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Addiction is arguably one of the
most debilitating diseases a person can have. This is because not only
does addiction destroy physical and mental health, it also tears apart
families and derails the intended path of a person’s life. These are
harsh lessons that BeBop discovers a little too late. The book begins
as the author is released from his second stint in a corrections
facility in Washington. Although he has earned his GED and two
associate’s degrees while behind bars, BeBop’s prospects are poor. He
decides to head south to San Francisco in hopes of a new start in life.
After arriving in his new town, the author’s life quickly spirals out
of control. He becomes addicted to crack cocaine. Although he finds
work, BeBop spends nearly all of his wages on drugs. For a while, it
seems that he manages to delude himself into thinking that he can
function well as a working addict, but addiction always comes at a
steep price.
This book is a rambling glimpse at the inner workings of recovering
addict’s brain. Readers who enjoy stream of consciousness narrations
will appreciate the author’s disorganized writing style and apparent
distrust of paragraph breaks, though the book needs the touch of a
professional editor. Explicit language is used throughout the story.
The strongest selling point is the poetry scattered throughout, which
the author composes more adeptly than his prose. Overall, BeBop’s life
story is compelling. The end of the book, in which he describes his
work toward recovery, is particularly engaging.