Review of Pain Killer Brain Killer
Posted: 08 Nov 2024, 23:49
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Pain Killer Brain Killer" by James Powers II.]
"I remember how amazing it felt when that evil snake called opioids hit my bloodstream and traveled its way to the dopamine bullseye center" (7). This is just one of the many vivid descriptions in Pain Killer Brain Killer, a memoir by James Powers II about the chokehold of addiction. The author, or Jimmy as he is referred to, details the fateful car accident he is in and how his first prescription for Percocet leads to addiction. The book's events begin in 1996 before medical professionals were more careful with drug warnings. The author discusses how he resorts to more and more drastic means to sustain the addiction, how he neglects his family, and how friends enable him. There are several intense moments of spiraling, taking multiple harmful drugs, deceit, and crime.
I was horrified and entertained throughout the entire book. The author's writing is so earnest, convicting, vivid, and honest. The only factor that hindered my reading experience was an array of punctuation and capitalization errors. The addiction and his immoral acts are described as being fed to him by a "monster" or "snake." This is really interesting because it separates the author from his addiction. It made me more empathetic toward addicts. The way internal thoughts are written, sometimes with single quotation marks, sometimes double quotation marks, or sometimes with no punctuation, is slightly confusing. I recommend internal thoughts be italicized.
The book is segmented into chapters with varied lengths, with short quotations sandwiched between them. After the prologue and beginning description of the car accident, the book shifts into describing how the addiction increased, the author moved to a new state with a friend, got involved with drug dealing, and the circumstances that led him to seek help. The book ends rather abruptly. I would have liked there to be more descriptions of how he broke his mindset, got off the drugs, and eventually recovered. I was very disappointed this wasn't included. It would have been useful for anyone struggling with addiction or loved ones of people with addictions. I also wonder what came of the author's wife and children. The epilogue is rambling and a block of text; more editing would have made it more coherent.
I enjoyed reading the book. It was very enlightening. It would be best received by Christians since there are a lot of mentions of God, and by adults who are not sensitive to matters of overdosing, addictions (obviously), gun violence, and thoughts of suicide. I rate it four out of five stars.
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Pain Killer Brain Killer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"I remember how amazing it felt when that evil snake called opioids hit my bloodstream and traveled its way to the dopamine bullseye center" (7). This is just one of the many vivid descriptions in Pain Killer Brain Killer, a memoir by James Powers II about the chokehold of addiction. The author, or Jimmy as he is referred to, details the fateful car accident he is in and how his first prescription for Percocet leads to addiction. The book's events begin in 1996 before medical professionals were more careful with drug warnings. The author discusses how he resorts to more and more drastic means to sustain the addiction, how he neglects his family, and how friends enable him. There are several intense moments of spiraling, taking multiple harmful drugs, deceit, and crime.
I was horrified and entertained throughout the entire book. The author's writing is so earnest, convicting, vivid, and honest. The only factor that hindered my reading experience was an array of punctuation and capitalization errors. The addiction and his immoral acts are described as being fed to him by a "monster" or "snake." This is really interesting because it separates the author from his addiction. It made me more empathetic toward addicts. The way internal thoughts are written, sometimes with single quotation marks, sometimes double quotation marks, or sometimes with no punctuation, is slightly confusing. I recommend internal thoughts be italicized.
The book is segmented into chapters with varied lengths, with short quotations sandwiched between them. After the prologue and beginning description of the car accident, the book shifts into describing how the addiction increased, the author moved to a new state with a friend, got involved with drug dealing, and the circumstances that led him to seek help. The book ends rather abruptly. I would have liked there to be more descriptions of how he broke his mindset, got off the drugs, and eventually recovered. I was very disappointed this wasn't included. It would have been useful for anyone struggling with addiction or loved ones of people with addictions. I also wonder what came of the author's wife and children. The epilogue is rambling and a block of text; more editing would have made it more coherent.
I enjoyed reading the book. It was very enlightening. It would be best received by Christians since there are a lot of mentions of God, and by adults who are not sensitive to matters of overdosing, addictions (obviously), gun violence, and thoughts of suicide. I rate it four out of five stars.
******
Pain Killer Brain Killer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon