Hooked

November 1, 2013

Gr 7 Up-This informative title offers 10 compelling personal accounts of the impact of addiction on a family. The writers describe being in their teens trying to deal with the problems and hardships caused by their loved ones' addictions (alcohol, cocaine, gambling, prescription drugs, or work). As they look back, they offer advice, talk about their worries, and, most importantly, tell what they did to cope during the bad times. Each story, about 10 to 12 pages long, opens with a short introduction to the person and the situation. Only a first name is used. Any other personal information, such as age or family members, is revealed through the writers' own words. They all tell of their experiences and share their hopes and fears. Sidebars offer supplementary information such as defining "functioning alcoholic" and explaining behavior common to addicts or how drugs affect brain chemistry. Every story is unique, and not every ending is neat and tidy. Some family members could not control or even acknowledge their addictions. The book has a section of common questions and another that provides resources for help and advice in the U.S. and Canada. As teenagers, these individuals give voice to their own regrets, anger, depression, and the flood of emotions as they witness what addiction does to their parents or siblings. Readers will empathize with their troubles and may find help in dealing with their own situations.-June Shimonishi, Torrance Public Library, CA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2013
A collection of personal accounts from young people whose family members have struggled with a variety of addictions. Each chapter of this slim volume is a short, accessible personal narrative written from the point of view of someone who lived with addiction as a child. The stories are diverse, not only in the kinds of addictions represented (alcohol, gambling, various drugs), but also in the feelings and identities of the writers. The events and emotions in each chapter are straightforwardly told, with demarcated sections, such as "My mom, the middlewoman" and "How I coped." Short contextualizing interpolations ("Many addicts try to blame others--most often family members--for their behavior") are interspersed with the narratives in an easily distinguishable typeface. Peculiarly, the chapters are written in first person, but there are no biographies or other indications as to who the writers are outside the stories they tell. Aside from a brief foreword, an introductory personal account by children's author Robert Munsch, and a few pages of questions and answers with a professor of social work, little attempt is made at tying together the collection. The accounts are varied and honest enough that readers with addiction in their own families will likely find plenty to relate to, but a bit more context would have been helpful. (list of resources) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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