...by Koren Zailckas. Here's the Amazon link:
Amazon.com: Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood: Koren Zailckas: Books
I honestly wasn't going to post about this book as I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Then another poster was curious as to what I was reading so I figured "why not".
This is a very well-written book by a young woman who began drinking at the age of 14, a common age for most of us. She had alcohol poisoning when she was 16 and kept on partying. In college she joined a party sorority and went full boar. Keggers, all-nighters, shots, sleeping around, the whole nine yards.
How many of us remember times like that? How many of us are glad we lived through it? I am. I attended a college in NYC. One of the "games" we played was to jump down in the subway tracks when we were drunk. We'd play chicken, seeing who would stay down the longest as a train came in the station. More than once we had to pull out a friend at the last minute, she being so drunk as to not be able to scramble out herself. I was athletic, I was the helper. I was also one of the biggest instigators in starting the game. It's embarassing to me now.
Anyway, back to the book. The author goes into heart-wrenching detail about the times she got drunk and why she liked getting drunk. She liked how drinking made her more socially acceptable, more sociable, outgoing. Well, as the years go by, after college, she doesn't like getting drunk so much anymore and is having a hard time finding her place in the "real world". The ultimate party girl all grown up. Her struggle is so familiar.
I thought I'd outgrown this book because of my age - I'm 48 - then I realized I hadn't. While I'm a bit suspicious at the incredible memory of the author - if she's so drunk, how can she possibly remember some of these details? - I admire her candor and honesty. I just wish I had read this book in my early 20's, it would have helped me an awful lot in my journey. It would have helped me see myself for who I was, I'm very sure of that. The ultimate party girl all grown up.
I think I'll keep it on hand for my daughter and neice. Just in case. I highly recommend it. It's one of those books I think about after reading it. Stays in my head.
Be
Amazon.com: Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood: Koren Zailckas: Books
I honestly wasn't going to post about this book as I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Then another poster was curious as to what I was reading so I figured "why not".
This is a very well-written book by a young woman who began drinking at the age of 14, a common age for most of us. She had alcohol poisoning when she was 16 and kept on partying. In college she joined a party sorority and went full boar. Keggers, all-nighters, shots, sleeping around, the whole nine yards.
How many of us remember times like that? How many of us are glad we lived through it? I am. I attended a college in NYC. One of the "games" we played was to jump down in the subway tracks when we were drunk. We'd play chicken, seeing who would stay down the longest as a train came in the station. More than once we had to pull out a friend at the last minute, she being so drunk as to not be able to scramble out herself. I was athletic, I was the helper. I was also one of the biggest instigators in starting the game. It's embarassing to me now.
Anyway, back to the book. The author goes into heart-wrenching detail about the times she got drunk and why she liked getting drunk. She liked how drinking made her more socially acceptable, more sociable, outgoing. Well, as the years go by, after college, she doesn't like getting drunk so much anymore and is having a hard time finding her place in the "real world". The ultimate party girl all grown up. Her struggle is so familiar.
I thought I'd outgrown this book because of my age - I'm 48 - then I realized I hadn't. While I'm a bit suspicious at the incredible memory of the author - if she's so drunk, how can she possibly remember some of these details? - I admire her candor and honesty. I just wish I had read this book in my early 20's, it would have helped me an awful lot in my journey. It would have helped me see myself for who I was, I'm very sure of that. The ultimate party girl all grown up.
I think I'll keep it on hand for my daughter and neice. Just in case. I highly recommend it. It's one of those books I think about after reading it. Stays in my head.
Be
Comment