Drinking with Miss Dutchie: A Memoir

by Ed Breslin

Drinking with Miss Dutchie is a story about Dutchie, a Black Labrador, and her lasting impact on the life of her owner and narrator, Ed Breslin. In contrast to the typical tale of dog as man's best friend, Breslin's is a unique reflection on dog as role model and teacher. While the author struggles with clinical depression and addiction, Dutchie maintains her pure lust for life. Over twelve years, she masterfully and instinctively shows Breslin how to view the world for what it is – and embrace it with full force. Raised in North Philadelphia, the second oldest of twelve children in an Irish Catholic family, Breslin recounts his lifelong struggles with alcoholism and depression, and his exquisitely loving, 30-year marriage to his wife Lynn. Breslin tells us how Dutchie, through her elegant negotiation of the world's difficulties and upheavals, showed him how to quell his fears, unwittingly modeled how to strengthen his relationships, and encouraged him to live in the present. Marcel Proust "The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." Dutchie's were Breslin's new eyes, exemplifying for him the nature of altruism, purity and awareness of others. Drinking with Miss Dutchie is a memoir, but it is also a narrative on moving forward, on identifying what matters, and on staying true to it. Dutchie is Breslin's best self, and his is a story that ultimately describes the incredible power of animals to bring us to our senses.

Genres: Memoir, Dogs, Nonfiction, Animals, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2011

About the author

Ed Breslin is a former editor and publisher who spent two decades in the book business. He left his job as publisher and senior vice president of HarperCollins in order to write and edit full-time. During his career he edited and published such best-selling authors as Jeffrey Archer, Len Deighton, Clive Barker, Stuart Woods, W.E.B. Griffin, Tom Clancy, TV talk show host Sonya Friedman and business maven Harvey Mackay. He also wrote two espionage thrillers and the parody of Spy magazine called Sty, published by Random House in 1989 and a national bestseller on the B. Dalton and Waldenbooks lists."

Reviews

[James Cope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-wrenching, thought-provoking book, "Drinking with Miss Dutchie" is not so much about a dog. At least that's not what it seemed to me. I see some other reviewers here describing it as a story about a dog and that you have to be a dog-lover to enjoy the book. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. This book provided insights into many facets of life, including:

(1) Life and how precious it really is.
(2) Relationships and the multiple roles we can play in each of them.
(3) Companionship with friends, families, and animals.
(4) Struggles with addiction.
(5) The pain and lessons of deep loss.
(6) Taking circumstances, life itself, or loved ones for granted.

There were parts of the book where, lying in bed in the dark with only my headlamp to illuminate the pages, I felt I was playing with a young and energetic puppy by a cool stream under a bright and sunny spring day. On the other hand (especially near the book's end), there were times when I could look out the window at a sunny, 90-degree day here int he bay area and swear it was dreary, foggy, and miserable outside (my kind of weather, actually).

Throughout the book, the author truly transports you to another place - all the while revealing to you his deepest fears, internal dialogues, and struggles with addiction. He describes how the introduction of this animal allowed him to view himself in the helpless animal and how this led him to realize the follies (and the seductive powers) of his additions.

Anyway... for fear of spoiling it, I'll stop here and not venture further into the parts of the book that moved me the most. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to delve deeply into the thoughts and feelings of a man as he continually learns to navigate his way through this life.

At first I thought that those who were not moved by this book must never have suffered the loss of a favorite pet or struggled with addiction. But after further reflection, there are so many other areas of this book with which I could relate and reflect on my own life's journey.

Okay... Therapy is over. Time to get back to work. :)

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 4, 2011:
I'm on about page 80 toda. So far, I like it. As with Dewey the Library Cat, it's also about Ed's life and his personal struggles. I like where I think it's headed: How a pet can make all the difference in our outlook on life. With the help of a beloved pet, we can improve ourselves.

May 1, 2011:
I've read two dog books - biographical, and one supposedly about a woman and her cats.

Marley and Me get's 5 out of 5 stars: it was the dogs full life in chronological order, and the joy at the end was the impact the dog made in stories about him. The title was accurate.

Sleeping with Cats got 0 out of 5 stars: I couldn't even finish it. It was listed as an autobiograhy of a woman's life and her cats throughout that life. There was barely a sentence in each chapter about her cats. It was more about her depression and odd boyfriends/husbands. The title did NOT imply this.

Drinking with Miss Dutchie might fall between them as three stars, but because of "drinking" in the title, I knew it involved AA - therefore it gets 4 out of 5 stars: This was a great story of how a dog helped a man become a truly recovering alcoholic. I didn't give it a full last star because I am a chronological nut - and it felt like it jumped around a bit. I won't even read a mystery series out of order, so that might not bother another person. As with Marley & Me, the redeeming quality of that book was his ending with the great responses to his grief. This book was redeemed by the new puppy who came into the family - who would bless the family in her own way.

No matter what, I'm a sucker for animal stories. This was a book I won for the drawings online in Good Reads. Well done!

[Correen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An author should be careful when he says the book is not about himself. This book is only a little about the dog and almost entirely about the author. He says it is a memoir but still convinced me he would have something interesting to say about his dog beyond that she was wonderful and he learned from her -- the things he missed in kindergarten.

[Sheri S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drinking with Miss Dutchie was mostly about the author's life and his struggles with alcoholism and cigarette use. I was thinking the book was going to include more stories about the dog, but, overall, it focuses on the author. It was relatively entertaining though seemed depressing as well.

[Mike Nesemann · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for me, but if someone were truly a dog fanatic and had any experience with alcohol or drug addiction, personally or with family/friends, I suspect they would find the book very enjoyable.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for pet lovers

[Carla JFCL · Rating 4 out of 5]

(FTC disclosure: I won a free copy of this book via Goodreads Firstreads Giveaway contest. Thanks!)

It’s not a spoiler for me to say that the author has to euthanize his precious black lab, Miss Dutchie, at age 12½, because he tells us himself on the second page of the book. That doesn’t make it any easier to read about it, though, when he actually describes the process at the end of the book. In between is a wonderful read, that I couldn’t put down.

Knowing the ultimate outcome didn’t make this story any less compelling and, in fact, may have made it more so. Breslin does a good job of interweaving the story of Miss Dutchie’s life and his struggles with alcoholism (hence, of course, the title ... ) But he really doesn’t “drink” with Miss Dutchie; rather, she helps him stop doing just that. To find out how, you just have to read it.

Anyone who thinks this is primarily a “dog story” might be disappointed; it’s more a story about the author’s middle-aged life and marriage. It reads like a coming-of-age story in some ways, and he is quite open in discussing his struggles, flaws, idiosyncracies, etc. This had me at times either rooting for him or wanting to say “hey ... just grow up and deal with it!” It’s almost like reading someone’s diary and, actually, much of it was created from Breslin’s journal writings.

If you’ve ever had to euthanize a beloved pet, there are parts of this book that will make you cry out loud; it is very painful in spots. However, anyone who’s ever loved a pet will also be nodding in agreement through much of it, as the author describes his deep relationship with Miss Dutchie and how she changed his life.

I was especially happy to find a couple of photo inserts in the book; I always find it helpful when reading non-fiction or memoirs to be able to actually “see” the characters who are central to the story.

I’m a person who looks up any unfamiliar words I encounter while reading. Maybe I was just in “intellectual down time” while reading this book, but it seemed I had to do that more often than usual with this book. I was stopped by, for example: contumely; dipsomania; pitons; spalls; termagant ... and (gulp) sententious and casuistry in the same sentence. I’m impressed by the author’s knowledge and correct usage of these types of words, but I frankly think it’s a bit distracting to encounter so many of them in casual reading, and it’s my only real criticism of the book.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Stock up on tissues before you read it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really wonderful book - very honest, very heart-wrenching - and very lovely. A book that really describes what is is like to love a dog (and the complete loss of dignity that comes with that action) and how the love of that same dog back can change a person deeply. I really appreciated the honest portrayal of an addict and a depressive - the face that he was already thinking about Dutchie dying when she was just a wee pup was something I could, unfortunately, recognize in myself. Thought-provoking and at times uncomfortable, definitely sad - and yet beautiful. Very recommended.

*People are funny about older dogs, too. As she aged people were not as attracted to her. She handled her reduced status with dignity, the way she handled every decline and setback sent her way.*

*I have done time in many corporations and I never experienced one that didn't fundamentally try to infantilize everyone in it except the guy or gal at the top.*

*FEAR - fuck everything and run, or face everything and recover.*

*The day before when I lifted her in my arms and knew she was deadweight it was emotionally for me the equivalent of a miner seeing the canary drop dead off its perch ... In my case, instead of fatal effluvia or the weight of the earth it would be clinical depression that would bury me alive.*

*My nerves were jangled and I rushed up to the point of tears a thousand times only to pull back and mutter angrily.*

*I've found that you can't run fast enough, far enough, or long enough to escape yourself."

*At the time I told Lynn to sign the adoption papers I didn't know that "Azalea" had been rescued from a "kill shelter". Wrap your mind around that oxymoron and tell me that it doesn't in general say a lot about life on the planet a great deal of the time ..."

*Right to the end she was magnificent, still sucking the joy out of every living minute, still savoring the now, still availing herself of an opprotunity to interact with love and affection with another living being, in this case a lethal vet. Until her final moments she was still setting an example for me, still teaching me how to live, and this time how to die."

[SLT · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was...okay. Frustrating, because the writing was much, much better than the story, the subject matter, and some of the author's creative choices allowed the book to be. All dog stories are sad. Eventually. But this story was downright dreary. In the very beginning, at the end, and all throughout. Dreary might be putting it lightly. At several points, it is downright bleak.

I appreciate insights into an author's writing process. But this book contained a little bit too much. Much of the book involves the author talking about writing this book. It kind of gave me vertigo. How can you write about a book you are writing about in the book you are writing, as you are writing it? Very strange.

My biggest pet peeve was the author's word choice. Clearly, he is an intelligent guy, but sometimes his vocabulary contrasts significantly with the subject matter he is addressing and the contextual tone. And I found some of his choices downright condescending. I have an English degree, a law degree, and received both with honors. I have an insatiable appetite for reading, and would like to think that I read at a pretty high level. If the words you use alienate me (I literally had to refer to a dictionary, on average, probably about once every ten or so pages), who, exactly, are you writing to? Who is your intended audience? What, exactly, is the overlap between an audience that would want to read a touching story about raising a dog and an audience that is rolling around with a genius-level vocabulary? It reads like it was written with an unabridged thesaurus close at hand.

I didn't hate it. I didn't. The relationship with Miss Dutchie was touching, I appreciated the insights into the writing process, and I appreciated the author's struggle with the emotional and chemical obstacles that he has overcome. Breslin is a good writer, I just didn't love this story. But I would be anxious to see his next book, particularly if it addressed different subject matter.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many reasons people adopt dogs. Sometimes it's just to give your wife something to keep her occupied so she'll leave you 'as is'. This one of those stories.

Of course the author fell completely in love Miss Dutchie, his wife's four legged surprise. You get a sense of their usual routines, feel their joy in each other. Although there were a few things the Miss Dutchie did not tolerate well. Mr. Breslin describes his struggles with alcoholism, depression and the challenges of living with diabetes. And how insight sometimes comes on four paws with a lethal tail. He then describes the pain of her loss after 12+ years, the empty space. How he managed to cope.

If you've had a special relationship with a dog, you understand. The fact I shared my heart with a Labrador mix for 11-12 years may have a bearing on why I liked this book. I am also very familiar with both alcoholism and depression, how frustration and pain can fill and empty a life. Mr. Breslin describes incidents that are painful and enlightening. He has written a fitting tribute to a frightened little puppy that just happened to save his life.


I received this book through a goodreads giveaway. I feel so lucky - I get a chance to read so many authors & novels I might not have found wandering through the bookstore.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful meditation on what it's like to love and be loved by a dog.

"On that lonely walk our mood was reminiscential, our attitude grateful. Neither of us could say enough about how much joy and fun and cohesion and increased love and affection Dutchie had brought into our lives. This magnificent little dog had brought me out of myself and into life, all by herself, with just her voracious grasp of how much life itself could be worth living fully, when fully aware, and not while chemically altered and riven with depression."

And let's face it, it's a memoir that includes a dog, so I'm not revealing much when I share this:

"I kept flashing on her grinning even wider and thrashing her tail even harder the second time Bill Perkins entered the room with the big hypodermic clutched in his hand. She was just so happy to see him, despite her spine being snapped, despite being a paraplegic, despite being engaged in taking her last rasping breaths on earth, thanks to laryngeal paralysis. Right to the end she was magnificent, still sucking the joy out of every living moment, still savoring the now, still availing herself of an opportunity to interact with love and affection with another living being, in this case a lethal vet. Until her final moments she was still setting an example for me, still teaching me how to live, and this time how to die."

[Phillis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made myself finish this book. It's taken me a long time to read it. It was very intense, especially near the end as Ed described the last 6 months of Dutchie's failing health in excruciating detail. This was no "Marley and Me" or "The Art of Racing in the Rain". This was an author telling us his story of alcoholism, trying to write a book, and taking on a new puppy after never ever having a dog. It told of the ups and downs of his disease, his relationship with his wife, both their discovering the joy of having a pet, the agony of losing one, and writing his great American novel.
The book is written after the dog's passing, so you already know the end before you get into the book. If you own any pet you know the joys and agonies of having one and can sympathize with him, but at times it was so intense I could read no more then a page or two at a time. Then I made myself read the rest in one sitting. Yes it brought tears to my eyes. That final trek to the vet’s is always very sad.
I am not sure if the author succeeded in his idea of the book; either a catharsis in owning and losing a well loved pet, or making the reader feel like they are living this person’s life during the 12 years of this dog’s life. Whichever his desire, I felt both.

[Lyndsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always excited when I win a book through Firstreads and this one sounded like it had the potential to be good. I love animal books, and James Herriot is one of my favorite authors. This book started out with great promise as the author related his story of how he came to have Miss Dutchie as a puppy and the amusing experiences he went through with her as a puppy. He described them well enough that you felt like you were there and shared in the emotion. However, as the book went on, it started to lose some focus and lose it's original thread. The book could have been half as long and been just as good. The author spent a lot of time talking about his problems, which Miss Dutchie helped him overcome. In my opinion, he spent a little too much time talking about that and not enough about his dog. He said it was supposed to be "a homage to Miss Dutchie" but she was barely mentioned in the middle of the book. I felt like he was repeating himself over and over again on some aspects, but he did redeem the book some at the end, when the focus returned to Miss Dutchie. I love reading stories about people and their dogs and so I still enjoyed that aspect of this book.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir very much. It's a good story, interesting and well-written, though it often went off on tangents. It's a very insightful look into how a pet can change your life, even snatch you back from the brink and lead you to solid ground when you thought your life was falling apart.

There was one thing that annoyed me though; the author keeps mentioning names that I don't know. A couple examples:
"She would put on her Esther Williams show for half an hour."
and "to hear him read the English language aloud was maybe a smidgen short of listening to Brando or Burton read it."
I don't know who any of these people are, so these sentences are meaningless to me. All I can tell is that the author has a positive view of these people.

I know I could google the names I don't know, but I don't always have a computer nearby, and with the frequency that the unknown names are popping up, I'd have to stop quite often to look things up. There are sections where he doesn't mention any names for several chapters, but in some places there are 3 or 4 names in a single chapter. But other than that, I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend it.

[Kwoomac · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very disappointing read for me. I was attracted to it by the cover, which shows an illustration by Mike Lynch. Looked like something straight out of the New Yorker so I was expecting a witty book filled with self-deprecating humor, with a wise dog side kick.Not so. I was unimpressed by Breslin's writing. It's lazy, filled with cliches, stuff I couldn't have gotten away with in 8th grade English. Things like "sold a bill of goods" or "death warmed over". Also, I think someone must have told him not to start his sentences with "I" because we have this ridiculous sentence, "Lynn in pain I cannot stand." Okay Yoda.

So, I just didn't like the guy and felt no connection to him or his dog. He also creeped me out a bit because he referred to himself as "Uncle Eddie" and to his dog as his girlfriend. Please note this did not go on my "great dog" shelf. Breslin really wasn't able to make me feel a connection to this dog. C'mon I have a "great dog" shelf, how hard can it be !

new word: contumely- n. insolence, rudeness or contempt in behavior or speech (hmmm, why don't I know this word !)

This book I cannot recommend.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads give-away, and I just finished it. In all honestly, I would have given the novel 3.5 stars. I recently read The Art of Raching in the Rain, and I enjoyed Miss Dutchie a great deal more, so I gave the book 4 stars.

Anyone who has experienced the loss of a pet will certainly relate to the emotional impact felt by the Breslin's after Miss Dutchie's death. Pets are amazing creatures that have the ability to inspire, comfort, and lessen the pain inherent in life. Shortly after my parents divorced, we adopted a 7-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Shelby, who was the light of my life for six wonderful years. She helped me through some of the roughest years of my life, and her loss felt like more than I could bare. This book brought her spirit to the forefront of my life for the last month, and that says a great deal about Breslin's story and the continued impact Miss Dutchie's life has on the world.

I'm so thankful to have recieved this book, and I am proud to put it on my bookshelf. Nicely done.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book, mainly because of the way it's written. Breslin tells his readers right up front that Dutchie eventually dies, so we're not left dreading a tear-jerker finish. He weaves humorous anecdotes in between flashbacks to Dutchie's last weeks of life. I found it so very real, and could identify with the anguish Breslin and his wife went through, when Dutchie was diagnosed with a terminal condition. I went through this with my beloved dog, and found myself crying by page 7. But then, Breslin would lift us with happy and funny stories of their lives together. Breslin perfectly describes how Dutchie seemed like a human member of the family, the child they never had, which also drove straight to my heart. And he wove that belief into all the chapters, without being sappy. It's not often that I say I could read a book again, but this one I could.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I avoid dog books because of the inevitable ending. This book starts with the loss and then weaves together 12 beautiful years with a very special black lab who changed his outlook on life and freed him from addictions. Although I couldn't identify with alcoholism, I was right with him on fears and anxiety and how much they isolate and bind us. Miss Dutchie herself was, like all my dogs have been, pure joy. I thought the author's method prepared me for the ending, but there I was, deeply moved and crying. I've never done that before with a book, but Miss Dutchie was that wonderful, and Ed Breslin that endearing a person. And of course, aren't we also crying for every dog we ever loved and loved us back so perfectly.

[Johnvano · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Drinking with Miss Dutchie" is basically about getting a dog, fearing the dog's death, and watching the dog die. And because of the manner in which the author chooses to tell the story, the dog dies three or four times because he jumps around in time so much.

Breslin pours incredible powers into the dog's disapproving stare--getting him to give up drinking, believe in AA (a little), and improve his marriage. The author doesn't believe in God much, but boy can that little dog move mountains! There are a few winning moments - his adjustments to the puppy, his inner demons and disappointments, but the book is so stuck in the tedium and minutiae of his thoughts it bores and overplays even the best parts. This should have been a nice essay in Esquire or The Sunday Times, not a book!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book at a Goodreads giveaway, and I really enjoy the book so much that I reviewed it before I even finished it. The owner of Dutchie fell in love with his dog and had helped him throughout his life. I was already beginning to read about the first night with Dutchie, and I was already laughing and crying about the way Dutchie acted and the owner acted. This book made me realize how much I had missed having a pet and the wonderfulness of having someone to love you and comfort you in your times of need.

While reading this book I found more funny and touching moments and I definitely recommend that you read this novel, especially if you own a pet.

[Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book which I won this book from the Goodread Giveaways. I love dogs and have two family members that my husband and I call our "dog"ters. I love reading about people who treat their animal family the same way that we do--This memoir was definitely just that. I enjoyed reading about the role that Miss Dutchie played in Ed and Lynns lives but at times felt like the story went off on tangents and also repeated the same thing over in new words. None the less, I felt what the author was writing and the personal connection I have with my own "dog"ters played at my emotions as I read.

[Faye howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book in a give-away through Goodreads. Thanks! I would have rated this book with 2 1/2 stars
The frist part of the book caught my interest right away and I thought I would not be able to put it down. I love dogs and had a black Labrador retriever for many years and I could relate to many things the author told about his dog.
However, I started to lose interest as the author, Ed Breslin, got more into his own life and problems and less and less about his dog, Miss Dutchie.
The end of the book caught my interest again as the author got back into talking about Dutchie and then about the possibility of adopting a new puppy.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. In writing a memoir of his beloved dog, the author also relives his struggle with alcoholism through the years. Parts of the book were good, but there was so much skipping around in time, from the present (post-Dutchie) to the far past (before he got her), to various years in Dutchie's life (12 yrs) but all mixed up in time. It took me most of the book to figure out where in there he'd become sober, though he claims Dutchie was an influence on him. I admire him for his commitment to AA and staying off alcohol but his attempt at showing what an addict goes through fell somewhat short in this book.

[Debbie Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written as a memoir, this book discusses the positive influence that a pet can have on the lives of its owner or owners. In this case, it's Dutchie a female black lab with an unparalleled zest for life and the outdoors. Through her lifespan of 12 years Dutchie helped her master to conquer his alcoholism and temper his depression, just by being Dutchie. This book takes you through Dutchie's life with the Breslin's a miidle-aged childless couple from infancy to the difficult decision to euthanize her, how their pet changed their lives. As a dog lover, I can recommend this book even though it made me cry.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won this in a Goodreads giveaway and just started it. So far so good, even though my heart is freshly lacerated by the tale of Ed Breslin losing his dog Miss Dutchy (not a spoiler - he tells us this right at the beginning).

Just finished. Anyone who has ever lost a well loved pet will relate. Not sure it's for eveyone though. I hesitate to reccomend it to my husband, who sobbed through Marley and Me and didn't watch the ending.

I like how open the writer is. He tells us all about depression and alcoholism in additiopn to his story of how loving Miss Dutchie saved him.

[Madae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dutchie is a black labrador who changes Ed Breslin's life in many ways. She helps him conquer his long battles with alcohol addiction and chronic depression. Her exuberance for life changed Ed's own attitude and charms you as your read about her antics. I'd give this book 4 stars for any of the chapters which focus more on Dutchie and 3 for the darker times where Ed Breslin talks about his struggles.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to fall in love with this book. There was personal struggle and tragedy, a loving relationship and a dog. But there was too much self-pity and self-realization that was only loosely connected to Dutchie. The writing was too rambling, too unconnected. And where was she from year 1 to year 12?

I'm certain the author and his dog had a beautiful bond, and I'm sure Dutchie was the catalyst for self-realization and sobriety. Sometimes you need more than emotion to carry the writing.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I analyzed this book for a memoir editing class I took recently. The writing, dialogue, switching back and forth in time, and scene description are really excellent, and it gives a really heart-warming description of the impact a dog can have on one's life. However, some of the details about other writers (that no one has likely heard of) or the author's personal life stray a bit far from the main attraction of the book, but if you can get past those, this is really a lovely little read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breslin gives a moving tribute to the dog that saved him from himself and his drinking. Miss Dutchie is sketched out thoroughly and must have been a wonderful creature. The book drags slightly towards the end during the processing of her death (we outlive our pets - it's not a spoiler but a fact of life), but it's a worthwhile read, especially for dog lovers.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have already laughed,cried,and felt the authors pain.
Drinking With Miss Dutchie definitely touches not only dog lovers but anyone who has struggled with alcoholism,depression,or workaholism. Or known someone that has had problems with the life-altering issues.

The book is not one I would normally read but I am definitely a fan of memoirs now!

Thanks to the Goodreads giveaway (: