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Laddar... High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society (2013)av Carl Hart
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Gå med i LibraryThing för att få reda på om du skulle tycka om den här boken. Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. This is an important book. Anyone who thinks "drugs are bad" covers the whole topic really ought to read this book. The nuance and personal experiences, and the thoughtful and science-based lessons, are critical to increasing understanding of who abuses drugs and why, and what should be done. Unilaterally criminalizing Does Not Work, and directly damages us socially, politically, and economically. I think it needed more editing. I found it somewhat repetitive. I think it would have had more punch had Dr. Hart's personal experiences rambled less; there are very important lessons that get buried in excess verbiage (to steal a term from "Twice Upon a Time".) That said, I am grateful to have read it! I saw Dr. Carl Hart speak in Grand Rapids, Mich., and was impressed by his thoughtfulness about how our drug policies impact the poorest and most under-served in our population, and completely agreed that the drug policy that leads to mass incarceration for non-violent offenders needs to change. Dr. Hart is a neuro-psychologist who pulled himself up out of a risk-laden environment and who is succeeding wonderfully as the first African-American tenured neuroscientist at Columbia University. I applaud that. I did feel that the science part of the discussion was missing from his talk, and then found that his book was shelved in the biography section of the library, when I was expecting to see it in the science area. After reading it, I agree, it belongs in the biography section. It's mostly memoir, with some discussion of Dr. Hart's studies and behavioral experiments thrown in. While I agree with his social premises, I was underwhelmed with the writing and the content of the book. I'm going to try some other books that address the topic of mass incarceration to try and figure out if it's just me, or if there are more clear and commanding arguments out there. 2 1/2 Stars. I read this book after hearing the author interviewed on The Majority Report podcast. From the interview, I had the impression the book would focus primarily on how drug policy in the U.S. had been used to oppress the poor and minorities over most of the last century. However, that was really just a small part of the book. It is primarily an autobiography of the authors life, which is a very compelling story. He does address the fallacy, folly and cruelty of our drug policy more thoroughly in the last part of the book. One of the things I really appreciated and admire in Dr. Hart is his recognition of the role luck played in allowing him to achieve what he has in his life. He identifies several points at which he happened to meet the right person or get advice to make that choice that moved him in the right direction. It reminded me of several similar instances in my own life. The fact that luck presented him with opportunities in no way diminishes the role of hard work in his accomplishments. Its just refreshing to hear someone acknowledge what is always true, that luck plays a huge role in allowing us to accomplish what we accomplish. inga recensioner | lägg till en recension
"As a youth, Carl Hart didn't realize the value of school; he studied just enough to stay on the basketball team. At the same time, he was immersed in street life. Today he is a cutting-edge neuroscientist--Columbia University's first tenured African American professor in the sciences--whose landmark, controversial research is redefining our understanding of addiction. In this provocative and eye-opening memoir, he recalls his journey of self-discovery and weaves his past and present. Hart goes beyond the hype of the antidrug movement as he examines the relationship among drugs, pleasure, choice, and motivation, both in the brain and in society. His findings shed new light on common ideas about race, poverty, and drugs, and explain why current policies are failing. Though Hart escaped neighborhoods that were dominated by entrenched poverty and the knot of problems associated with it, he has not turned his back on his roots. Determined to make a difference, he tirelessly applies his scientific research to help save real lives. But balancing his former street life with his achievements today has not been easy--a struggle he reflects on publicly for the first time. A powerful story of hope and change, of a scientist who has dedicated his life to helping others, High Price will alter the way we think about poverty, race, and addiction--and how we can effect change."--Dust jacket. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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I do love a life story and I enjoyed his memoir. It did give an interesting perspective on life and problems in "the hood". Hart grew up with five older sisters and two younger brothers; an alcoholic father, eventually separated parents. He witnessed crime, addiction, abuse; he shoplifted, he fathered a child he didn't know about for 16 years. He also played basketball and joined the military, and from there it's a story of life turned around. ( )