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This smart and snide book is a testament to the effectiveness of the 12-Step Program, a path to recovery that Bucky Sinister never expected to go down (and work).
As a poet, author, and comedian, Sinister doesn't hold back from speaking the truth in this book. He speaks bluntly about addiction and his own struggles with it. Sinister appeals to those who are turned off by the usual recovery self-helps. He talks straight to readers who struggle to buy into the effectiveness of the 12-Step Program—particularly those like Sinister, an atheist, who have problems with the "higher power" concept intertwined with the program.
Get Up presents itself as self-help, but don't expect it to have the same tone as others you've read. The book is full of Sinister's comedic touch, colorful language, and stories from "scumbags" that contain life-saving wisdom. An unabashed testimony to Sinister's personal journey to sobriety and those of others, this recovery book is sure to educate, entertain, and inspire.
Readers of books such as The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober; Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions; and Staying Sober Without God will find further guidance and inspiration in Get Up, which should be the next book for you.
"Step 13: Read Get Up, do what Bucky says, and find your inner A-Team character. And if you're a 'normie,' buy this book for your friend who thinks they are too cool to get sober."—Jen Kirkman, stand-up comedian, actor, and writer
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 1, 2008 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781609250553
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781609250553
- File size: 1073 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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August 18, 2008
This self-help book for the substance-abusing artistically—and atheistically—inclined is both a ringing endorsement of AA and a brilliant piece of literary performance with poetic and savagely funny insights. Spoken word artist Sinister—a self-professed “misfit” and recovering alcoholic and addict—celebrates sobriety and provides a methodical analysis of the 12-Step program interpolated with biting commentary (“The difference between the Bible and a Magic Eightball is that 400 years ago, you would've been burned at the stake for owning a Magic Eightball”) and encouragement that is, by turns, sincere (in particular a foray into why artists are so prone to addictions) and comic (“Finding Your Inner A-Team”). The book is a wild mixture of autobiography, philosophy, social criticism, pop culture and nuttiness: the consummate self-help book for those too cool for self-help books. Although the author occasionally veers uncomfortably close to glamorizing his addictions, his advice is sound, detailed and heartfelt. -
Starred review from August 15, 2008
A San Francisco-based spoken word artist, poet, and performer, Sinister developed a drinking problem as a teenager. When he decided to get sober, he took the traditional, faith-based 12-step group approach despite his fears about losing his creative muse and his issues with higher-power mythology (he's an atheist). The risk paid off, and for six years he's been clean. Here, he shares his journey through his addiction and recovery, detailing how he managed to integrate the 12-step philosophies into his own beliefs. He frankly reveals how he was initially afraid of embracing the techniques while motivating others to join him in their own efforts to get clean. The author's advice to addicts is soundly rooted in recovery practice, but he also debunks the oft-repeated excuses that prevent addicts from getting up from their malaise and getting involved in recovery. Sinister gives readers with similar beliefs a practical, meaningful alternative to the dogma of recovery. His iconoclastic approach to addiction recovery will make a valuable addition to the growing works in this field. Highly recommended for university libraries supporting the helping professions and larger public libraries.Dale Farris, Groves, TXCopyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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