Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man: A Memoir

Bill Clegg had a thriving business as a literary agent, a supportive partner, trusting colleagues, and loving friends when he walked away from his world and embarked on a two-month crack binge. He had been released from rehab nine months earlier, and his relapse would cost him his home, his money, his career, and very nearly his life.

What is it that leads an exceptional young mind want to disappear? Clegg makes stunningly clear the attraction of the drug that had him in its thrall, capturing in scene after scene the drama, tension, and paranoiac nightmare of a secret life -- and the exhilarating bliss that came again and again until it was eclipsed almost entirely by doom. He also explores the shape of addiction, how its pattern -- not its cause -- can be traced to the past.

Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man is an utterly compelling narrative -- lyrical, irresistible, harsh, honest, and beautifully written -- from which you simply cannot look away.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Published: 08/08/2011
ISBN: 9780316054669
Pages: 222
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.22h x 5.60w x 0.70d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 09/18/2011 pg. 32