of view -- a real-time chronicle of the shocking descent into substance abuse and the gradual emergence into hope. Before meth, Sheff's son Nic was a varsity athlete, honor student, and award-winning journalist. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who stole money from his eight-year-old brother and lived on the streets.

At its heart Beautiful Boy is an amazingly honest and exquisitely written account of a family's torturous journey through addiction. It raises questions that reflect the fears of every parent: Where does one's responsibility to a loved one end? How -- and when -- should a parent know whether his or her child is substance abusing? And how does a family recover from the wounds afflicted by addiction and get on with their lives? David Sheff has written a powerful and moving family portrait that will resonate soundly with all readers and is sure to become a classic.

Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age eleven. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and Ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. In a voice that is raw and honest, Nic has written Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines. Hespares no detail in telling us the compelling, heartbreaking, and true story of his relapse and the road to recovery. As we watch Nic plunge the mental and physical depths of drug addiction, he paints a picture for us of a person at odds with his past, with his family, with his substances, and with himself. It's a harrowing portrait -- but not one without hope.

Few books have garnered as much attention this season as these two. As harrowing as they are to read, I think both are important contributions not only to growing library of memoirs, but also to the literature of addiction. We are happy to invite you to a conversation-style talk and signing with David Sheff and Nic Sheff on Thursday, 3 April 2008 at 9:45 AM. This special event will take place at the Athenian School here in Danville. In order to attend, you must call the shop to make reservations. If you'd like more information or are ready to make a reservation, call us at (925) 837-7337.

Official Website: http://www.rakestrawbooks.com