Tweak

Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines

by Nic Sheff

Ginee Seo Books, 2007

ISBN 1416913629

336 pages

3 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Nic Sheff grew up in California. His parents divorced when he was young and he lived the majority of his time with his dad. His dad treated him like an adult and took him everywhere with him. Nic was exposed to drugs, sex, violence at a very young age. By the time he was twelve he had started drinking, smoking and trying drugs.

When he went off to college he really became addicted and his life began to be out of control. Nic went through many cycles of sobriety and relapse. He lied, stole, broke into family's home, prostituted, etc. At one point in his early twenties he was diagnosed as being rapid cycle bipolar.

The book concludes with Nic having been sober for one year and living in the southern part of the United States. The book was published in 2007. I hope Nic is still sober.

Critical Evaluation

This was a very difficult book to listen to. (I listened to it as an eaudiobook). There is a lot of swearing, much more swearing than I prefer to listen to. There was some descriptive details about doing the drugs. There was also a lot of sex but no descriptive details.

I found myself alternating between feeling sorry for Nic and feeling frustrated with him. Sometimes I related to Nic. He talked alot about how difficult life is and I relate to that. But all of his behaviors made his life so much more difficult. Often I tried to think how I would feel as Nic's parents. That would be so hard. I know they loved him so much but time and again he hurt them. He would steal from them, lie to them, etc. Becoming involved with drugs very quickly ruins lives. It was amazing to listen to the descriptions of all that he put his body through. Not only were the drugs horrific to his body but injecting all those needles repeatedly into his body was damaging. And when he was in the middle of huge drug cycles he did not eat

or sleep so his body was wasting away. Nic was essentially killing himself.

Reader’s Annotation

Nic Sheff became addicted to drugs and cycled through drug abuse and sobriety over the course of many years.

Information about the author

Nic Sheff is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Still in his early twenties, he continues to fight daily battles with his addictions. His writing has been published in Newsweek, Nerve, and the San Francisco Chronicle. TWEAK is his first book.

http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/nic-sheff

Genre

memoir

Curriculum Ties

Drug abuse.

Booktalking Ideas

*What happens to your body when you get addicted to drugs? What happens to your life?

Reading Level

grade 10 and up.

Challenge Issues

Drugs, sex, swearing.

It is best to be prepared for a book challenge before it is challenged. It is important to read the book all the way through and to have read both positive and negative reviews of the book from professionals and teens as well. Be aware of the library’s collection policy. Also check for any awards the book may have won. It would be beneficial to see how other library’s may have handled challenges for this particular book in the past.

Why included?

I included this book because enjoy memoirs. Nic's father also wrote a book about Nic and this time in his life. It is called Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction by David Sheff. I have not yet read this book but plan to in the future.