Sarah Hepola can write! So many things to unpack when dissecting why a person abuses alcohol. One things that stuck out to me was her cravings and stealing alcohol when she was a child. This really stood out to me. Her childhood seemed otherwise unremarkable - she neither had horrible parents nor perfect parents. When her friends call her out and her blackouts pile up - she continues to drink. You can almost smell the self-loathing.

I think this would be a good book club pick.

It is a very honest book. The author is pretty raw and honest about her life. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that the tone changes a good deal when she gets seriously involved in AA and begins the healing process. I'm not a religious person so that portion of the program was harder for me to connect to, but the story was very interesting.

Very enjoyable book, Insightful and funny, I enjoyed the author's prose and storytelling. Her honesty is always like a breath of fresh air and what I value in a memoir.

Another memoir in the "I drink/I drank" genre and this one held my interest throughout, compelling me to keep turning the pages. I liked that the author drank well beyond her 20s and far into her 30s as it gave her story legs and depth. Blackout is a satisfying read and I'm happy for its author's now-dry status but relieved that she drank long enough to have amassed many interesting stories to tell.

Fabulous read. Honest, poignant, funny. Author has an amazing way with words.

Not my favorite memoir.

Great book. The writing is so sardonic and biting when Hepola is recalling her years of alcoholism, you can feel the honesty overriding any shame and regret. She never gets preachy or religious about her eventual sobriety, and the book finishes in a tone of genuine reflection.

Her life was scary and hilarious, but the book avoids the me, me, me syndrome of many memoirs about addiction. Fine writing about a horrible story line.

This is a humorous look at an unfunny subject. I recommend this book for anyone, addictive personality or not.

This was a good read and as someone else said, I don't think I would have revealed all that this writer did, if for no other reason than her bio says she's taught high school English. Is this someone you'd want teaching your kids? However it did point out how difficult it is to abstain from alcohol when one is addicted and how much our society is love with alcohol.

Hampton branch