William Cope Moyers thought that he had hit rock bottom in 1994 on the floor of an Atlanta crack house. But that was before several relapses and one near-fatal cocaine overdose. In Broken, the son of famed broadcaster Bill Moyers shares the harrowing story of his descent into addiction hell and his slow climb back. The author's realistic description of his incremental engulfment by drugs and alcohol transform what could be read as a surrealistic nightmare into an understandable human experience. Ultimately, this memoir wears a badge of hope.
Publishers Weekly
Moyers, the son of prominent author, media figure and LBJ adviser Bill Moyers, recounts his heartbreaking struggle with alcohol and cocaine during the '80s and early '90s. Moyers covered his tracks through bold-faced denial until he spiraled out of control and landed in the first of four rehab stints. Moyers's early chapters, detailing his formative years and progression toward addiction, are somewhat plodding. But once embarking on his treatment journey, Moyers deftly tackles the complexities of sobriety, especially acceptance of those broken situations and relationships that cannot be fixed. Audie Award-winning narrator Brick brings an appropriate blend of pathos and grit to the very formidable task at hand, giving compelling voice to a tale of substance abuse without descending into a maudlin soap opera confessional. Brick proves especially masterful in recreating the delicate nuances of the father-son dialogues, as the elder Moyers struggles to convey both unconditional love toward his troubled grown child and unequivocal nonacceptance for that same young man's destructive patterns of behavior. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover (Reviews, July 17). (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Moyers, the son of legendary TV broadcaster Bill Moyers, is a successful journalist in his own right. His gripping account of his struggles with alcohol and crack addiction will have readers rooting for him from the very beginning. The author's idyllic childhood, spent with a loving, attentive extended family in Wilmer, TX, gives way to his first alcoholic run-in with the police in college. The story then chronicles Moyers's wanderings through the valley of the shadow of death in various crack houses and his failed relationship with his first wife, Mary. Eventually, he receives treatment at the acclaimed Hazelden Clinic in Minnesota and moves toward recovery. In his spiritual quest to become a new person, he claims his first name, William. It is somewhat unsatisfactory that the question why someone from such a privileged background would end up a drug addict goes unanswered. But that may be the point: the disease of addiction respects no one. Strongly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/06.]-Renee Axtell, Independence, MO Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
From the Publisher
"William Cope Moyers's lucid, measured tale of his own plunge into crack-addled hell [is] frightening in its very realism." -USA Today
"A memoir of a terrible disease and one man's spiritual journey through it . . . that should be read by those who have friends or family members caught in addiction." -The Indianapolis Star
