Official Review: Anthony and Me : A Mother’s Memoir...

[Renu G]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Anthony and Me : A Mother’s Memoir on Her Son’s Drug Addiction" by Vincenzina Urzia.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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“You never know the true value of the moment until it becomes a memory.” Anthony and Me is authored by Vincenzina Urzia. It is a heart-wrenching memoir about losing her son who was addicted to drugs. It is a story that should conscientize parents and youth about this problem because it is difficult to bring it under control after it has already taken hold of the individual.

Anthony was the younger of two brothers. They were a happy family until he began doping with marijuana as a teenager. For the first two years, he got it free from his friend in the peer group. Later, he had to indulge in stealing and fighting with his mother for money to buy it. Sent to rehabilitation facilities, he would show improvement but soon fall back into the habit. The sorrowful mother was a victim of violence and compelled to obtain court orders to restrain her son when he grew older. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, the boy suffered from paranoia which aggravated his condition. Anthony became dependent on other drugs like ice that made him worse.

After an eleven-year ongoing battle, one day, the mother was shocked to see her son lying dead in his room. “Part of me died with him,” she writes. It felt like her soul was leaving her body. This was in March 2014. It is what saddened me the most while reading the book. Urzia then sought to fulfill his dream by publishing his poems. She also penned this book to keep his memory alive and send out a message to other mothers and sons. This is my favorite part of the story. Although her tone borders on lecturing, it emerges from deep within and cannot be ignored.

I do not wish to make a comment about the writer’s behavior as a mother. She was emotionally manipulated and feared being blamed for not being a good mother. This story is like every drug addict’s story. It has a familiar pattern. Like cancer, the problem needs to be controlled in the early stages. Prayer provided temporary relief to Anthony. However, he felt he didn’t belong; so, he stopped going to church. Urzia wants parents to tell their children that they are loved.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It contains a few typos. Through this memoir, a mother pours out her feelings and deserves to be heard in her own words. It is a story of failure in the battle against drug addiction. It does not contain solutions, but the author urges readers to prevent the problem by learning from her son’s story. It is recommended for youth and adults. Parents, grandparents, chaplains, teachers, counselors, and social workers may like to read it. Children need to keep away because of its disturbing contents.

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Anthony and Me : A Mother’s Memoir on Her Son’s Drug Addiction
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Like Renu G's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Juju15]

I like how you incorporated quotes from the book in your review, it adds the emotions we would feel while reading the story. I hope this story can prevente and help to inform the public about the problems around drugs and addictions. Thanks for your review

[kandscreeley]

I'm so sorry about the author's loss of her son. Addiction is a subject that is important to discuss. I hope the author was able to get some kind of closure through this book. I don't think it's one I'll pick up, but I appreciate your review.

[Julie Petitbon]

What a devastatingly sad story. I can't imagine the fear and loss that this mother must feel. Addiction is important to talk about - the successes and the failures. This woman is very brave for sharing her story. Thank you for your thoughtful review.

[Janalyn101]

This sounds like a very heartfelt book about the loss of your child to drive addiction then the complete loss of your child to death. Sometimes it is not easy to understand how a mother can still learn her manipulative drug addicted child, but you have to be in that situation to understand. Your review is very comprehensive and shows the respect this book and gave you for the mother and her loss son Anthony. It was a very good review