Substance Abuse

Fiction  \  Nonfiction

FICTION

Bridges, Sue Ellen.  PERMANENT CONNECTIONS.
This is the story of a young, middle-class 17 year old boy who lives with his family in Montclair, NJ.  Because he is unable to deal with the strong criticism of his father and is unable to communicate openly with his family, Rob floats through school staying high most of the time to avoid conflicts and confrontations.

Bunting, Eve.  A SUDDEN SILENCE.
Life for Jesse has always been tough since his little brother, Bryan, is deaf.  Things get a whole lot tougher when Bryan is killed in a hit-and-run accident involving a drunk driver - Jesse heard the car and barely jumped to safety, Bryan did not.  Jesse and Chloe, Bryan's girlfriend, decide to find this person so that justice may be served.  During their pursuit, they learn about alcoholism, grief, guilt, and our legal system.

Carter, Alden R.  UP COUNTRY.
Carl is doing his best to make something of himself in spite of his alcoholic mother and his involvement with stolen car stereos.  He studies hard, hoping to be valedictorian of his class, so he can earn a college scholarship which will take him out of his miserable home life.  Unfortunately, his mother messes that up when she is arrested for DWI, and he is placed in the care of an aunt and uncle who live nowhere near his school district.

Childress, Alice.  A HERO AIN'T NOTHING BUT A SANDWICH.
This novel centers around a 13 year old drug addict from a New York ghetto.  Each chapter is a first person account by various friends, family members, teachers and pushers who know Benjie.  Although it is written in black dialect and includes a lot of profanity, it is easy to understand and has a powerful message.

Chlovechok, James D.   Game face : a novel.
Game Face is the name of a secret performance-enhancing drug.  It provices something that no other chemical can:  a mental edge.  But what if people start dropping dead?

Fox, Paula.  THE MOONLIGHT MAN.
15 year old Catherine becomes confused during a visit with her father, a man she has never really known or understood since her parents' divorce.  Soon she discovers that alcohol is directing his life and messing things up.  During the day he is a sensitive, fun, caring father, but at night, he is a drunken, delirious stranger.

Greene, Sheppard M.  THE BOY WHO DRANK TOO MUCH.
This novel is narrated by a 9th grade boy whose name is never mentioned in the story.  The narrator befriends Buff Saunders, a new kid at school, and the two boys play on the school's hockey team.  Buff's story is a realistic and dramatic portrayal of a young man torn by alcoholism and the conflicting demands of his alcoholic, abusive father, hockey, and his own values.

Hinton, S. E.  THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW.
Bryon and Mark have been best friends since childhood and have loved each other as brothers.  As teenagers, they begin to develop separate identities and each is painfully aware that they are growing apart.  Life on the wrong side of town dished them both unfair servings of violence and poverty.  Bryon doesn't want to fight anymore, especially after meeting Cathy, but Mark still thinks that pay backs are a part of life.  When Bryon discovers that Mark is selling drugs to make money, he realizes the oneness they experiences was a thing of the past.  Bryon must make a decision which will determine Mark's future.

Kehret, Peg.  CAGES.
Being raised by an alcoholic stepfather has its negative effects on Kit.  After being caught shoplifting, Kit is ordered to perform community service as part of her sentence.  Kit helps in an animal shelter where she learns some things that only animals can teach a persons.

Keizer, Garret.  God of beer.
To complete a class assignment at his high school in rural Vermont, Kyle and his friends Quake and Diana do a social protest project involving alcohol.

Levy, Marilyn.TOUCHING.
Eve's father is an alcoholic, and her mother deserted the family to become a "porno queen."  Her father is generally OK when he is sober, but life gets pretty intolerable when he's drunk.  Eve keeps a duffel bag packed so she can go and stay at a friend's house during particularly rough times.  Things get really volatile when Eve gets cast in the school play, a previous interest of her mother, that infuriates her father.  The night her father, in a drunken stupor, mistakes her for her mother and approaches her is the night that Eve decides to leave for good.

McDonell, Nick.Twelve : a novel.
A young drug dealer chronicles a week in the lives of several bored, rich Manhattan teens who entertain themselves with drugs and sex while their parents vacation overseas, which culminates in a brutally violent New Year's Eve party.

Myers, Walter Dean.The beast.
A visit to his Harlem neighborhood and the discovery that the girl he loves is using drugs give 16-year-old Anthony Witherspoon a new perspective both on his home and on his life at a Connecticut prep school.

Paulsen, Gary.  DANCING CARL.
Carl, a worn-out veteran of WW II, returns to McKinley, MN, with a drinking problem.  He gets a job tending the town's skating rink that two particular 12 year olds, Willy and Marsh, frequent.  The boys observe Carl's drinking behavior and the effects his drinking has on others.

Peck, Richard.  PRINCESS ASHLEY.
Chelsea is not too thrilled about going to a new high school, nor is she pleased that her mother has taken a job as the school's guidance counselor but under her maiden name.  Things look up for Chelsea when Ashley, the most in-girl at school, decides to take Chelsea under her wing.  Despite her mother's strong objections to their friendship, Chelsea continues to socialize with that crowd until she experiences a rude awakening.

Scoppettone, Sandra.  THE LATE GREAT ME.
Geri Peters, and insecure 17 year old, tries to solve her problems of being nobody by becoming an alcoholic. In the story, Geri describes her eventual journey to alcoholism and some of the pressures that prompted her to take that route.