Tweak by Nic Sheff

So I just finished this one last night. If you've ever felt the temptation to try drugs read this book. It will totally turn you off the idea. Nic Sheff went through solid hell with his meth addiction and he tells us all about it in his memoir Tweak. From homelessness to starvation to much worse things he tells a brutally honest tale of hitting the bottom more than once. His father wrote a companion book called Beautiful Boy which I haven't read but which presumably tells his side of the story.

Nic's story is inspirational but very graphic in many ways...violence, sex, drug use (duh) and it is a nonfiction memoir so this is true stuff. Just something to be aware of when you pick it up.

Theories of Relativity by Barbara Haworth-Attard

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be homeless? How would you survive? How would you eat? Would you sleep? Would you keep to yourself or try to meet other people like you...street people? Would you beg? Dylan was thrown out of his house by his mother who thought that he got in the way of her new boyfriend. All of a sudden his hectic life with his mom and his two brothers is a haven that he cannot turn to. He's living on the streets. Every second of every day and every night he is making decisions...big decisions like where to go for his next meal and whether or not he should try to sleep. The author has written a fast-paced and very believable novel full of memorable characters: Dylan; Jenna, the homeless girl he's in love with; Amber, the prostitute who becomes his friend; and Vulture, who preys on everyone who lives on the street. You won't regret reading this book! Till next time! -Suzanne

Gansta Rap by Benjamin Zephaniah

I read this book on a recommendation from a fellow reader (like I so often do) and I wasn't disappointed. Gansta Rap tells the story of Ray (a.k.a. X-Ray-X). He's having trouble at school and trouble at home. He and his two best friends, Prem and Tyrone, end up getting kicked out of school permanently. Luckily, they are given the option to attend a special vocational type school that gives them an outlet for their musical talents and ultimately launches them into stardom. Set in England, music lovers and British fiction lovers alike will enjoy Gangsta Rap. Till next time! -Suzanne