Review of Country Club Time
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Review of Country Club Time
[Following is a volunteer review of "Country Club Time" by James Allen.]
It is common knowledge that drug abuse has and continues to affect regular people and celebrities alike. It can change you into a completely different person and turn your world upside down. The author of Country Club Time, James A. Whitfield, composed this non-fiction novel to tell his experiences with a myriad of drugs and how it negatively impacted his life in the late 1960s into the early 1970s.
James Whitfield, aka Jimmy, a born catholic, was a talented and popular teenager. Although not the best in the classroom, he was great at football and had a promising future ahead of him. However, when he couldn’t secure a scholarship to play football at the college level, he began to befriend individuals who would eventually lead him down a path of self-destruction. The crowd Jimmy chose to follow when he graduated high school introduced him to the drug scene, and in no time, he would become not only an addict but also a well-known and profitable dealer. He became very proud and obnoxious and never failed to push loved ones away to maintain his habits. Soon, Jimmy would come to experience not only the consequences of his actions but a rather strong connection with God that would bring him peace and get him through the trials and tribulations that would arise.
In telling his story, the author intends to express the dangers and consequences of drug abuse by using his life story as an example. In doing so, he brings multiple important messages across such as the fact that you will eventually get caught in wrongdoing no matter how smart you think you are, not having a mind of your own will cause you to lose yourself, and no matter how far gone you think you are you can always decide to change your life for the better. In my opinion, his story is one to be reckoned with and could save many lives if it gets the recognition it deserves.
The aspect I like most about the novel is the poems the author leaves at the end of each chapter. Each verse gives motivation, guidance, and support to drug users and individuals thinking of using drugs. I also like that, at the end of the story, the author lists several celebrities who lost their lives to drugs, because it demonstrates how severe the consequences are. However, I disliked the use of racial slurs, and I believe this may deter certain persons from reading the book. I understand the author intends to paint a picture of what the scene was like in the 1960s to 70s, but in some cases, these offensive words could have been replaced to prevent certain races from being offended.
I recommend this book for anyone struggling with drug abuse and for the loved ones of those struggling with addiction. Even a simple explanation of what happened to Mr. Whitfield may encourage someone to cease using drugs. However, homosexuals, Black people, and Mexican people may take offense to some of the terms used to tell the story. Since the author uses Bible verses in the book and explains how turning to God can help you out of a crisis, I would not recommend it for atheists and persons with differing religious beliefs. That being said, Christians altogether would appreciate this story, especially a Christian who is going through a hard time with drug use. There is also mention of sexual assault in the story, and I would not recommend a person who would be triggered by that to read the book.
Though I found certain terms offensive, Country Club Time was an overall good read. I appreciate the author’s intention in telling the story even though it meant revealing embarrassing moments. I rate it a three on a scale of one to five.
******
Country Club Time
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
It is common knowledge that drug abuse has and continues to affect regular people and celebrities alike. It can change you into a completely different person and turn your world upside down. The author of Country Club Time, James A. Whitfield, composed this non-fiction novel to tell his experiences with a myriad of drugs and how it negatively impacted his life in the late 1960s into the early 1970s.
James Whitfield, aka Jimmy, a born catholic, was a talented and popular teenager. Although not the best in the classroom, he was great at football and had a promising future ahead of him. However, when he couldn’t secure a scholarship to play football at the college level, he began to befriend individuals who would eventually lead him down a path of self-destruction. The crowd Jimmy chose to follow when he graduated high school introduced him to the drug scene, and in no time, he would become not only an addict but also a well-known and profitable dealer. He became very proud and obnoxious and never failed to push loved ones away to maintain his habits. Soon, Jimmy would come to experience not only the consequences of his actions but a rather strong connection with God that would bring him peace and get him through the trials and tribulations that would arise.
In telling his story, the author intends to express the dangers and consequences of drug abuse by using his life story as an example. In doing so, he brings multiple important messages across such as the fact that you will eventually get caught in wrongdoing no matter how smart you think you are, not having a mind of your own will cause you to lose yourself, and no matter how far gone you think you are you can always decide to change your life for the better. In my opinion, his story is one to be reckoned with and could save many lives if it gets the recognition it deserves.
The aspect I like most about the novel is the poems the author leaves at the end of each chapter. Each verse gives motivation, guidance, and support to drug users and individuals thinking of using drugs. I also like that, at the end of the story, the author lists several celebrities who lost their lives to drugs, because it demonstrates how severe the consequences are. However, I disliked the use of racial slurs, and I believe this may deter certain persons from reading the book. I understand the author intends to paint a picture of what the scene was like in the 1960s to 70s, but in some cases, these offensive words could have been replaced to prevent certain races from being offended.
I recommend this book for anyone struggling with drug abuse and for the loved ones of those struggling with addiction. Even a simple explanation of what happened to Mr. Whitfield may encourage someone to cease using drugs. However, homosexuals, Black people, and Mexican people may take offense to some of the terms used to tell the story. Since the author uses Bible verses in the book and explains how turning to God can help you out of a crisis, I would not recommend it for atheists and persons with differing religious beliefs. That being said, Christians altogether would appreciate this story, especially a Christian who is going through a hard time with drug use. There is also mention of sexual assault in the story, and I would not recommend a person who would be triggered by that to read the book.
Though I found certain terms offensive, Country Club Time was an overall good read. I appreciate the author’s intention in telling the story even though it meant revealing embarrassing moments. I rate it a three on a scale of one to five.
******
Country Club Time
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Eve Code by Mariett Ramm
