3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
From Degradation to Redemption: A Tale of Recovery is a story of drug addiction, focusing on how compulsive habits start and are expanded through hypersexuality and other issues. In this short but emotionally devastating book, Issac X describes his life of wild sex, drug and alcohol abuse, and personally destructive behavior. The book describes X’s addictions in frank and often brutal detail, leading up to X’s eventual control over his issues.
One question arising from the cover page is that From Degradation to Redemption is described as a “novel.” The book was described on the reviewer page as “non-fiction,” and the book certainly seems like a true confessional story, with moments of real despair and poignancy. The book reads like a transcription of X recounting his life’s story, as X occasionally corrects himself for going on too long, instead of going back and editing the book to tighten up the narrative.
Readers should be aware that the language and descriptions in From Degradation to Redemption are often graphic. Explicit language and details about sexual acts abound, as well as numerous scenes of drug use and the often-disgusting physiological effects that prolonged substance abuse can have on the human body.
At times, the first eighty percent of the book reminded me of this joke: “A young man walks into a confessional and tells the priest, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. Last night I slept with five different women.” The priest replies, “Go home and drink the juice of five lemons.” “Then will I be forgiven?” asks the young man. “No,” says the priest, “but at least that’ll take that stupid smug smile off your face.”” At times, X comes across like the young man in the joke, as he describes his sexual escapades or his girlfriends’ attributes in great detail. For most of the book, it’s evident that he’s not proud of his past behavior, but on occasion, it seems as if he’s boasting about his sexual conquests and adventures.
At the same time, X describes his substance-fueled years as a time of “degradation,” and later scenes make it clear that he’s not proud of his actions. He seems to present his life as a cautionary tale, but there is still a sense that his wild years are glamorized. The final chapter, discussing X’s recovery and sobriety, is probably the best-written part of the book, but the terse and ordered way he describes working through the 12 Steps stands in contrast to the stream-of-consciousness string of anecdotes that composes most of the book.
The problem with the final chapter on “recovery and redemption” is that it is too short. This chapter shouldn’t be a rushed epilogue about the end of his old life, it should be a gradual introduction to the beginning of his new life. Further details and reflections would be a welcome edition to expanding the closing chapters. This book is meant to help people who are battling addictions, but to be more helpful and inspirational, the veneer of glorious debauchery needs to be scraped away from the early chapters, and the story of sobriety needs to be explained better and described at greater length. People fighting addiction need to read more about what the sober life looks like and how to stay sober while dealing with the many challenges that come with sobriety.
I give this book three out of four stars.
******
From Degradation to Redemption - A tale of recovery
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | Hassle-Free Sample
Like GKCfan's review? Post a comment saying so!
