Book Review and Tour: Everything I Never Wanted To Be by Dina Kucera

Title: Everything I Never Wanted To Be
Author: Dina Kucera
Publisher: Dream of Things
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
Paperback: 216 pages
ISBN: 978-0982579435
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Summary:

Everything I Never Wanted to Be is the true story of a family’s battle with alcoholism and drug addiction. Dina’s grandfather and father were alcoholics. Her grandmother was a pill addict. Dina is an alcoholic and pill addict, and all three of her daughters struggle with alcohol and drug addiction—including her youngest daughter, who started using heroin at age fourteen. Dina’s household also includes her husband and his unemployed identical twin, her mother who has Parkinson’s Disease, and her grandson who has cerebral palsy. On top of all that, Dina is trying to make it as a stand-up comic and author so she can quit her crummy job as a grocery store clerk. Through it all, Dina does her best to hold her family together, keep her faith, and maintain her sense of humor. Everything I Never Wanted to Be includes a number of horrific events. But in the end, it is an uplifting story with valuable lessons for parents and teens alike, and a strong message about the need to address the epidemic of teen drug addiction in our nation.
It’s a book that can change behavior and save lives—and make you laugh along the way.

My thoughts:

Honest, brutally so at times, full of wit but most importantly so poignant in bringing to the forefront some very serious struggles.

This is such a beautiful written memoir and Dina takes you through each step of her journey, sometimes making you feel sad and depressed and at other times making you smile and all the while making you root for her.

Alcoholism, Drug addiction, growing up in a home where both parents were alcoholics, her teen pregnancies and her current struggle with 3 daughters who each have their own serious issues with meth and heroin.  I love the fact that the author is so open about her life willing to share so many private moments and not hiding any of her mistakes.   She openly admits to the things she's done and shows us all just what the power of love and trust can do.

I highly recommend this book, it pulled at my heartstrings.

Thank you to TLC tours for providing me a copy for review purposes.