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I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can (2011)

by Barbara Gordon(Favorite Author)
3.58 of 5 Votes: 4
ISBN
0825306302 (ISBN13: 9780825306303)
languge
English
publisher
Moyer Bell
review 1: I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway!Barbara is a woman who has been going to therapy sessions for years due to constant anxiety. After taking the advice of her therapist and quitting her prescribed pills cold turkey, her body and mind experience a severe withdrawal which brings out the best and worst in her and those around her.This book is an inspirational memoir for those who want to have some control over their lives. It is all about obstacles and how one woman overcame them and regained control over her life. For anyone who has dealt with addiction, abuse, and/or psychological issues (or knows someone who has gone through any of these), I would suggest reading this book.
review 2: I REALLY wanted to like this book. I really did. Let me just be hones
... moret upfront here. I've been through addiction, and it is not a pretty or fun path to go down. It's horrific. And normally I could never rate a memoir about addiction only 1 star because even if it isn't well written, I can feel what they are feeling, even years later. But at the heart of it, this book is not about addiction. No, I am not a doctor, but these are MY opinions, having unfortunately been there and done that. I understand more than anyone can know that addiction is different for everyone. But what she describes is dependence on a medication. Anyone who takes a medication for a certain amount of time can become dependent on it, or need it for their bodies and minds to function properly. While withdrawal is one symptom of addiction, another is tolerance, meaning you need more of the specified drug for it to work properly, increasing the dosage on your own until it becomes so high it would kill a normal person taking it for the first time. As Gordon describes it, she still took the recommended dosage and never more. Don't get me wrong, I am not criticizing her for not being addicted, but it bothers me that this has been sold as a harrowing journey of addiction, when in actuality it is a memoir of a woman with serious mental health issues. If I had gone into the book knowing I was reading a book only about mental health issues and she hadn't kept mentioning addiction, I may have different thoughts about the book. I read it all the way to 68% and skimmed the rest. I just couldn't deal with her whining and "why do I always fall for the bad guy" and other narcissistic rants. The first 100 pages was at least semi-interesting. After that it was a pity party. I just can't recommend this to anyone when there are so many other good books about addiction and mental health out there. less
Reviews (see all)
Charlene
Good memoir. The author gets a bit whiny and annoying at times but overall good book.
val
powerful book, does well at putting the reader in the head of the character
ademiraj
I read this when i was a teenager - enjoyed it.
Pam
couldn't get through this and had to quit.
ericaabbott94
Stirring and gripping
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