false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1229617398m/3096909.jpg 3096909 1 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 and sexuality. Alternating with their stories is Denizet-Lewis's candid account of his own recovery from sexual addiction and his compelling examination of our culture of addiction, where we obsessively search for new and innovative ways to escape the reality of the present moment and make ourselves feel "better." Addiction is arguably this country's biggest public-health crisis, triggering and exacerbating many of our most pressing social problems (crime, poverty, skyrocketing health-care costs, and childhood abuse and neglect). But while cancer and AIDS survivors have taken to the streets — and to the halls of Congress — demanding to be counted, millions of addicts with successful long-term recovery talk only to each other in the confines of anonymous Twelve Step meetings. (A notable exception is the addicted celebrity, who often enters and exits rehab with great fanfare.) Through the riveting stories of Americans in various stages of recovery and relapse, Denizet-Lewis shines a spotlight on our most misunderstood health problem (is addiction a brain disease? A spiritual malady? A moral failing?) and breaks through the shame and denial that still shape our cultural understanding of it — and hamper our ability to treat it. Are Americans more addicted than people in othercountries, or does it just seem that way? Can food or sex be as addictive as alcohol and drugs? And will we ever be able to treat addiction with a pill? These are just a few of the questions Denizet-Lewis explores during his remarkable journey inside the lives of men and women struggling to become, or stay, sober. As the addicts in this book stumble, fall, and try again to make a different and better life, Denizet-Lewis records their struggles — and his own — with honesty and empathy. 3128056 6 1 2009 America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life total:76|5:13|4:27|3:25|2:10|1:1| 76 269 187 25 5 1 false false Wed Oct 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 19 09:16:14 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 19 09:58:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 10:44:34 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 28 13:43:07 -0700 2009 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 clea...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 07 06:43:04 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 06:46:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 17:26:52 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 17:34:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 26 08:49:46 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 06:27:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 03 14:23:24 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 14:26:52 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 04 05:35:24 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 24 09:17:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Apr 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 20:03:46 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 20:10:26 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 12:36:55 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 12:39:28 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Thu Feb 19 19:56:35 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 20:45:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 10:03:35 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 10:04:47 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jul 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 09:33:05 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 09:34:05 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 15:03:40 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 15:04:44 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Apr 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 05:52:50 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 08:28:30 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 15:35:14 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 15:37:03 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 16:49:52 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 16:54:28 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 17:48:49 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 08:00:27 -0800 2009 Not the best writing or the most cohesive book I've ever read, but the subject was interesting. The most compelling addicts to read about were Ellen, Kate, and Sean; food, shoplifting, and sex addicts respectively. My favorite chapter of all was the conclusion. ]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 10:30:07 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 07:40:54 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Mar 25 07:50:18 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 05:45:02 -0700 2009
This book MIGHT change the way you think about addicts and their behavior.]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 10 17:27:15 -0700 2009 Sun Feb 01 14:56:04 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 17:27:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3096909