Chasing the Scream

The inspiration for the feature film The United States vs. Billie Holiday

By: Johann Hari

Narrated by: Johann Hari

Bloomsbury presents Chasing the Scream written and read by Johann Hari.

Revised and Updated

The New York Times Bestseller

What if everything you think you know about addiction is wrong? Johann Hari’s journey into the heart of the war on drugs led him to ask this question—and to write the book that gave rise to his viral TED talk, viewed more than 62 million times, and inspired the feature film The United States vs. Billie Holiday and the documentary series The Fix.

One of Johann Hari’s earliest memories is of trying to wake up one of his relatives and not being able to. As he grew older, he realized he had addiction in his family. Confused, not knowing what to do, he set out and traveled over 30,000 miles over three years to discover what really causes addiction—and what really solves it.

He uncovered a range of remarkable human stories—of how the war on drugs began with Billie Holiday, the great jazz singer, being stalked and killed by a racist policeman; of the scientist who discovered the surprising key to addiction; and of the countries that ended their own war on drugs—with extraordinary results.

Chasing the Scream is the story of a life-changing journey that transformed the addiction debate internationally—and showed the world that the opposite of addiction is connection.©2023 Johann Hari (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

Superb journalism and thrilling story-telling.

An absolutely stunning book.

A terrific book.

A wonderful book . . . I hope everyone will read it.

Amazing and bracing and smart. It’s really revolutionary.

One of the world's most important and most enlightening thinkers and social critics.

Incredibly insightful and provocative.

A testament to Hari's skill as a writer.

Compelling Read

The author lays out a very compelling argument for the decriminalization of drugs and explains at length the history on the failed “war on drugs.” As someone who lives in an area fraught with heroin addiction, I found this perspective to be compassionate, research-based and logical. I’d strongly recommend it to anyone who has a friend or family member suffering from addiction or anyone interested in the broader topic of addiction, as it helps to shift the traditional perspective (at least in America) that using drugs is a criminal act and instead looks at it as a disease/medical issue that should be treated through a comprehensive program focused on social, emotional and physical well-being.

A very thorough researched book explaining a very complex social problem.

Authors writes about how drugs addiction can affect anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background. Very informative & interesting. Keeps the story very moving & heartwarming.

Great collection of research

Great collection of research, data, and real stories about people’s experiences. I highly recommend this book.

Beyond relevant

I see the terror of addiction daily in both my personal and professional life. This, in my opinion, is a must read - we are viewing treatment and dealing with our addicted loved ones all wrong

Should be required reading for anyone who participates in democracy.

The history of how the drug war starts is key to understanding and that the results that we see today are a feature, not a bug. This book also challenged my preconceptions of how addiction occurs and how best the treat it.