Review: Inspiring Memoir of Addiction and Determination
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2013
"Courage to Surrender" is part memoir, part confessional, and all inspiring. It tracks the life of John W. and his struggles with addiction, both to drugs and alcohol, and the toll that addiction takes on his personal and professional life. Though John spent 33 years trapped in a cycle of addiction, he's written his memoir to show that he did successfully break out of it and that others can, too.The memoir takes us back to John's childhood, where he has his first beer at the age of eight, in his idyllic, all-American hometown. He struggles with feeling like an outsider and can't ever quite earn his father's approval, and though his mom warns him of the alcohol in his family, eventually he turns to it as a crutch and a way to ease the stress of social situations. From there, "Courage to Surrender" follows John through his college years, his marriage, and the disintegration of his family life as both he and his wife (who has a cocaine addiction) spiral out of control.This memoir was different from anything I've picked up before, and I enjoyed it. John W. tells his story simply but with interesting detail, and the way he expresses the shame and humiliation that comes along with being an alcoholic (and the things he could and could not remember doing, one of which left him naked on a golf course) is very impactful. My heart broke for him, his children, and even his wife, who comes off as much more of a villain in the memoir (her coke addiction leads her to abandon her children and live the life of a junkie on the street). However, the ending is ultimately uplifting--with the help of AA, he managed to turn his life around and stay sober. I think this memoir will be very inspiring to those struggling to overcome any sort of addiction, and may also be a comfort and aid to those who love someone who struggles with addiction.