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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Outrun in Books

Sep 23, 2017  
The Outrun
The Outrun
Amy Liptrot | 2016 | Biography
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An important read, but a little haphazard
Dealing with an addiction is no mean feat, it's an illness as Amy Liptrot explains in this memoir where she battles alcoholism. Some of the incidents are truly horrifying, not because of 'what she does to herself', but more so what the illness does to her and as a result her life spirals downwards. And while that part I can truly engage with, the random long explanations about her newfound passions for astronomy, sea and bird life seems to go off in a tangent.

You can definitely recognise her addictive personality manifesting in new hobbies, and obsessing in the same way. And at least that's healthier, but as a reader, I seemed to lose concentration on her rural lifestyle. Very good insight into mental health and addiction though.
  
I have no idea why I wanted to read this book, but the curiosity bug hit me. It brought back some memories for me watching my own sister deal with heroin issues, addiction issues because of wanting to numb herself. Surprisingly, I was not disturbed reading the accounts of Nikki Sixx's journey through addiction, maybe because I lived this life, not as a rock star who gets everything he wants. More as, the by stander watching someone she loves go through the pits of hell so they can hide from the core of what is destroying them. I feel a sense of awe and respect for the man who has much strength to keep himself away from his vices and focus it on his zeal for his family and projects he creates.
  
Traffic (2001)
Traffic (2001)
2001 | Drama
A complex and ambitious movie documenting several interconnected stories about the drug trade. Steven Soderbergh’s style is almost documentary like (plenty of shaky cam) and I liked his use of blue and yellow filters illustrating the different stories . Personally I found the film a bit overlong and some of the cartel storyline a bit draggy and convoluted. The film is more successful when showing the human side of drug addiction and I particularly enjoyed the storyline documenting the daughter of a senior politician tasked with tackling drug trafficking descending into addiction. Michael Douglas performance here was excellent and quite moving and definitely the standout amongst the ensemble cast. So a very impressive movie for its scope and scale, not all of it works but what does works very well.
  
BF
Breaking Faith
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest (not necessarily positive) review.

It feels weird to say I enjoyed this book due to its subject matter, but I did. It's a very good perspective on just what it means to deal with addiction, from growing up with it due to a family member being involved in drugs to getting dragged down into it yourself.

I will agree with a few other reviewers that the beginning does seem to drag a little bit, as there's a lot of time spent describing her elementary school years, but it's necessary to show what the girls went through dealing with their mom and her addiction and the fallout from all of that. It really picks up after that as we're focusing more on Faith's issues from that point on rather than her mom's, and I was pulled into her story.

While getting my Master's in Forensic Psychology, I had to study addiction of all types, including drugs, and I found this to be a very accurate representation of what it's like to grow up with it, deal with it firsthand, and try to bring yourself out of it.

Very interesting read!

5 stars
  
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F3fy (6 KP) rated The Dirt (2019) in Movies

Mar 31, 2019  
The Dirt (2019)
The Dirt (2019)
2019 | Biography, Music
Actors (0 more)
It's more about the individual lives than the whole group itself. (1 more)
The Ozzy part...no please...
I'm sure the book (I shall definitely read it) is going through all the details of the components' life, and it is important to show their experiences in order to understand their music....but which music? It is only about showing the craziness and their drugs and alcohol addiction.
  
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Tracey Thorn recommended Lady Sings The Blues in Books (curated)

 
Lady Sings The Blues
Lady Sings The Blues
Billie Holiday | 2021 | Biography, Music & Dance
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I read this at the same time as I discovered her music. It’s very shocking, full of sexual abuse, drug addiction, violence, and racism, and opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn’t known about or understood. It made me realize where songs like Strange Fruit had come from. The rawness of those songs had their roots in a devastating history of life experience."

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