I received this book as an Early Reviewer.

If you live in North America, particularly Canada, this book will have a lot of information that you may find relevant.

I found the first third of the book (it's only about 120 pages long) hard going. It is filled with facts and figures that feel like they've been cobbled together from the various sources. There are lots of quotes, which is fine, but the more formal language of these report excepts contrasts sharply with the overly conversational tone of the author, jarringly so on occasion.

I didn't mind the facts and figures, I just felt they needed a darn good edit. And there was one place where I felt the statements the author made regarding some chemistry were just out and out wrong. It takes forty or so pages before there is any mention of anywhere other than the US or Canada. The rest of the world is given pretty cursory treatment. I would have preferred to see some more information from the other continents/countries to give some further perspective.

The latter half of the book picks up, it feels like his journalistic background allows him to be on more familiar territory. He interviews former addicts and counsellors. It is much easier to feel a connection with these people.

Overall, it feels more like an overly long magazine article than a well researched and edited book. I felt the author was not entirely dispassionate in his treatment of the subject. I would have preferred to see it treated more objectively. And there are a couple of howlers of typos (sigma, causally, Nate, if you feel the urge to search).

Rating as a piece of writing: 1.5 stars
Rating as a topic that people should have some awareness of: 4 stars ( )

This book has a lot of information on crystal meth. Most of the examples are from North America and many of the interviews are over the phone or via email. Otherwise a good information source on the drug, prevention and addiction. ( )

Comprehensive overview of the history, actual situation and possible treatment of 'crystal meth' addiction. Very well documented with facts and figures, but also latched with personal stories of (sometimes former) addicts. A good overview, though obviously not a happy read. ( )

Shocking look at a horrible drug. Get your kids to read this book to see what really happens when you use drugs. With the popularity of "Breaking Bad" this is a strong counterpoint to the "real" culture of crystal meth and it's consequences to it's users. Harrowing! ( )

This book appears to be intended as a source book for those who need to learn more about the what, how and why their loved ones are using this substance.
It does not appear that the book was meant to be read for entertainment but more for informational purposes.

"Great Source book for Loved Ones of Addicts"

I received an ebook copy of this book from the Early Reviewers Giveaway on LibraryThing dot com. ( )