|
Book - Product Information
The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery
Gary Stromberg, Jane Merrill
Rating: 5.0/5 Stars
Rank: 1678
The celebrities interviewed here--from Ann Lamott to Alice Cooper--are all
in recovery from addictions to alcohol or drugs that originated in the
1960s and '70s.
Among them are athletes, musicians, actors and even a
member of Congress, Jim Ramstad. With the assistance of veteran writer
Merrill, Stromberg, who ran a P.R. firm for musicians and produced films
(Car Wash), provides a brief introduction to each subject before
eliciting his or her first-person story.
Stromberg, a former abuser of
heroin, cocaine and alcohol, also shares his spectacular success in the
1970s and his equally dramatic drug-addled fall in 1980, when he lost his
home, lover and career.
Like many of those he interviewed, he became sober
through traditional rehab and recovery programs. But Pete Hamill found his
path to sobriety alone by deciding "to live my life without anesthesia,
and that meant accepting the pain along with the laughs." Top jockey Pat
Day describes how he was saved from drug and alcohol dependence through a
commitment to born-again Christianity.
The strength of these always honest
and affecting anecdotes is, in fact, their variety of paths to recovery;
the diversity should help this excellent volume appeal to a wide audience.
(Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of
Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the AuthorGary Stromberg in 1967 cofounded one of the most successful public
relations firms in the entertainment business and represented music
industry superstars including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Barbra
Streisand, Elton John, The Doors, and Earth Wind and Fire.
He coproduced
the motion pictures Car Wash and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. He
currently manages artists through The Blackbird Group.
Jane Merrill has
written articles about art, style, and popular history for Cosmopolitan,
New York Magazine, The New Republic, The Christian Science Monitor, and
Redbook.
She is the author of Bringing Up Baby Bilingual, Monday through
Friday: Daycare Alternatives to Child Care, Beadazzled: The Story of
Beads, and China: From Emperors to Communes.
Editorials
Sample 3 of 4
The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery
Gary Stromberg, Jane Merrill
![]() | | | From Publishers Weekly | | The celebrities interviewed here--from Ann Lamott to Alice Cooper--are all
in recovery from addictions to alcohol or drugs that originated in the
1960s and '70s. Among them are athletes, musicians, actors and even a
member... read full editorial |
![]() | | | From Booklist | | Film folk (Mariette Hartley, Malcolm McDowell), musicians (Dr. John, Alice
Cooper), athletes (Gerry Cooney, Dock Ellis), and comedians (Richard
Lewis, Richard Pryor) as well as one politician (congressman... read full editorial |
![]() | | | Review | | "As an alumni of Hazelden with a proud and grateful 18 years of
sobriety, I will never forget just how hard I fell and how Hazelden's hot
seat afforded me the opportunity to take a rigorous and hard look at my... read full editorial |
Customer Reviews
Sample 3 of 4
The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery
Gary Stromberg, Jane Merrill
![]() | | | Mind Altering Experiences | | (New York) March 18, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | This book lays entertaining, healing tracks down in your mind!. Even if
you're not a big reader, you'll have no trouble getting through it. It's
a gripping collection of tales of the most fascinating, diverse
celebrities... read full review |
![]() | | | Fascinating and Wonderful! | | (Connecticut) March 29, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | Mr. Stromberg combines incredible insights and unparalleled celebrity
access into a book that is warm, funny, touching and often surprising.
This is not one of those books where you read what celebrities
"supposedly" said... read full review |
![]() | | | What a book! | | (Fairfield County, CT) May 6, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | Gary Stromberg really tells some very compelling stories of some of the
biggest names in pop culture. This book offers hope, some laughs and
great insights into an insidious disease that effects millions. I highly
recommend this book!
|
Top 10 Best Selling Health-Fitness Book Categories
|
|