What do you think?
The Book of John:
★"A real page turner!"★ ★"Honest, Raw, Gripping!"★★"A remarkable story."★ ★"Compelling."★ ★"Authentic."★
★#1 NEW RELEASE IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE-AMAZON MAY 14, 2019!★
This is my life of addiction and recovery. It's not just about alcoholism and substance abuse. It's about relationships and recovery from life! Not only have I identified the problems of why I drank and did drugs, but also have written about the solutions to them. The techniques outlined in my book will guide you to a life without alcohol and drugs!!!
A compelling memoir documenting John’s addictions, relationship’s, the supernatural, spiritualism and the 12 steps. The story is filled with raw, jaw dropping accounts of real life events that are dreamlike, laugh out loud humor, and life lessons that leave the reader feeling uplifted, lighter and exploding into a million pieces of joy! Through his personal experiences John shows how he ultimately reached that place of peace and understanding that the world can neither give nor take away. Rather than meditating in a cave for twenty years, John has taken life head on in outrageous and sometimes unbelievable experiences that led to his awakening.
The reader will be shocked, crying and then laughing uncontrollably over his strange and wonderful life full of hardship, supernatural experiences and spiritual epiphanies. The story moves along at a good pace, and just when the reader thinks that he/she knows what is going to happen next, something out of the blue occurs. Lots of suspense and surprise and wonder. John tells the story in the present tense. That gives it a sense of immediacy. The humorous touches throughout are great! They balance out the sad stories in a yin-yang kind of way. John’s voice in the prose is clear and persuasive. The reader can hear him saying these words sitting as if right next to them. Too many writers try to generate an “authorial” voice and end up sounding contrived. This book, on the other hand, clearly comes from the heart. It peels back layers of mystery yet never goes so far afield that the reader cannot follow. It is a journey the reader will love taking!
★#1 NEW RELEASE IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE-AMAZON MAY 14, 2019!★
This is my life of addiction and recovery. It's not just about alcoholism and substance abuse. It's about relationships and recovery from life! Not only have I identified the problems of why I drank and did drugs, but also have written about the solutions to them. The techniques outlined in my book will guide you to a life without alcohol and drugs!!!
A compelling memoir documenting John’s addictions, relationship’s, the supernatural, spiritualism and the 12 steps. The story is filled with raw, jaw dropping accounts of real life events that are dreamlike, laugh out loud humor, and life lessons that leave the reader feeling uplifted, lighter and exploding into a million pieces of joy! Through his personal experiences John shows how he ultimately reached that place of peace and understanding that the world can neither give nor take away. Rather than meditating in a cave for twenty years, John has taken life head on in outrageous and sometimes unbelievable experiences that led to his awakening.
The reader will be shocked, crying and then laughing uncontrollably over his strange and wonderful life full of hardship, supernatural experiences and spiritual epiphanies. The story moves along at a good pace, and just when the reader thinks that he/she knows what is going to happen next, something out of the blue occurs. Lots of suspense and surprise and wonder. John tells the story in the present tense. That gives it a sense of immediacy. The humorous touches throughout are great! They balance out the sad stories in a yin-yang kind of way. John’s voice in the prose is clear and persuasive. The reader can hear him saying these words sitting as if right next to them. Too many writers try to generate an “authorial” voice and end up sounding contrived. This book, on the other hand, clearly comes from the heart. It peels back layers of mystery yet never goes so far afield that the reader cannot follow. It is a journey the reader will love taking!
192 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2019
About the author
John T. Long
1 book39 followersJohn is a licensed practicing attorney, counselor and personal life coach who has helped thousands of people. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and has a B.A. in American Studies (a self-study concentrating in History, English and Sociology.) from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. At thirty-five, while working full time as an insurance claims adjuster, he decided to go to law school at night and graduated from Jones School of Law in Montgomery. He is twice widowed and has two boys and two grandchildren.
He is a self-taught metaphysician, carpenter, writer, artist and musician. John has spent tens of thousands of hours in research, self-examination, meditation and prayer discovering the nature of reality, the Universe and himself. He spends his free time in helping others through his experiences.
For help in identifying the subconscious programs that are running in the background of your mind.
How to delete those programs that you probably don't even know are running.
Reinstall a new operating system of joy, peace, abundance that the world can neither give nor take away.
He is a self-taught metaphysician, carpenter, writer, artist and musician. John has spent tens of thousands of hours in research, self-examination, meditation and prayer discovering the nature of reality, the Universe and himself. He spends his free time in helping others through his experiences.
For help in identifying the subconscious programs that are running in the background of your mind.
How to delete those programs that you probably don't even know are running.
Reinstall a new operating system of joy, peace, abundance that the world can neither give nor take away.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 31, 2019
I feel a little bit like this is one of those books that needs to be read either in small bits (a chapter at a time, followed by time to really digest what John’s saying) or it needs to be read more than once, to fully appreciate the lessons he has learned and the growth he has experienced. When I got to the end, it left me a little confused, with all the ideas he shared dancing around in my head, not really landing anywhere in particular, I had to sit still for a bit and let everything settle enough to write this.
The beginning of the book is engaging ~ I suppose it’s like watching a train wreck. (you can’t look away no matter how bad you know the crash is going to be.) It’s here that John shares his addictions and the downward spiral of his life.
When he begins his climb back out of the darkness, he is involved in AA and he also experiments with Wicca, meditation, crystals and energy healing. I know a little about each of these things, so I’m able to follow along at least on a superficial level, but he is talking about these things as more of a philosopher, using language that is perhaps a little too obtuse for the casual reader. There were a lot of times I was unable to follow what he was saying because of my lack of knowledge on these topics.
I think if I had a stronger spiritual foundation myself, that more of John’s writings would have made more sense. Or perhaps, it could have been written in a way that would have been more easily understood? I don’t know. But that being said, there were many things he shared that made me smile (like the sign that God received his letter by showing him a rainbow).
For those without exposure to the spiritual ideas he presents, the second half of this book will be a challenging read, but one thing the book is good at is providing hope. I think all readers can appreciate the hope in his story, regardless of our personal situations or belief systems.
The beginning of the book is engaging ~ I suppose it’s like watching a train wreck. (you can’t look away no matter how bad you know the crash is going to be.) It’s here that John shares his addictions and the downward spiral of his life.
When he begins his climb back out of the darkness, he is involved in AA and he also experiments with Wicca, meditation, crystals and energy healing. I know a little about each of these things, so I’m able to follow along at least on a superficial level, but he is talking about these things as more of a philosopher, using language that is perhaps a little too obtuse for the casual reader. There were a lot of times I was unable to follow what he was saying because of my lack of knowledge on these topics.
I think if I had a stronger spiritual foundation myself, that more of John’s writings would have made more sense. Or perhaps, it could have been written in a way that would have been more easily understood? I don’t know. But that being said, there were many things he shared that made me smile (like the sign that God received his letter by showing him a rainbow).
For those without exposure to the spiritual ideas he presents, the second half of this book will be a challenging read, but one thing the book is good at is providing hope. I think all readers can appreciate the hope in his story, regardless of our personal situations or belief systems.
September 24, 2019
3.5 stars
This is a hard book to read. It seems very scattered and unfocused, which made it very confusing at times. Having said that, I believe that John makes a point to be extremely honest about the things he did when drugs had control. For that reason, it is very "point blank" almost to the point of emotionless, when discussing some very sensitive issues. I do think that this book can give hope to both addicts and their families; however, he barely touches on his relapse, choosing instead to mention it only in passing on the way to yet more crystals, wands, meditation, etc,; leaving one to wonder.
This is a hard book to read. It seems very scattered and unfocused, which made it very confusing at times. Having said that, I believe that John makes a point to be extremely honest about the things he did when drugs had control. For that reason, it is very "point blank" almost to the point of emotionless, when discussing some very sensitive issues. I do think that this book can give hope to both addicts and their families; however, he barely touches on his relapse, choosing instead to mention it only in passing on the way to yet more crystals, wands, meditation, etc,; leaving one to wonder.
August 26, 2019
Although this story gets really good reviews from other readers and appears to have an audience of fans, this one definitely wasn’t for me.
The autobiographical tale starts in John’s childhood, but it is basically about how he fell victim to substance abuse and poor relationships before eventually turning his life around. At first, it’s interesting and has some amusing moments.
However, the narrative is rather scatterbrained in its execution. There is not much linear thought at the start, which could have been a conscious authorial choice indicting his mindset at the time. But it’s still confusing to readers. The narrative also doesn’t give much in the way of details most of the time, before bouncing on to the next topic at full steam ahead.
Given some of the anecdotes mentioned in the books that took place during his teenage years, it seems John is very lucky to be alive and even more lucky that no one else died as a result of his actions. He doesn’t grow up much in the decades that follow. Nor is he a very relatable narrator after that point. John initially seems to be a selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone except (possibly) his kids and his second wife.
Once he recovers from his addictions, the narrative focus shifts almost completely shifts to psychoanalysis and all the metaphysical stuff that John believes in. This is where the book generally lost me, since I don’t share his beliefs nor do I find them particularly interesting. I had to read the text in small in chunks in order to get through it. It’s also shocking how someone who can’t be bothered to pay his bills on time has the money to take all these amazing (and presumably) expensive trips abroad.
This book would have greatly benefited from some extra editing. Using a standard formats for dates and quotes from other sources and using both of those things less frequently would have helped this story a great deal. The author could have also refrained from referring to himself in the third person and summarized unnecessarily long sections of the book (the chakra analysis, mediation techniques, etc.) to make it more readable.
Nonetheless, John is to be commended for turning his life around.
Reader Warning: this book initially contains lots of sex and infidelity as well as drug and alcohol fueled antics. It should also contain warnings for violence and profanity. I was additionally appalled by the times that the narrator took things from historic sites.
The autobiographical tale starts in John’s childhood, but it is basically about how he fell victim to substance abuse and poor relationships before eventually turning his life around. At first, it’s interesting and has some amusing moments.
However, the narrative is rather scatterbrained in its execution. There is not much linear thought at the start, which could have been a conscious authorial choice indicting his mindset at the time. But it’s still confusing to readers. The narrative also doesn’t give much in the way of details most of the time, before bouncing on to the next topic at full steam ahead.
Given some of the anecdotes mentioned in the books that took place during his teenage years, it seems John is very lucky to be alive and even more lucky that no one else died as a result of his actions. He doesn’t grow up much in the decades that follow. Nor is he a very relatable narrator after that point. John initially seems to be a selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone except (possibly) his kids and his second wife.
Once he recovers from his addictions, the narrative focus shifts almost completely shifts to psychoanalysis and all the metaphysical stuff that John believes in. This is where the book generally lost me, since I don’t share his beliefs nor do I find them particularly interesting. I had to read the text in small in chunks in order to get through it. It’s also shocking how someone who can’t be bothered to pay his bills on time has the money to take all these amazing (and presumably) expensive trips abroad.
This book would have greatly benefited from some extra editing. Using a standard formats for dates and quotes from other sources and using both of those things less frequently would have helped this story a great deal. The author could have also refrained from referring to himself in the third person and summarized unnecessarily long sections of the book (the chakra analysis, mediation techniques, etc.) to make it more readable.
Nonetheless, John is to be commended for turning his life around.
Reader Warning: this book initially contains lots of sex and infidelity as well as drug and alcohol fueled antics. It should also contain warnings for violence and profanity. I was additionally appalled by the times that the narrator took things from historic sites.
August 27, 2019
This is an interesting memoir of a man's spiral down into addiction and his journey back up. That may sound cliche, but this story is presented in a unique way, blending spirituality with storytelling. I found it extremely gripping at parts, but a little scattered at others. There are some amazing stories, ones that will definitely stay with you, and for that reason I really enjoyed it.
December 26, 2019
A well written account sharing some of the challenges people with addictions have in their life with which they are dealing with in order for them to survive.
August 19, 2019
This book merges elements of memoir and self-help nonfiction, detailing experiences in the author’s life that have contributed to his philosophical views. There are aspects of The Book of John that I felt were done well. For example, the author captures a real sense of place when describing his childhood. There is an appealing mixture of dreaminess and darkness in the recollections of his youth. Also, the section outlining his time married to a woman who experienced multiple health struggles was moving. However, in general I struggled to connect with the book. Those of a different political disposition will likely disagree with me, but I found the book’s depiction of abortion judgemental. I found the descriptions of the author’s past violent behaviour towards a romantic partner hard to read, and I disliked the representation of a new age guru as being capable of “curing” serious conditions like AIDs and cancer. However, other readers, especially those who believe strongly in new age spirituality, may well find inspiration in this story.
August 19, 2019
The Book of John: (Not The One In The Bible) is an outstanding story that is very hard to put down once you start reading it.
It tells the story of one mans downward spiral and his return from darkness. It's equal parts unbelievable story and inspiration.
As you are reading, you will continuously be shaking your head in disbelief at all of the incredible events that occur. If you are over 40, you will remember a lot of the references and remember when times were the way described.
I recommend this book to anyone, especially someone who is struggling with or has overcome a drug problem, or have someone close to you who has.
It tells the story of one mans downward spiral and his return from darkness. It's equal parts unbelievable story and inspiration.
As you are reading, you will continuously be shaking your head in disbelief at all of the incredible events that occur. If you are over 40, you will remember a lot of the references and remember when times were the way described.
I recommend this book to anyone, especially someone who is struggling with or has overcome a drug problem, or have someone close to you who has.
August 26, 2019
The Book of John (Not The One In The Bible) is an interesting look at the authors descent, and how life intermingled with addiction can cause absolute chaos in your life.
I found the book very interesting and often sad. Being the child of an alcoholic myself I found much of the book very interesting and relatable, to the point that I would love to hear his children's perspective.
I really enjoyed this memoir. I look forward to seeing what other things this author decides to write.
I found the book very interesting and often sad. Being the child of an alcoholic myself I found much of the book very interesting and relatable, to the point that I would love to hear his children's perspective.
I really enjoyed this memoir. I look forward to seeing what other things this author decides to write.
December 15, 2020
Part autobiography, part self-help guide, John T. Long’s aptly titled ‘The Book of John: (Not the One in the Bible)’ is an engaging look at one man’s descent into the depths of addiction and his eventual recovery.
Long’s story begins early in life, where the author fell into a pattern of substance abuse that would eventually haunt him for decades. From there, Long cycles through jobs and relationships before ultimately focusing his efforts on his ‘recovery from life.’
For his part, there’s an unrefined, unfocused quality to Long’s narrative that only serves to underscore his story’s authenticity. He offers one unflinching account after another, painting a vivid picture of a lost, aimless soul desperate to find a better way to live.
While the first half of this book is dedicated to Long’s personal story of triumph and transformation, the second falls squarely into the realm of ‘self-help,’ as the author outlines some of the methods and techniques he utilized in his own recovery as well as recommendations for others battling addiction. It is here where I suspect readers’ opinions may begin to divide, as much of Long’s advice seems to stem from the ‘what worked for me’ category.
While his experience with the 12-step program will probably resonate across the board, Long’s anecdote-driven accounts involving everything from Wicca rituals to energy-crystals feel more like long, meandering rants and offer little in the way of substantiated claims. While much of this content can easily be chalked up to ‘different strokes for different folks,’ Long’s tendency to pass off his ‘techniques’ as gospel may rub some readers the wrong way.
While the memoir portion of ‘The Book of John: (Not the One in the Bible)’ is a compelling read, one that both entertains and illuminates, how you receive the second half of this text will likely depend on how well your personal experience lines up with that of the author’s.
Long’s story begins early in life, where the author fell into a pattern of substance abuse that would eventually haunt him for decades. From there, Long cycles through jobs and relationships before ultimately focusing his efforts on his ‘recovery from life.’
For his part, there’s an unrefined, unfocused quality to Long’s narrative that only serves to underscore his story’s authenticity. He offers one unflinching account after another, painting a vivid picture of a lost, aimless soul desperate to find a better way to live.
While the first half of this book is dedicated to Long’s personal story of triumph and transformation, the second falls squarely into the realm of ‘self-help,’ as the author outlines some of the methods and techniques he utilized in his own recovery as well as recommendations for others battling addiction. It is here where I suspect readers’ opinions may begin to divide, as much of Long’s advice seems to stem from the ‘what worked for me’ category.
While his experience with the 12-step program will probably resonate across the board, Long’s anecdote-driven accounts involving everything from Wicca rituals to energy-crystals feel more like long, meandering rants and offer little in the way of substantiated claims. While much of this content can easily be chalked up to ‘different strokes for different folks,’ Long’s tendency to pass off his ‘techniques’ as gospel may rub some readers the wrong way.
While the memoir portion of ‘The Book of John: (Not the One in the Bible)’ is a compelling read, one that both entertains and illuminates, how you receive the second half of this text will likely depend on how well your personal experience lines up with that of the author’s.
June 7, 2021
(Won this book on Goodreads). The book started out quite strong with the author's history, up-bringing, and family he created. He spoke about his struggle with addiction and what he did to help keep himself on the straight and narrow. I admired his courage to go to AA and really work on himself. How his focus on God and how much he is loved by him helped his recovery. The story however, took a turn when he started talking about crystals, spells, and so on. I am not saying that they didn't help him but I am unfamiliar with this and could grasp the idea. But, all that being said I am proud of him for finding what works for him to keep himself and sober. I liked the book and recommend it.
December 23, 2020
I definitely didn’t expect what I got when I read this book but it was quite fascinating. John’s life has been a roller coaster That has taken him to the Heights and plunged him into the depths of drug abuse and alcohol as he tried to sort himself out. One thing is certain: I am so glad that regardless of my own traumatic life experiences, I never resorted to the cocaine use that John and his many female companions saw as their only relief. This is a good book for anyone teetering on the borders of abusing drugs and alcohol to solve their problems. John writes with such candour and honesty, it’s refreshing. I am glad for JOHN that he found peace via AA and God.
December 28, 2020
Raw, emotional, unedited: While reading this memoir, I couldn't help but go through all the emotions the author went through. I understand how difficult it must have been to revisit those events of the past, and how painful and brave it was to share them.
The only thing that made the story less enjoyable was the fact that it seemed like it was the first draft and not the final version. This made it hard to keep track sometimes, as I wasn't sure who was saying/doing what, but I'm glad I finished it, because it had many lessons that all of us could learn from.
The only thing that made the story less enjoyable was the fact that it seemed like it was the first draft and not the final version. This made it hard to keep track sometimes, as I wasn't sure who was saying/doing what, but I'm glad I finished it, because it had many lessons that all of us could learn from.
January 19, 2020
Being an alcoholic I was expecting a more inspirational story. Instead I heard a man who tried everything he could think of to cure his ails. Many parts were unbelievable and I question how he was in financial disress but still was able to travel around the world and partake in numerous spiritual retreats.
I will probably reread the book to see what I missed.
I will probably reread the book to see what I missed.
February 13, 2020
Won this book through goodreads. Not my usual read. Some parts were hard to read about his addiction and what his family went through. It does give to hope to so many addicted. Not sure everyone would go the way he did but it gives an alternative to other treatment.
July 17, 2020
Incredible! Such a great memoir!! Sure it's a bit scattered, but have you ever lived with the brain of an addict? Totally relatable! Very inspiring!!
December 15, 2020
This was very differently written, sorta stream of consciousness. I had a hard time following it. Interesting although I was unable to relate. I gave up about halfway through.
December 15, 2020
good book
Read
January 22, 2020This is my life of addiction and recovery. It's not just about alcoholism and substance abuse. It's about relationships and recovery from life! Not only have I identified the problems, but have written about the solutions to them. The techniques outlined in my book will guide you to a life beyond your wildest dreams!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews