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Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines (by Nic Sheff)

common sense media says

Real addict offers honest, mature portrayal.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a very mature book: Nic shoots meth and heroin, drinks, smokes crack, and does an assortment of other substances. To support his drug habit, he tries dealing (in the past he's also been a hustler). Nic is honest about the toll drugs are having on his body -- also, he talks about his girlfriend's heroin overdose and saving her life with CPR. There are intense sex scenes in the book, as well as a series of disturbing characters (including an addict whose girlfriend nearly killed him by shooting him in the head, and a drug client who Nic catches in the middle of a bondage sex act).

Positive messages: Nic steals from his family, including his younger brother, lies, and even decides at one point to become a drug dealer. He also has been a male prostitute in order to support his habit. He also works hard to stop the cycle of addiction.
Violence: Nic and other addicts threaten violence when a customer underpays for his drugs (they go to his door with a knife and screwdriver). Nic also describes his girlfriend's overdose and also his own horrific arm infection that almost leads to amputation.
Sex: Nic graphically describes the sex he has with his girlfriends.
Language: Lots of mature talk. Readers will find all the biggies here.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Nic shoots meth and heroin, drinks, smokes crack, and does an assortment of other substances.

More on Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about books and movies that provide insight into life as a drug addict. Ask your kids: What other examples can you think of? What is the purpose of these stories -- especially when they are targeted to teens? Do you think they impact kids' choices? How so?

What's the story?

What's the story?
This gritty autobiography provides an honest look at a young man's relapse into drug use, his attempt at recovery, another relapse, and then another (more successful) rehab. Nic narrates his own story, and provides a blunt look at what he has done to score drugs (from stealing from his younger brother to prostituting himself). He uses flashbacks throughout the book, recalling both to his unorthodox childhood and to the ups and downs of his life as an addict. Ultimately he is able to put the pieces together so he can emerge as a complete adult.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Like Ellen Hopkins' popular Crank, this book demonstrates how addiction, especially addiction to meth amphetamine, is thoroughly destructive, not just to the user but to the family as well. Unlike Crank, though, which was written in verse and easy to read despite its grittiness, Sheff's book is thick and seems much more grounded in the adult world: He is 22, on his own, and has many friends who are much older, including the woman he wants to marry. This is ultimately a story about a young man "learning to stand on his own," but there is very little else that marks it for the young adult market.

All that aside, the writing is both raw and gripping. Readers will certainly get a sense of what it means to be an addict through this honest portrayal. And they will find themselves quickly feeling sorry for and frustrated with an increasingly desperate Nic. It's obvious that he has so much potential, but instead keeps choosing a life filled with drugs, dealing, occasional homelessness, creepy people, medical problems and more. Readers may not always relate to Nic's experiences, but they will be swept up in his seemingly endless cycle of addiction and recovery. And they will root for him to break it. In the end, teens will be touched by Nic's honesty -- and they will be exhausted.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Nic Sheff
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: February 5, 2008
Number of pages: 336
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 15
Read Alone: 15

This review was written by Kate Pavao
 
 

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What parents & educators say

15

Most useful reviews by all members

loserreader
teen, 17 years old
 
best book ever every teen( 12+) should read
when i picked this book up i was not quite sure wat to think about it but once i started to read it i got rapped up in i could not put it dont it was so greatly written, everyone saying that its iffy and wat not is crazy everyone over the age of 12 should have to read for school its amazing

meekamay3
teen, 18 years old
 

citykid96
teen, 15 years old
 
Amazing Book
People say this book shouldn't be read by young teens but people should also see how kids can learn from this. this kids i go to high school now are like Nic and are going down his road. Reading this could make a big impact on their lives.

tweaklover
teen, 14 years old
 
tweaklover
love ittttt!

NeverEverShout ...
teen, 17 years old
 
and eyeopenerr!?
all i can say is nic sheff is amazing he is inspiring the book is negitive at one point but gets very positive; he finds himself withought being high and its great it really is an eyeopener and it does kinda scare me; i will never do meth; and reading this book is one of the reasons.. [: GREAT!

Liz Perle
parent of 17 and 19 year old
 
Really tough stuff. Not for young teens.
This book absolutely requires that a parent dip into it before buying it for their teens. It's tough and raw and upsetting. And a parent will have to commit to discussing the subject matter and events with their kids to make sure that they focus on the message and not get lost in some of the more prurient details.

 
Powerful!
It really shouldn't be read by young teens. It goes into detail of the monster that is crystal meth addiction. Very powerful!

nic010
adult
 
I'm 17 years old and I read tweak for the first time and I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with Nic Sheff the first time I read his dad's book "Beautiful Boy" and they were also on the Oprah show and Nic was just a troubled teen like the majority of teens this generation. I believe that parents should not shelter their kids from what is really out there and preteens and teens should be more aware of their surroundings and how to prevent it. If I would have read this book when I was 13 it would have woken me up to what was happening to some of my fellow students and to have more sympathy for them. People who use drugs are usually not weird or social misfits it can be anyone that doesnt match up to the standard "druggie" profile. This book teaches various life lessons but it taught me to be more sympathetic to those who are suffering and don't feel like they will ever amount to anything. There is hope for everyone and sometimes it can be a little difficult to see that.

 
A book full of soul.
I read quite a lot and in the past few months haven't found anything very interesting. Within the first few sentences i was drawn into Nic's hopelessness. When he relapsed i felt desperate for him. The way he writes is real and insightful and not skimping on the details. Tweak is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. It is a heavy read and you must be emotionally mature to handle it. All i can say is amazing.

 
dull.
This book was horrible. I never even got past the middle of the book because it got too boring. Nic's Dad wrote a book from his point of view as well. If I ever finish Tweak I might by that one. But this book was just drugs drugs drugs and sex for like 400 pages.

 
You Will Freak Over Tweak
Tweak is just one of those books that draws you in from the start. Nic Sheff's experiece with drugs is a very interesting and yet horrific experience. The story is about the author Nic Sheff who relapses on Crystal Meth. He has many brutal and explicit experiences during his experiences on drugs. But i wont spoil the story. Nic Sheff has a very natural voice that is very easy to get use to. After a while you get a sense that you are in Nic's head. He is very graphic in his choice of words but it is just his way of being honest. His raw and yet realistice voice makes this book even more of a keeper. He is a great Author that fills in all the aspects of a memoir and then some. I think it is one of the best books I have ever read And I recomend this book to anyone who is curious to read it. But be warned that the graphic nature o the book must be taken into consideration. Overall it is top notch.

 
This book should be cello-sealed in stores ...and left there
When I picked up this book I thought it was going to start with the requisite sordid details and develop into a book of hope, personal redemption, etc but instead, I was shocked to find the graphic sex, drugs, violence, etc was still filling the pages when I gave up half way through. This book is x-rated and if anything will fasinate rather than instruct. The images leave one nauseous - sort of like the book on The Sharon Tate... Reading this book you have to wonder - is Nic still an addict!

 
yeah theres a lot of drugs and bad stuff but the point of the book is to explain how those thing negatively effected his life so i think in the end it's a good message to not do meth

 

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