4. The Night Of The Gun - David Carr
A regular columnist for the New York Times, David Carr was also a major crack addict - visiting the seediest and most dangerous crack houses in NYC to get his fixes. He uses his journalism skills to tell his story in a matter of fact way, although he does admit that his being alive today is a miracle. Among the challenges Carr faces are quitting dealing coke, and most importantly of all - trying to give up crack and gain custody of his premature born twins. He even develops Hodgkins Lymphoma. Just as he gets back on his feet, he decides that one drink won't harm him and soon he has another colossal addiction to deal with - an addiction to alcohol which landed him in prison several times, when all he wanted to be was a social drinker. David Carr writes in a very matter of fact way about really horrible things - such as the life of the junkie, continually on a hunt for the next fix. He describes the hell of addiction very eloquently and is careful not to take on grandiose proportions through the narrative. Nor does he inject it with any glamour. Being a crack fiend is bad enough, but Carr's problems when he was on drugs would drive anyone to the nearest bottle. Speaking of the bottle, Carr had to face a subsequent alcohol abuse problem after he conquered his crack and cocaine demons. All the way through the book, you will be rooting for Carr to beat his addictions and solve his personal problems. His unique perspective on addiction and his refusal to lie down and give up life altogether are highly refreshing in the genre of addiction memoirs.