David sheff detailed the struggle of dealing with his son nics methamphetamine addiction in his 2008 memoirs. Publishers weekly this is a brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating book, full of beautiful moments and hardfought wisdom. The book grew out of the article my addicted son that sheff had written for the new york times magazine in 2005. Beautiful boy author, son to share familys struggles. Germaine greer is hardly a stranger to controversy, but her 2003 book the boy is outrageously provocative even by her standards. A brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating story, full of beautiful moments and hardwon wisdom. The book title comes from the 1980 john lennon song beautiful boy darling boy.
Its recently been adapted into a film starring timothee chalamet and steve carell. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading beautiful boy. The book grew out of the article my addicted son that sheff had written for the new york times. Library journal starred those of us who love an addict or are addicts ourselves will find beautiful boy a revelation. Beautiful boy was a book written by david sheff about his son struggling with addiction.
Whether nic will recover remains an open question at the book s end, which offers a glimmer of hope, but no promises and no easy answers. Beautiful boy by david sheff discussion guide part one. For one thing, it is one of the rare books selected for sale by. Beautiful boy may have inherited its name from david sheffs memoir, but the film is also based on nic sheffs own retelling of his addiction, a book titled tweak. They made a movie out of it, starring steve carrell. From as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on nic sheffs string.
This book will save a lot of lives and heal a lot of hearts. Beautiful boy book by david sheff official publisher page simon. A fathers journey through his sons addiction paperback january 6, 2009. David sheff from as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on nic sheffs string.
I had not heard about this book until i went to the movies a few weeks ago and saw the trailer for. Addiction memoirs often illustrate this same definition of insanityyet the genre itself remains so addictive that readers keep hoping to discover something new. Beautiful boy summary and analysis buy from amazon. David sheff knows all too well what must be endured with faith, and his extraordinary book describes it better. Beautiful boy is based on a book by the reallife david sheff. Van groeningen and his cowriter, luke davies, have interwoven the memoirs in some interesting.
There are reasons to hope that david sheffs beautiful boy will be exceptional. Beautiful boy photographs and text by lissa rivera. On the subway one evening, my friend shared that he had worn womens clothing almost exclusively in college, but after graduation struggled to navigate a world that seemed both. David sheff is the author of beautiful boy, published in 2008. Part iii whatever of david sheffs book beautiful boy addresses the authors attempt to get his son, nic, into a treatment program. Beautiful boy is based on a book by the reallife david. Beautiful boy is an ongoing series of photographs of my romantic partner. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Beautiful boy author, son to share familys struggles with addiction at brookfield event.
So much of this story brings me back to our life on his roller coaster. Soon after the books were published, nic and i were contacted by a movie producer asking if the film rights were available. Nic and david, who together have authored a new book titled high, sit down on. Hurry up and read the book, beautiful boy, the email from my mother read. Nics hostility towards his father is palpable, as is davids helplessness in the situation. Beautiful boy summary and analysis free book notes. Nic sheffs meth addiction and his familys efforts to get him help are the subject of the 2018 film. Beautiful boy 2018 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Nic sheff and david sheff discuss beautiful boy and recount. The rawness of the film, mixed with the undying love between father steve carell and son timothee chalamet sets it up as a moving masterpiece that is unforgettable. A fathers journey through his sons addiction by david sheff 59,051 ratings, 4. This book is going to save a lot of lives, and help heal a lot of hearts. Freebooknotes found 12 sites with book summaries or analysis of beautiful boy. An honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in the meth epidemic.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Sheff and his wife vicki are overjoyed when they have their son, nic. Beautiful boy is a harrowing, eyeopening, and beautiful true story. Sheff added some of the warm, fuzzy dailiness of family life to an otherwise stark portrait both beautiful boy and tweak describe rituals like. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Until then i didnt know how ubiquitous addiction is and i decided to expand the times article into a book, which i called beautiful boy.
Both men are writersdavid sheff is a longtime journalistand individual details give their tale a rich specificity. At the end of the beautiful boy book, he noted nic had been sober for a year, and. Beautiful boy a fathers journey through his sons meth addiction by. A fathers journey through his sons addiction and nics tweak. This 54page guide for beautiful boy by david sheff includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 25 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. A story of addiction told through the eyes of a father, a familys struggle driven by fear, heartache, determination, hope and unconditional love. This book may do a better job at capturing the attention of readers who are parents themselves or have a family member or friend who suffers from addiction. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. The book was based on his article, my addicted son, which appeared in the new york times magazine. Beautiful boy is a punishing tale of addiction the. If there is a beautiful boy sparknotes, shmoop guide, or cliff notes, you can find a link to each study guide below. Bright and athletic, he excelled in any setting and appeared destined for greatness.
She describes it as an attempt to reclaim womens visual pleasure in the contemplation of male beauty, but its the youth of the males in question that aroused the ire of the selfappointed guardians of public morality. Beautiful boy, starring steve carell and timothee chalamet. Beautiful boy is a memoir written by david sheff about his experiences as he tried to save his teenage son from drug addiction. It was published by houghton mifflin on february 26, 2008. Thank you for sharing and expressing some moments that are so hard to articulate to those unaffected by an addict. This study guide consists of approximately 36 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of beautiful boy.
It is being published concurrently with beautiful boy, though its not a starbucks book selection. Published in 2008, david sheffs memoir, beautiful boy, explores his experiences of coming to terms with his sons addiction to methamphetamine. Beautiful boy was an incredibly informative reading experience for me personally. The title of the book alone holds a key hint to a major theme. A discussion guide for families beautiful boy is a powerful, poignant and heartbreaking film, combining the memoirs of david sheff and his son, nic sheff. Anne lamott when one of us tells the truth, he makes it easier for all of us to open our hearts to our own pain and that of others. Sir richard branson those of us who love an addictor are addicts ourselveswill find beautiful boy a revelation. No child benefits from the bitterness and savagery of a divorce like ours. This book is a memoir written by writer and journalist david sheff. Publishers weekly an excellent book that all parents can relate to whatever their childrens situation. Nics version is rougher, slangier and more in keeping with his literary tastes, which favor baudelaire, rimbaud, camus and bukowski. The article won a special award from the american psychological association for outstanding contribution to the understanding of addiction. Nic and david, who together have authored a new book titled high, sit down. Based on the bestselling pair of memoirs from father and son david and nic sheff, beautiful boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse.
A fathers journey through his sons addiction, was written by david sheff, and. It chronicles his experience as parent whose child became addicted to. I found myself holding my breath throughout the book and anxious to hear how or if nick survived. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. A fathers journey through his sons addiction kindle edition by sheff, david. The movie is based in part on david sheffs book beautiful boy. His drug of choice this book covers the time frame from when nic was a baby to an addicted, young adult. Nic sheff and david sheff discuss beautiful boy and. A fathers journey through his sons addiction is a touching 2008 memoir from journalist david sheff immediately. His writing has appeared in the new york times, the new york times magazine, rolling stone, playboy, wired, and many other publications. With a new afterwordnow a major motion picturewhat had happene. Beautiful boy is based on a book two books, actually.