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peebee's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. His attitude towards alcohol is pretty similar to mine, except he tends to overdramatize things. Half of his complaints are about not being able to sack up and say no to booze he doesn't want, and he doesn't get that caving like that is a sign of weakness and not virility.
He's all for prohibition, but I'll let that slide, since he never lived to see it.
He's all for prohibition, but I'll let that slide, since he never lived to see it.
orangefan65's review against another edition
4.0
A gripping autobiographical account of Jack London's life-long battle with alcohol. He was convinced that if alcohol had been made illegal and unavailable, it would have saved the lives of countless.
bb9159's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
danielsell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
jacqueswiehose's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
msand3's review against another edition
4.0
One thing I can say after reading this book: Hemingway's got nothing on Jack!
This is no melancholy rumination on the dangers of alcohol. It's a rip-roaring autobiography in which booze plays an integral part. Although London claims to desire prohibition, he can't seem to help celebrating John Barleycorn for the entire first two-thirds of the book. We read as London describes getting drunk at ages five and seven. Then onto his days as a teenage oyster pirate, where he practically lives in taverns, swilling whiskey with "fine, chesty, man-grown men." (Seriously. That's a direct quote. His favorite adjective is "chesty.") At this point the reader has to be wondering if London is joking when he says he's in favor of prohibition. Hell, after reading the first half of the book, I was wishing I could visit a turn-of-the-century San Francisco dockside bar and get loaded with characters like French Frank, Whisky Bob, and Spider. And despite all this boozy, manly camaraderie, London insists (almost every other page) that he is most definitely NOT an alcoholic. (Dear God, I can only imagine what he thinks an alcoholic IS!) Only in the final third of the book do we get a brief essay on the social ills of John Barleycorn and the "truthful-lying" of his "White Logic." But by this point, the reader has to find London's conclusion a bit hard to swallow. (Pardon the pun.) Indeed, in the last chapter (spoiler alert?) London claims that despite his desire for booze to be outlawed so as not to poison young people, he still wants to continue drinking! (Only socially, of course. Because, as he emphasizes constantly, he is most definitely NOT an alcoholic!) Is this meant to be irony? Is London serious? Does he really think his manly body (which, by the way, has been ravaged by so many physical ills it's kinda scary) has actually "beaten" John Barleycorn at his own game, as he claims? I don't think it matters. The point is made: alcohol can distort your thinking, damage your senses, and totally ruin your body. But it sure can be a fun ride along the way.
This is no melancholy rumination on the dangers of alcohol. It's a rip-roaring autobiography in which booze plays an integral part. Although London claims to desire prohibition, he can't seem to help celebrating John Barleycorn for the entire first two-thirds of the book. We read as London describes getting drunk at ages five and seven. Then onto his days as a teenage oyster pirate, where he practically lives in taverns, swilling whiskey with "fine, chesty, man-grown men." (Seriously. That's a direct quote. His favorite adjective is "chesty.") At this point the reader has to be wondering if London is joking when he says he's in favor of prohibition. Hell, after reading the first half of the book, I was wishing I could visit a turn-of-the-century San Francisco dockside bar and get loaded with characters like French Frank, Whisky Bob, and Spider. And despite all this boozy, manly camaraderie, London insists (almost every other page) that he is most definitely NOT an alcoholic. (Dear God, I can only imagine what he thinks an alcoholic IS!) Only in the final third of the book do we get a brief essay on the social ills of John Barleycorn and the "truthful-lying" of his "White Logic." But by this point, the reader has to find London's conclusion a bit hard to swallow. (Pardon the pun.) Indeed, in the last chapter (spoiler alert?) London claims that despite his desire for booze to be outlawed so as not to poison young people, he still wants to continue drinking! (Only socially, of course. Because, as he emphasizes constantly, he is most definitely NOT an alcoholic!) Is this meant to be irony? Is London serious? Does he really think his manly body (which, by the way, has been ravaged by so many physical ills it's kinda scary) has actually "beaten" John Barleycorn at his own game, as he claims? I don't think it matters. The point is made: alcohol can distort your thinking, damage your senses, and totally ruin your body. But it sure can be a fun ride along the way.