Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption

by William Cope Moyers and Katherine Ketcham

Book Overview

Candid, shocking, and unforgettable, Broken is a haunting and clear-eyed tale that offers hope for all those wrestling with addiction

Unlike some popular memoirs that have fictionalized and romanticized the degradations of drug addiction, Broken is a true-life tale of recovery that stuns and inspires with virtually every page. The eldest son of journalist Bill Moyers, William Cope Moyers relates with unforgettable clarity...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143112457
• ISBN13: 9780143112457
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Couldn't get into It

I typically read every addiction story I can get my hands on. Couldn't get into this one though... Boring.

Simply Incredible

This book was just..... amazing. Moyers so eloquently described what it's really like to be a drug addict and the ever present haunting and urges. It was one of the books you find every so often that you just wish never had to end.

A Valuable Recovery Read

Broken is outstanding! I am an alum of Hazelden, sober 22 years, and have worked as an adolescent chemical dependency counselor. This book is the best description of addiction, treatment, relapse and recovery that I have come across. It is well written and well documented from the author's journals and correspondence from his father. I currently work with five sober high schools in Minnesota for chemically dependent kids in recovery. I have purchased a copy for each of the schools. Last night I was at a parent meeting at one of the schools and recommended it to the parents. I was asked if it was for the parents or the students. It is for both. It could be a wonderful opportunity for students and families to open new avenues of communication and understanding. The descriptions of the cravings, urges and triggers for relapse are graphic. My only concern is that they might be difficult for a newcomer with fragile sobriety. For all others, this book is a must read. It is particularly valuable for its depiction of spiritual growth and coming to terms with a higher power. I have never before reviewed a book but the author's call to action made it necessary for me to do so.

Powerful and Brutally Honest

I was amazed once I started reading at how well this book reads. Even more amazed that it wasn't one of those books about someone who went into recovery and never relapsed. The pain of relapse is something Mr Moyer described perfectly. I share in Mr Moyers addiction and now I have been blessed with sharing his recovery. I have ordered from Hazelden for some time now, so when this book came out, it was a must add to my recovery library. Thank you William, for sharing your story in print so that so many struggling addicts can see that there is hope and the miracle is just around the corner. It works if you work it!

Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption

Thank you so much, William, for sharing your story. It takes enormous courage to ascend out of the nightmare of addiction, and further courage to tell that story! You do an immense service to the many millions who struggle with this disease, both as addicts and alcoholics themselves, but also for the many others who love them and want to do the right thing. It was very interesting to hear something of how Hazelden works. I've been ordering books from them for years, and often wondered what their treatment program is like. You give a fascinating insight into that, as well as into your own mindset as you struggled with the program and recovery. Thank you for sharing the hope and strength to be had from knowing treatment works and recovery does happen! And that the stigma that often stifles people's efforts to get help is sometimes even worse than the disease itself. You are a tremendous beacon in the darkness here. You have turned your liabilities into assets and married them to the wonderful gift of communication and writing that you already had. We are all beneficiaries. The honesty and hope that your book offers is so needed in these dark times! Sincerely, Shelagh Cosgrove, Columbus, Ohio

Laurie, Charlotte, NC

I read this book and could not put it down. Mr Moyers will change the way of thinking for many as this disease has no limitations on the age in which this disease affects someone and all those around them. This book has insight and boundless wisdom for all generations involved. I would recommend all colleges make it madatory reading, and only wish somehow every adult knew it was available.