Schizo

Ages 15 and older
This raw and shocking chronicle of teen drug abuse is difficult to read and impossible to put down. Nic Sheff's fluid prose is fast and furious, like his teen years spent filling an emptiness with drugs.
The child of a well-to-do family in northern California, Sheff started drinking at 11. By the time he was in high school, he was abusing cocaine and ecstasy. At 18 he discovered crystal meth and soon was stealing from his family and friends, and even prostituting himself, for the next high:
"[W]hen I took those off-white crushed shards up that blue, cut plastic straw -- well, my whole world pretty much changed after that. There was a feeling like -- my God, this is what I've been missing my entire life. It completed me. I felt whole for the first time."
Sheff is now in his early 20s and admits he is still battling his addictions, although he is sober. When asked by his publisher what he hopes teens will learn from reading his book, he said:
"I don't know. Being a teenager sucked for me. I was constantly insecure and terrified and thinking there was something wrong with me. Doing drugs was the only thing that could relieve me of that constant stream of self loathing circulating through my mind. So, well, I wish I could spare everyone from having to go through that hell. But reading 'Tweak' isn't gonna do that. Still, maybe it's just cool to know that things are hard and mixed up and that it's normal and okay. Working to get to a place where we can accept and love ourselves, that's the challenge. And the path is different for everyone. There is no formula, no perfect system. I tried so many different things before anything started to work for me. So I guess I would encourage people not to be afraid of that process."
For another, even more sobering side to Sheff's story, check out his father's new memoir, "Beautiful Boy."


Gr 9 UpSheff's novel reveals the painful and confusing world of teenage schizophrenia through the experience of Miles, a junior at a small San Francisco private school, where his mother works as a librarian. Miles's few friends only barely understand his struggle to hold on to reality, a tenuous grasp maintained through a dizzying array of pills and the love of his family. Miles is consumed by guilt at the kidnapping or death of his little brother Teddy on the same day he had his first extreme breakdown in a beach bathroom. Two years before, Miles believes, he destroyed his family. Now he believes that if he can just track down Teddy, he can restore their happiness and perhaps move forward himself. His plan is complicated by the return of Eliza, a close childhood friend whom he came to love and who rebuffed him just before her family moved away for two years. She missed his diagnosis and tentative re-entry to high school, plagued by the effects of his medication and suffering through frequent visits to a psychiatrist his family can't really afford. Now that she might actually return his feelings for her, Miles is distracted by Eliza when he needs to focus on Teddy's kidnapper. His visions of menacing crows and some questionable decisions indicate that Miles may be falling deeper into mental illness. Readers fascinated by the dark side of the human mind in realistic fiction will enjoy this deft portrayal of a brain and a life spiraling out of control. Miles is an endearing character whose difficult journey will generate compassion and hope. -- School Library Journal

"[A}n insightful perspective on one teen's struggle with mental illness."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for SCHIZO:

Included in CNN.com's roundup of "new titles to feed your YA addiction"

"Readers fascinated by the dark side of the human mind in realistic fiction will enjoy this deft portrayal of a brain and a life spiraling out of control. Miles is an endearing character whose difficult journey will generate compassion and hope." School Library Journal

"[T]he crafting of the plot and the convergence of the different storylines keeps pages turning. Schizo is a thrilling read for teens." VOYA

"[A}n insightful perspective on one teen's struggle with mental illness." Publishers Weekly
"Miles's clipped first-person narration is immediate and intimate." Horn Book

"[A] heartbreaking story, but particularly important in the climate around mental illness today." Bustle.com





Two years ago a family outing to the beach ended in trauma when fourteen-year-old Miles experienced a psychotic break. While recovering in the psych ward, Miles received a life-changing diagnosis of schizophrenia along with some devastating news: during the commotion of his episode, Miles's little brother went missing and is presumed drowned. Now Miles has a therapist and a cocktail of daily prescriptions to control his symptoms, but nothing can help piece his suffering family back together. Miles--sensitive and anxious--is acutely aware of the financial and emotional impact his illness has on his family and friends; he comforts himself with nicotine and self-deprecation ("Believe me. I bring nothing to the table," Miles insists) and carries the heavy burden of his illness and grief alone. Although the prose lacks the breathless verve of Sheff's 2008 memoir Tweak, Miles's clipped first-person narration is immediate and intimate, endearing readers to his formidable daily struggles while diverting attention from his increasingly "shaky" mental condition. When Miles begins a risky investigation into his brother's disappearance shortly after ditching his medications, some readers will guess the story's twist, but will nevertheless hope for Miles to find peace with his life and with his illness.


"[A] heartbreaking story, but particularly important in the climate around mental illness today."--Bustle.com