The Other Great Depression

How I'm Overcoming, on a Daily Basis, at Least a Million Addictions and Disfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life

De: Richard Lewis

Narrado por: Richard Lewis

Duración: 9 h y 20 m

Resumen del Editor

At the age of 44, renowned comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm regular Richard Lewis found himself on a gurney in the ER, toxic with alcohol and hallucinating from excess cocaine use. The same neuroses and dysfunctions that had been the basis for his successful stage persona and inspired his best material had, it seemed, turned on him.

How he got there, how he finally got on the road to recovery, and how he copes with being sober on a daily basis are the subjects of The Other Great Depression, Lewis' very funny, deeply honest, inspiring, but very unsentimental book.

©2008 Richard Lewis (P)2008 Phoenix Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[A] stunning autobiography....Lewis narrates with the same unsentimental, straightforward, and hilarious manner that he does on stage....Lewis's inspiring message and clear-cut voice make for addictive listening." ( Publishers Weekly)

Not your average drunkalogue

I have been a Richard Lewis fan since I started watching "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on DVD.

This book, read by the author, is an insightful and profound odyssey into the depths of alcoholism and addiction, combined with his spiritual journeys in recovery. There were some excellent sound-bytes and one-liners and I had to keep rewinding in order to memorize them.

I found the delivery a little flat in Part 1 but he warms to his subject and sounds more animated in Part 2. I think the book was originally written some time in the early 2000's, with an "Afterward" from 2007. I couldn't understand why he refers to flight attendants as "stewardesses" unless the outdated term was purposely used in the context of the past.

I'll give this one a "five" as the dominant theme is that chemical sobriety is only a beginning, and that it takes work to stay on the path, while still having fun.

The Other Great Depression (Unabridged)

Richard Lewis has been funny to me for many, many years. To learn of his struggle was sad, but very uplifting, when he relates that he conquered his demons 15 years ago. He is funny and straight, at the same time. And this seems to be his success story. I am in awe of what he has done and how he has told his story.

I think I dated this guy

Not really. Just someone like him. If you've ever dated an alcoholic, you might find it as painful to listen to his chapter on how PMS destroyed his relationships as I did. Maybe you will also find it an opportunity to gain insight into why such relationships fail, and some forgiveness. I tried to do that - but eventually gave up.

New favorite memoir

Poignant and real. Could not recommend more. Especially to someone in recovery. I will be relistening for sure

What a Non-Stop Bummer...

You would normally expect a book by a comedian to have a few laughs, but there are few in this book, if any. Great that Lewis overcame his demons, but how many hours is one expected to listen to the harping? In the end he had many years sober, but he was still clearly a depressed human being. One wonders why this book was ever written....