Addiction

Addiction affects millions of people around the world, yet the stigma of addiction remains. We hope this Collection inspires conversations about addiction, whether you are a professor looking to round out a syllabus or someone hoping to better understand your own experiences. Read on to discover Study Guides for both novels and memoirs tackling a variety of topics, such as alcoholism, methamphetamine and heroin addiction, myths surrounding addiction, and the effects of addiction on families.

How the Other Half Lives

by Jacob Riis

Publication year 1890

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Immigration, Social Class, Community

Tags Journalism, US History, Sociology, Poverty, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Race & Racism, Urban Development

Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives (1890) is a photojournalistic account of New York City’s working class of the late 19th century and the tenements that housed them. Riis exposes the appalling and often inhumane conditions in and around the tenements. He attributes New York City’s squalor and degradation to sheer greed on the part of landlords who prioritize maximum profits over basic decency. More importantly, he documents these conditions with more than 40... Read How the Other Half Lives Summary

Infinite Jest

by David Foster Wallace

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Satirical Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Humor, Postmodernism, American Literature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Sports

Infinite Jest is a fiction novel by David Foster Wallace. First published in 1996, the novel has an unconventional narrative structure with hundreds of extensive footnotes. Exploring themes of addiction, alienation, and the plight of modern existence, Infinite Jest is famous for its complexity and humor. The novel has been praised by critics and heralded as one of the most important literary works of the 20th century. This guide was written using the 2014 Abacus... Read Infinite Jest Summary

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

by Gabor Maté

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Music, Community

Tags Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Self-Improvement, Science & Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness

Gabor Maté’s In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addictions is an unconventional nonfiction book on how to treat addiction, how addicts can better assimilate into society, and how society can dispel many of the myths that surround addiction. Maté works as an addiction specialist at the Portland Hotel in Vancouver, Canada. Much of the book, published in 2010, focuses on Maté’s evidence that childhood stressors increase the likelihood that one will become an... Read In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts Summary

In West Mills

by De'Shawn Charles Winslow

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Race, Mental Health

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Gender & Feminism, African American Literature, Post-War Era, Southern Literature, World History, LGBTQ+

... Read In West Mills Summary

Jade City

by Fonda Lee

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Objects & Materials, Siblings, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Leadership, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Jade City Summary

Jesus' Son

by Denis Johnson

Publication year 1992

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Jesus’ Son (1992) is a collection of short fiction by American writer Denis Johnson, published by Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux. It explores themes of The Slipperiness of Time, Substance Use Disorder, and Violence as Inevitability. In the form of a short story cycle, each of the 11 stories of Jesus’ Son is narrated by the same protagonist, who has a substance use disorder and is referred to in the narrative as “Fuckhead”. The book takes... Read Jesus' Son Summary

Less Than Zero

by Bret Easton Ellis

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Coming of Age, Social Class

Tags Coming of Age, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Trauma & Abuse, US History, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Less than Zero (1985) is the debut novel of Los Angeles-based writer Bret Easton Ellis. It was published when the writer was only 21 and grew out of a creative writing course that he took at Bennington College. The novel brought Ellis fame for his willingness to address controversial topics in contemporary Los Angeles society. Ellis has become known for his deliberately provocative subject matter. A sequel to Less Than Zero, Imperial Bedrooms, was published... Read Less Than Zero Summary

Life on the Color Line

by Gregory Howard Williams

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Love, Fame, Family

Tags Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Relationships, World History, Social Justice, Biography

Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, published in 1995, is an autobiographical account of the childhood and adolescence of the American lawyer and educator Gregory Howard Williams. An exceptional achiever throughout his life, Williams devoted 10 years to penning this memoir that centers around his being raised to believe he’s white, only to be told as a 10-year-old boy that he’s of African American... Read Life on the Color Line Summary

Long Day's Journey Into Night

by Eugene O'Neill

Publication year 1956

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, Community, Siblings, Midlife

Tags Education, Education, American Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction, Drama, Tragedy, Life-Inspired Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse

Long Day’s Journey into Night is widely considered Eugene O’Neill’s best play. It was published posthumously under the pseudonym Tyrone and is an autobiographical work about O’Neill’s family. The play was originally published in 1956 with a first showing in Sweden that same year. The play has been adapted into film several times, including productions in 1962 and 1996, as well as television adaptations in 1973, 1982, and 1987. O’Neill was awarded the Nobel Prize... Read Long Day's Journey Into Night Summary

Malibu Rising

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Siblings, Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, Relationships, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Parenting, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

... Read Malibu Rising Summary

Motorcycles and Sweetgrass

by Drew Hayden Taylor

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Animals, Appearance & Reality, The Past, Place, Family, Colonialism, Community, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Humor, Magical Realism, Symbolic Narrative, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Social Justice, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education

... Read Motorcycles and Sweetgrass Summary

Naked Lunch

by William S. Burroughs

Publication year 1959

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Mental Health, Safety & Danger, Justice, Community, Politics & Government

Tags The Beat Generation, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Satirical Literature, Politics & Government, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Naked Lunch is a 1959 novel by American author William. S. Burroughs. In it, Lee, a heroin user, looks to escape New York to avoid arrest by the police. He thus embarks on a journey through Philadelphia and Mexico before arriving in the fictional state of Freeland, where all life is well-ordered and hygienic. Following a riot in a Freeland psychological reconditioning center, however, Lee flees to the strange and fantastical city of Interzone. There... Read Naked Lunch Summary

Needful Things

by Stephen King

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Community, Power & Greed, Conflict, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse

... Read Needful Things Summary

No Second Chance

by Harlan Coben

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Justice, Love

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

No Second Chance is a 2003 thriller novel written by Harlan Coben. The novel follows Marc Seidman, a man who wakes in the hospital with a gunshot wound to find that his wife is dead, his daughter is missing, and he is the main suspect. Plot SummaryDr. Marc Seidman wakes up in the hospital 12 days after being shot in his Kasselton, New Jersey, home. His wife, Monica, is dead, and their infant daughter, Tara... Read No Second Chance Summary