Start reading Beautiful Boy and continue to make regular reading progress throughout the quarter. As you finish each of the book’s five sections, respond in detail to each of the following questions for just that section. Throughout the quarter there are a total of five such reading assignments due for this book. Remember: only respond to the questions in the section for which this assignment relates. The purpose of this activity is to encourage deeper reflection with the material and to relate the events in the book to ideas covered in this course.
Your entire response length (for all questions in this section combined) is 1,000 words (please do not go over or under this amount by very much). That works out to about an average of 250 words per question. The 1,000 word limit does NOT include quotes from the text, headers, or rephrasing the questions. College level grammar, spelling, and referencing is expected. For referencing the book, just put page numbers rather than a full citation.
Papers must be submitted through Canvas on the respective weeks they are due, and in one of the correct formats (ending in .doc, .docx, .pdf or .rtf). You can complete all the questions for the entire book at any point if you end up reading ahead.
Reading Questions for Introduction & Part One
In the New York Times Book Review, Janet Maslin wrote, Addiction is a compulsion to do the same thing over and over, despite knowing that the outcome will almost certainly be the same. Addiction memoirs often illustrate this same definition of insanityYet the genre itself remains so addictive that readers keep hoping to discover something new. Why are addiction memoirs so addictive? Aside from the fact that you have to read this book for this class, why else may it appeal to you?
David Sheff writes that drug stories are sinister (p. 87). What does he mean by that? How are drug stories different than addiction memoirs, if at all?
Sheff begins his story with the statement, We are among the first generation of self-conscious parents. Before us, people had kids. We parent (p. 20). What does it mean to parent, as opposed to just having kids?
Discuss Nics upbringing. What privileges did he have? What disadvantages? Did Sheff seem to you a good parent?
Reading Questions for Part Two
How does the integration of pop culture referencesquotes from literature, song lyrics, movie dialoguecontribute to the book? Look particularly at what Sheff used as the epilogues to each section of the book: John Lennon, Kurt Cobain for Part I, Shakespeare for Part II, etc. Why might Sheff have chosen these particular passages? How do they help your understanding of events, and of Sheffs mindset?
Discuss Nics descent. At what point do you think you would have noticed Nic had a serious problem and needed help? Were there times you disagreed with David Sheffs course of action? What might you have done differently?
A friend of Davids expresses surprise at Nics addiction and says the Sheffs dont seem like a dysfunctional family. Sheff responds, We are dysfunctional…. Im not sure I know any functional families (p. 14) How would you define a functional family? Which are the Sheffs?
In his suicide note, Kurt Cobain quoted Neil Young and wrote Its better to burn out than to fade away. When Sheff interviewed John Lennon, Lennon said, I worship the people who survive. Ill take the living and the healthy (p. 118). Who do you agree with, Cobain or Lennon? Why does society glamorize those rock stars and other artists who burn out? Nic Sheffs glamorization of alcoholics and drug-addicted artists ostensibly contributed to his own downfall. How should we counsel children and young adults on the dangers of idolizing such people?
Reading Questions for Part Three
Many of the counselors and family members of addicts tell David and Karen, Be allies. Remember, take care of yourselves. Youll be good for no onefor each other, for your childrenif you dont (p. 132). Do Karen and David take care of one another? Does David take care of himself?
As a journalist and someone with the means to do so, Sheff consults a wide variety of experts on the causes, effects, and treatment of addiction. What did you find most helpful? What else might be behind Sheffs impulse to do more and more research?
What toll does Nics addiction take on Jasper and Daisy? How do David and Karen help them to understand their brothers behavior?
When David smoked pot with Nic, what was your reaction?
Reading Questions for Part Four
On page 195, Sheff explores the idea of what it means to have a normal life, concluding, Now I live with the knowledge that, never mind the most modest definition of a normal or healthy life, my son may not make it to twenty-one. How would you define a normal life? How do these socially-accepted definitionsa normal life, a functional familycontribute to, or hinder, Sheffs ability to understand and accept his sons situation? How
