Believarexic

 

Jennifer Johnson, age 15. Bulimarexic. Possible alcoholic. 

How do you go through your life without any happy, helium balloons like everyone else has? Jennifer takes us on her journey in the Eating Disorder Unit (EDU) of a hospital. Told through a journal type setting, Jennifer shows us all of the ups and downs of a mental hospital. She can't pee without someone standing in the doorway, her shared bedroom door doesn't close all the way, she must eat everything on her breakfast and lunch tray whether she likes it or not. The privacy in a facility like this is slim to none. The nurses don't trust you, the doctor's don't listen, and all of the Overeater Anonymous (OA) programs are led by patients themselves! Family therapy meetings are always disastrous and finding friends is even harder when there is no one to trust. Struggling with a disease or disorder like this is tough no matter who you are. At 15, Jennifer actually knew she had a problem and wanted to get help right away. I was blown away by this "autobiographical memoir" as author J.J. Johnson puts it. I love, love, loved reading this! 

To learn more about Jennifer Johnson, check out her website: http://www.believarexic.com/

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with another wonderful read!!

Mark your calendars, Believarexic comes out October 1st!

The Heroin Diaries

I don't know why I haven't posted this on my blog yet, but I absolutely needed to. The Heroin Diaries is written by Motley Crue bassist, Nikki Sixx. Nowadays, Nikki Sixx is a radio show host, and one of my absolute favorite people. But during his rocker days, he was addicted to heroin, drinking, and every other drug he could get his hands on. Written as a journal, kept up with as he was doing drugs, The Heroin Diaries is an eye-opener into the world of living the crazy rockstar life. Girls threw themselves at him, fancy hotels were the norm, and parties were always outrageous. Drugs were not hard for the Crue to find, especially with the large quantities they were buying. The way Nikki Sixx tells his story is amazing. From the random rants that seemingly mean nothing, to lyrics of some of Motley Crue's most famous songs, to late night hookups, to shooting heroin into places that should just be kept private. All of his journal entries mean something. It all teaches reader's a lesson; while the rockstar life may seem glamorous, it's not all fun and games. Real life catches up to you sometime.

Looking for other books by Nikki Sixx?

The First 21

Looking for other books by Motley Crue Members?

Tommyland

Looking for other books featuring Motley Crue?

Life on Planet Rock

Uglies

Tally Youngblood is on a mission to become pretty. She wants to live in New Pretty Town, wants to see Peris again, and most of all she doesn't want to be ugly for the next 3 months. Friendless Tally played an ugly trick and snuck into New Pretty Town to see Peris. Seconds away from getting caught, Tally journeys back to Uglyville and meets her new best friend Shay. Everything about Shay is wonderful. She hoverboards and plays uglies tricks, AND has the same birthday as Tally. Days before their birthday and their pretty operation, Shay talks about running away to The Smoke to be with David. The entire conversation hits Tally as wrong, who wouldn't want to be pretty? Shay runs away and Tally continues her ugly (almost pretty) life only to be stopped by the Special Circumstances to be recruited as a spy in The Smoke. How could she ruin things for her new friends? Especially everything she learns about the operation..... Tally needs help, she needs David, she needs Shay, and she needs to be pretty.

Looking for the rest of the saga?
Pretties (Uglies Saga #2)

Looking for other books by Scott Westerfeld?
Afterworlds

Kill the Silence

Monika Kørra: Norwegian cross-country and track star, previously studied at Southern Methodist University, currently a rape survivor. In Kill the Silence, Monika tells the story of a night out gone wrong. She was kidnapped at gunpoint and raped by three men in a black SUV. How exactly does someone get kidnaped when everyone is watching? Monika tells us the horrors she spent with The Worst One, The Weak One, and The Boss driving around Dallas as she's being raped, held at gunpoint, and wondering what's going to happen to her. This story is her way of bringing rape culture to the eyes of society. She does not want to be known as a victim, but as a survivor. We spend almost three years in Monika's daily life; her struggles with school, her friendships, her relationships, and her time as Jessica December Watkins. She takes us behind the scenes of the court room walls, her therapy sessions, and even how she gets her life back on track. This tell all memoir took courage to bring rape out into the open. Monika Kørra is now an advocate for rape victims through Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center's volunteer program and has also started the Monika Korra Foundation

A special thank you to NetGalley for providing me with yet another brilliant read!

Mark your calendars, Kill the Silence comes out August 25th 2015!

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines

Nic Sheff has struggled with addiction since he was a teenager. He's experimented with everything from marijuana, ecstasy, crack, cocaine, heroin, and crystal meth. In Tweak, Nic tells his story of battling addiction and the endless cycle of drug usage. Told in a diary like form, we learn first hand the effects his insane drug usage has on himself and his family. Drugs give him a high that he "needs" to deal with his every day life. He's fresh out of rehab in the beginning of the book until he meets back up with Lauren and starts the cycle all over again. The entire novel Nic ruining his life, cleaning up, ruining his life, and getting help again and again and again. I was so excited to read Tweak, but it took me much too long to even place myself in Nic's shoes. The drugs made him sound so pitiful and empty. But the time he spends in rehab doesn't sound much better. I will say Nic's story definitely depicts what it is like to have an addiction, but the underlying issues of his life make it harder to understand exactly why he wrote Tweak for us.

 

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, get help.

To keep up with Nic Sheff, follow his blog The Fix.