Smashed

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood (2005) by Koren Zailckas. Zailckas (pronounced Zel-Kiss) tells a fascinating and frank story of a girl (herself) who started drinking at the age of 14 and abused alcohol for the next 10 years. She was not an alcoholic -- she is not addicted to alcohol -- but she used alcohol in social settings to lubricate the wheels of social interaction. To her credit, she realized that alcohol was ruining her life and she quit drinking in her early 20s. The book is an eye-opening exploration of a world I didn't even know existed. Grade: A-