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112th out of 283 books
—
303 voters
America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life
America Anonymous is the unforgettable story of eight men and women from around the country -- including a grandmother, a college student, a bodybuilder, and a housewife -- struggling with addictions. For nearly three years, acclaimed journalist Benoit Denizet-Lewis immersed himself in their lives as they battled drug and alcohol abuse, overeating, and compulsive gambling...more
Hardcover, 342 pages
Published
January 6th 2009
by Simon & Schuster
(first published 2009)
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America Anonymous is riveting. No wonder even Kirkus gave it a starred review. i couldn't put it down. Benoit Denizet-Lewis, who often writes cover stories about sexuality, identity, pop culture for the NY Times magazine, has not only written a page-turner, he's written a powerful, lucid and important book. Benoit comes out as a sex addict, which frames his journey with eight other addicts whom he follows over a one-two-year period. These addicts range widely, from a former crackhead grandma to...more
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Benoit Denizet-Lewis, himself an addict, follows the lives of eight addicts who are in different stages of recovery from various addictions -- the usual ones like alcohol, meth, and food, and some more unusual and controversial ones, like shoplifting and sex (Denizet-Lewis himself is addicted to the last one).
Denizet-Lewis strikes a good balance between journalistic distance on the one hand and sympathy for his subjects on the other. He has a nice touch, managing to portray his subjects as auth...more
Denizet-Lewis strikes a good balance between journalistic distance on the one hand and sympathy for his subjects on the other. He has a nice touch, managing to portray his subjects as auth...more
Jul 28, 2011
Allison
added it
This is one of the most unusual depictions of addiction that I have ever come across. These eight stories are not memoirs -- they are the collected observations of the author, Benoit Denizet-Lewis,an addict himself. He chose eight people of different ages and different socioeconomic backgrounds with different addictions (crack, alcohol, heroin, sex, food, steroids, meth, and shoplifting), and followed their lives for three years, documenting their histories, their daily lives, their struggles to...more
In other men we faults can spy, and blame the moat that blinds their eye
each tiny peck and blemish find
to our own greater errors blind (Ben Franklin)
After profiling many different addicts the author uses the last chapter to confess to his own issues. He even confesses to writing about these addicts while actively perusing his own addiction. This very fact really speaks to the power & insanity of addiction. He follows 8 different addicts who suffer from addictions including: food, alcohol, he...more
each tiny peck and blemish find
to our own greater errors blind (Ben Franklin)
After profiling many different addicts the author uses the last chapter to confess to his own issues. He even confesses to writing about these addicts while actively perusing his own addiction. This very fact really speaks to the power & insanity of addiction. He follows 8 different addicts who suffer from addictions including: food, alcohol, he...more
This author, a recovering sex addict, documents his extensive interactions with eight different addicts. Among the more "traditional" addicts such as alcoholics and drug addicts are gambling, food, shoplifting, and sex addicts. The stories are extremely detailed but not to the point of being so unbearable that one can't get through the material. In no way are the addictions glamorized. But one comes away understanding more deeply how addiction is a disease, and an incredibly tragic one that in n...more
Today as I was heading out to go grocery shopping, I found that I was tired of listening to The Clash. I rooted around in the CDs in my car and found an old favorite: Lucky by the band Fifteen. In my favorite song on the album, Jeff Ott sings: "My congressman says I can't give my brother a clean syringe, if he should get AIDS and die, it's just too bad."
Hearing this after reading about the painful lives of these eight (actually nine) addicts resonated with me. Addiction hits so many people. This...more
Hearing this after reading about the painful lives of these eight (actually nine) addicts resonated with me. Addiction hits so many people. This...more
Wow. A truly powerful read.
For addicts and non-addicts alike, this book is eye-opening. Following eight different addicts with various addictions from drugs, to sex, to shoplifting, this is sure to pluck at some heart strings.
It's also interesting to see the varying reactions by the public to different addictions. For instance, food and shoplifting addictions are seen as lack of will power or morals. People assume you can just choose not to eat all the time or choose to have good morals and no...more
For addicts and non-addicts alike, this book is eye-opening. Following eight different addicts with various addictions from drugs, to sex, to shoplifting, this is sure to pluck at some heart strings.
It's also interesting to see the varying reactions by the public to different addictions. For instance, food and shoplifting addictions are seen as lack of will power or morals. People assume you can just choose not to eat all the time or choose to have good morals and no...more
i thought that this was a great book that examined several aspects of addiction i rarely think of. these eight people were chronicled by the author (a self-proclaimed sex addict in recovery) and included some factoids about addiction spattered throughout the book. i still have a hard time wrapping my head around the behavioral addictions. maybe it's because my definition of addiction is archaic . . . i mean, does one get physically ill when in withdrawal from sex? or shoplifting? further, i wond...more
This is a good book to read if you like getting in the minds of addicts. It was interesting and engaging, but in the end, it lost my interest. At first I found the stay-at-home-mom shoplifter interesting, but after a while she got boring. It is interesting to hear about people who are addicted to things other than drugs and narcotics. Shoplifting, sex, and food were just a few that I had never heard of before. But, just like other addictions, they can get boring too. This book was very realistic...more
Benoit Denizet-Lewis knows how to talk to strangers, especially if they're the type of strangers who make for good family gossip. BDL doesn't just tell addicts' stories in his book, he warmly asks them the difficult questions that they turn to their addictions to avoid. For three-hundred pages, BDL forces the reader to put the moral judgment on the nightstand and try to see the world from an addict's eyes. Over time you find yourself empathizing with the steroid user, shoplifter and sex addict,...more
Interesting but unfocussed. The author's own addiction, discussed at the beginning and the end, could have been more a part of this work. For example, at the end he says some of the addicts expressed concern about him; but we do not see this in the chapters. He is there, asking questions, but otherwise seemingly uninvolved. Some parts of this book I really enjoyed (shoplifting, and the discussions around sexual addiction -- an almost taboo topic in the gay community) but others parts (primarily...more
Apr 18, 2011
Erica
added it
A great book if you're interested in stories of addiction and recovery. Denizet-Lewis does an excellent job of balancing the stories of the addicts he follows, his own story of addiction, and his research. Another plus is that the book doesn't just concentrate on drug and alcohol addiction but also covers sex addiction, food addiction, and shoplifting. It's a nice overview, and doesn't quite get into the gawk-inspiring nitty-gritty of shows like Intervention for those of you who find that show a...more
Well written and moving. The author did a really good job of combining the eight personal stories (nine if you count his own) with a lot of recent research on addiction. I was especially fascinated with the discussion of what constitutes a true addiction (does sex count? food? petty theft?) It was sort of like watching back-to-back episodes of "Intervention" but getting the full backgrounds of the people and the accompanying science instead of just those riveting scenes of people huffing keyboar...more
I'll add more to this review but here's my quick first impressions. First, full disclosure, I've been reading Benoit since his 'XY' magazine days -- 14 years ago. So, if you're expecting a purely objective, dispassionate nod, move on. I like Benoit. I like how he writes. Most of all I like that he digs deep into his huamnity -- which causes him great discomfort and pain, that too he shares unabashedly -- and connects to people so they opne up and share themselves openly in ways they probably wou...more
A profile of eight addicts in various stages of recovery. There are alcoholics, drug addicts, sex addicts, overeating addicts, and even a shoplifting addict. Being that I was married to an addict I found it strange that the book never explored the idea that all these people are emotionally damaged. If you have no exposure to addiction this is a good book to give a quick look into the basics of recovery. But don't expect any brilliant insights into the 2% of addict who actually do change.
One of the best things I have ever read on the addicted life--by one of my favorite young journalists. He picked 12 very interesting addicts to follow for a couple years--and he includes just enough about his own sex addiction to show you his bias, without it feeling self-indulgent and weird. The book also taught me how clueless I was about the ideology and effectiveness of 12 step programs.
Benoit Denizet-Lewis' fascinating book is one of the most interesting books on addiction I have read. The author himself is a sex addict and he takes three years outo f his life to follow eight addicts in their search of recovery. They range from a heroin addict in Southie to a crack addled grandmother in Harlem and they are some of the most poignant and interesting individuals. Denizet-Lewis perfectly nails the concept of addiction and instead of blaming moral failings, he perfectly makes the c...more
Unfortunately, America Anonymous failed to meet my expectations. I love the premise of demonstrating cases of several types of addiction to show the similarities between addiction in its various forms. However, this book had two major issues. First, it was really slow at some points. I understand the author's desire to take us into the addict's world, but page after page of discussions transcribed verbatim just gets boring; this book would be better if it were 50-100 pages shorter. Second, I bel...more
Told through the riveting stories of addicts hooked on everything from alcohol and drugs to food and gambling--and incorporating the author's own recovery from sexual addiction--America Anonymous takes listeners on a haunting journey through our culture of addition and recovery, shining a spotlight on our biggest and most misunderstood public health crisis.
Listen to America Anonymous on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Listen to America Anonymous on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Not so much a memoir (although this author will someday write a wonderful memoir, I'm sure) as a profile of eight addicts in various stages of recovery. There are alcoholics, drug addicts, sex addicts, overeating addicts, and even a shoplifting addict. The introduction points out that the majority of Americans, even those who have addiction in their family, view addiction as a lack of willpower, not a disease.
*
It took me a long time, but I finally finished this!! Although well-written and engro...more
*
It took me a long time, but I finally finished this!! Although well-written and engro...more
This is an up-to-date look at eight addicts struggling with various types of addiction/recovery. Gives a little background into various types of treatment and a realistic look at the political/social obstacles to recovery. Very informative and relevant.
Very interesting historical information on addiction. It was a little confusing the way he alternated by chapter which of the 8 addicts he was talking about. It was also a little uneven - some of the people were covered at a much deeper level than others. If you are interested in recovery and addiction, worth the read!
I enjoyed the book more in the beginning and then felt my interest start to lag. It was a fine book and it did challenge some of my notions of addiction, but I didn't find it powerful or extremely informative.
Yet another book I didn't finish. What I read, about half of it, was actually pretty good. But it was kind of repetitive, predictable... I didn't think I'd learn much more if I kept reading it~ I was anxious to start reading Jodi Picoult's new book, so I decided to call it quits on this one. What i read was good, but not exciting enough to keep going!
America Anonymous should be required reading for anyone who has ever said: "Alcoholics should just stop drinking", or "drug addicts should just stop using drugs", etc. It takes us into the minds of addicts and into the workings of the addicted brain. It introduces us to addictive thinking.
Apr 27, 2011
Andrew Tolve
added it
Fantastic to finally see this in its minted form ... Benoit is a great writer and it was an honor to do so much research and read throughs from inception to publication.
Profiles of people in various addictions. Mostly sympathetic and smartly written, but not containing much in the way of groundbreaking enlightenment or solutions.
Excellent book. Makes me examine myself and family. Wish the author would have included more of his own history. Highly recommend this. *warning-language* for those easily offended.
This is pretty rare for me, but I didn't even end up finishing this book. I usually will see it through all the way to the end but this just didn't grab me. I couldn't relate to the life the drug addicts lead; it was a bit disturbing to me but I had wanted to try something that's out of the "norm" for what I typically read. This definitely reminded me what a bubble I live in, and I'm quite happy to stay there!!
Awesome book! Gives insights to many addictions many people suffer from. From cocaine to shoplifting. To steroids and sex!
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"I’m an excellent parallel parker. I have what some have called astonishing taste in music—one minute I’m listening to Jónsi or Phoenix, the next Dave Matthews, Tina Turner, or Peter, Paul and Mary. I live in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, which is the closest that Boston comes to San Francisco, the gay city of my youth. I have a dog, Casey, who would leave me in a second if he could live with a gu...more
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