3 out of 4 stars
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Michael is fully aware that divorce and custody battles can get downright nasty. Still, his ex has taken things to a whole other level. She continuously makes false claims that he is neglecting the safety of his children by drinking or doing drugs in their presence. To maintain shared custody of his three children, Michael is court-ordered to attend one hundred Alcoholics Annonymous meetings within the year. While he is enraged at the prospect of enduring the sessions, his children mean the world to him, and he’ll do whatever it takes.
Will attending the meetings be enough to appease his ex-wife, or will she continue to make crazy accusations?
Divorcing Crazy by Michael Amon is an in-depth look at the numerous hoops a father-of-three must jump through to claim what is rightfully his. The author uncovers the depressing, but also downright hilarious realities of being part of the Alcoholics Annonymous community. The book is told in the first-person perspective and follows Michael as he documents each one of his meetings. Readers will be entertained by the author’s unrelenting wit and amusing observations.
There were many things that I loved about Divorcing Crazy. I greatly admired Michael’s character for a few reasons. First, he was put in a rather horrible position, but he handled the situation with humor and positivity. Had I been put in his place, dealing with all the false accusations, I would have crumbled under pressure. Second, his unwavering love for his children was apparent. He’d suffered financially and emotionally, but giving up was never an option.
Another thing that pulled at my heartstrings was the sense of community that Michael became a part of by attending the meetings. Despite his initial anger at having to spend time with unsavory characters, these individuals became an integral part of his life. Even though the meetings were centered around alcohol addiction, the life lessons learned could be useful for those without addictions, as well.
The only thing that irked me about the book was that it documented the meetings, but not much else. I found myself getting a little bored at times and hoping to learn more about his life outside of them. Perhaps by adding in the perspective of his children, it could have provided more excitement to the story.
While I didn’t notice any significant editing mishaps, there were quite a few grammatical errors. I found several instances of missing hyphens. I wanted to give this book a perfect score, but the errors easily exceeded ten. With that being said, I chose to provide the book with a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
Due to the amount of profanity, I would not recommend this book to young readers. I would also discourage those looking for a light read to steer clear of the book as it covers some heavy topics.
I would recommend Divorcing Crazy to adult readers who are interested in learning more about addiction. This book would also be perfect for individuals who are directly affected by alcoholism, whether it be themselves or a family member.
It was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book!
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Divorcing Crazy
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