Title: Sober is the New Black
Author: Rachel BlackWeb site: www.soberisthenewrachelblack.blogspot.co.uk
Category: Self help, Addiction, Alcohol, Memoir
ASIN: B00HZIGNLU
Buy the e-book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HZIGNLU
Reviewed by Anna Buttimore B.A.Hons Administrator, originally for the spring 2015 issue of Law Care News
Sober is
the New Black by Rachel Black shows very effectively how
alcohol can insidiously, destructively and completely take over a life.
Throughout it powerfully juxtaposes events in the author's life--business
conferences, family holidays, book club meetings--when she was drinking, and
after she stopped. There's always a risk with this sort of personal memoir that
it can become egocentric and dull, but this one avoids that on two counts.
First, because Rachel will resonate with so many readers as a typical working
mother, someone they can relate to. Second, because it doesn't go too deeply
into aspects of her life (we never learn the names of her children or her Other
Half, or what job she does) and stays firmly focussed on the subject of alcohol.
I particularly liked the metaphor where the author compares lifelong abstinence with her mortgage. Both are burdens which look huge and terrifying when viewed as a whole, but are manageable and life-affirming on a day-to-day basis. The book well written, interesting and not overlong, but for me its best feature is the overriding optimism and delight on every page. If it has one message, it's that the sober life is wonderful. Rachel was evidently taken by surprise to find how much better everything, from social events to Christmas, is when you're not focusing solely on wine and how to drink as much of it as possible without anyone noticing. That brightness and assurance shines throughout the book and lifts it above other "sobriety memoirs”.
I particularly liked the metaphor where the author compares lifelong abstinence with her mortgage. Both are burdens which look huge and terrifying when viewed as a whole, but are manageable and life-affirming on a day-to-day basis. The book well written, interesting and not overlong, but for me its best feature is the overriding optimism and delight on every page. If it has one message, it's that the sober life is wonderful. Rachel was evidently taken by surprise to find how much better everything, from social events to Christmas, is when you're not focusing solely on wine and how to drink as much of it as possible without anyone noticing. That brightness and assurance shines throughout the book and lifts it above other "sobriety memoirs”.
| ||
Join her on Twitter @SoberRachel.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Authors and reviewers would love to hear from you. Please feel free to include the URL (permalink) of your post in your own blog or website.