¶ … Beautiful Boy by Sheff As a seasoned journalist and New York Times bestselling author, David Sheff is undoubtedly accustomed to covering stories both triumphant and tragic, which makes the haunting detachment which resonates throughout the Introduction section of his acclaimed work of nonfiction Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction both compelling and confounding. In describing the slow descent into methamphetamine addiction suffered by his son Nic, combining both a journalist's analytical approach to the issue of drug abuse and a parent's lamentable concern over a problem decidedly out his control, Sheff provides a startling glimpse into the havoc that chemical dependency can wreak on the average family unit. By immediately...

The subsequent episodes of deception and subterfuge, in which Nic uses the guise of AA meetings to conceal the activities associated with his relapse, are included be Sheff to further emphasize the betrayal and breach of trust which becomes so commonplace for parents struggling to cope with a child's ongoing addiction. The Introduction section of Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction is constructed perfectly by…