Review of The Last Stop

[Lisa Thomason]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Last Stop" by Patricia Street.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Last Stop is a memoir of Patricia Street's experiences with her drug-addicted son. In this moving story she includes her feelings and experiences, as well as excerpts from her son's Facebook posts and his journals. David, the author's son, is addicted to heroin. As his journey as an addict unfolds, we are brought into his life and the struggles. This disease not only affects the user, but also the family. As David's life story of addiction unfolds, it is riddle with time spent in treatment centers and jail. It was very interesting to watch the cycles happen in his life. David would go from being apologetic and remorseful, to being beligerent and angry, with everyone. He participated in dangerous and unlawful activities, hence his time in jail. As David tried to set his life on the right course, his wife and his mother tried to help him and therefore, their lives were impacted as well. As everyone in David's life tries to help him, does he finally get sober and stay that way? What is the final impact of addiction in David's life?

There are so many things I liked about this book. The author shares such insight into the family struggles when one member is an addict. All that they go through at the different stages of addiction, was truly eye-opening. The format of the chapters showed exactly when the author was sharing what David had written. At the end of the book in Part II, you find his short stories and writings. Through his writings, I could see the cycle of his addiction.

My dislikes for The Last Stop were non-existent. This book was well-written and without errors. I found it very easy to be captivated by her story. The ending part of The Last Stop was very well done. The compilation of David's writings was brilliant.

I give this enlightening memoir of an addict's life a four out of four stars. It was very enjoyable to read. The author opened up her life and shared her struggles of being a mother of an addict, as well as sharing about David's life and struggles. There are no grammatical errors which shows a professional editing job.

The recommendation of the audience for this book would be for everyone. This was very helpful to read what worked and what didn't, as far as the family members of an addict adjust. I have alcoholics in my family and I was intrigued by reading this as I was thinking about my family struggles.

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The Last Stop
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