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Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery Audiobook
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(3.05) - 332 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The goal is ninety. Just ninety clean and sober days to loosen the hold of the addiction that caused Bill Clegg to lose everything. With six weeks of his most recent rehab behind him he returns to New York and attends two or three meetings each day. It is in these refuges that he befriends essential allies including Polly, who struggles daily with her own cycle of recovery and relapse, and the seemingly unshakably sober Asa.
At first, the support is not enough: Clegg relapses with only three days left. Written with uncompromised immediacy, Ninety Days begins where Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man ends-and tells the wrenching story of Clegg's battle to reclaim his life. As any recovering addict knows, hitting rock bottom is just the beginning.
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"Bill Clegg's book, Ninety Days, is a continuation of his struggle with addiction that we first were introduced to in Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man. As in his first book, Clegg does an excellent job of taking the reader along on his journey through his worst days and into the present as he works to maintain his sobriety each day. The narrative voice was so strong that I felt connected to him through all of his highs and lows. I wanted to scream at him to go turn around as he makes his way to his dealer's door for his first relapse after leaving rehab. The people he meets in "the rooms" were so vividly drawn that I immediately found myself hoping and praying for their well-being as the story progressed. At various points I was sad, ecstatic, disappointed and relieved. One can't ask for much more from an author than to make them feel every emotion and in this way, Bill Clegg succeeds."
— Jaclyn (4 out of 5 stars)
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“An often-vivid testament to the difficulties of overcoming addiction and the value of companionship.”
— Salon -
“Brutally honest…Clegg follows his gut-wrenching Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man with an equally stark tale of the hard and ongoing work of recovering from addiction.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“Clegg’s spare, nearly minimalist style complements the drama inherent in his material: it’s addition through subtraction…Clegg draws the reader into his claustrophobic existence. His distance from both his character and the world short-circuits the addiction memoir tendency toward melodrama. When specific details do seep in—selling his mother’s silver, a drug-fueled threesome—the impact is powerful. With understated craft, Clegg has written a harrowing story.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A memoir about how difficult it is to achieve and maintain sobriety, and Clegg’s ultimate realization that it cannot be accomplished on one’s own…His heartfelt, passionate revelations will directly touch the hearts of readers.”
— Library Journal -
“The author writes with astonishing honesty, infusing the intensely interior narrative with powerful imagery and penetrating insights…At turns cautionary and inspirational, Clegg’s saga embraces both the weaknesses and strengths of human nature, while only alluding to the possibility of salvation.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
Beautifully rendered in spare and elegant prose, a rumination on the human condition that recalls William Styron's memoir of depression, Darkness Visible
— Kirk Davis Swinehart, Chicago Tribune -
Clegg spares no one's feelings, least of all his own; it's not the brutality that makes this book worthwhile but rather the strange beauty of the stream-of consciousness prose.
— Mickey Rapkin, GQ -
Mesmerizing...Reading it is like letting the needle down on a Nick Drake album. Clegg tells his story in short, atmospheric paragraphs, each separated by white space, each its own strobe-lighted snapshot of decadent poetic memory.... Clegg can write.
— Dwight Garner, The New York Times
Ninety Days Listener Reviews
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" Ninety days: A Memoir of Recovery by Bill Clegg (Little, Brown & Co. 2012)(Biography)is a purposely drab memoir of addiction, relapse, relapse, relapse, ...and recovery. This book emphasizes the "keep coming back" portion of the Twelve Steps and what sponsors are for. My rating: 3/10, finished 1/14/13. "
— Dave, 2/19/2014 -
" I finally understand what 90 in 90 means. Bill does a really good job of showing how precarious recovery is and what it means to constantly be starting over at Day 1. This is also a book about friendship and finding the right fit and having people who don't give up on you. "
— Catherine, 2/13/2014 -
" Good book about recovery. "
— Heidi, 2/8/2014 -
" Honest, direct memoir of ones journey in darkness. Sometimes motivation, inspiration ambition are just empty fancy words and there is no option then going downhill. Addiction is evil (and explained first hand) its dark and lives in the deeper recesses of brain ready to unleash itself at every possible point. The pivotal point is that its you vs you. Brain is what takes all decisions and that tells u, it reasons, convinces to take drugs, then the same brain says dont do that......should be killing...Getting up in the addiction meetings and counting DAY 1 would be one helll of a ego basher. The beauty of the book is that the simple solution to be doing the right things is when you feel responsible for other people when u grow beyond the "me" world to the "us" world everything gets taken care of automatically...i have heard people become better human beings when they become parents cos u start luking beyond oneself to others who are dependent on you or need u or need u to be better and that does the trick. Stayoing close to the family and "truth shall save you" is all so relevant only when you acknowledge there is a problem there is any chance for it to be solved and when you lay ur heart open when you show ur vulnerable side is the only chance to have relationships with people. The formidable self is a ideal state but it puts unnecessary pressure and takes the focus from things which can be addressed with the power of "US", A inspirational read but didnt find it enjoyable/gripping or awesome but still a story which deserves to be told in the best possible way... "
— Garima, 1/28/2014 -
" This was a very fast read. I really loved the honesty of this memoir. "
— Erin, 1/18/2014 -
" Clegg is a beautiful writer. An honest, hopeful look at the struggles of addiction. "
— Amy, 1/11/2014 -
" An excellent honest telling of the constant vigilance required to remain clean fresh out of the gate. Hurdles, climbing walls and the myriad ways life offers help and hindrance. A good example of human desire and frailty. "
— Chris, 12/24/2013 -
" Blah. Another one of my favorite genres, the addict's memoir, but this one didn't do it for me. Maybe if I had read his first book, I would have liked this one, but reading it as a stand-alone left me feeling bored and unable to connect with the main character's struggles. "
— Danielle, 12/19/2013 -
" Tragic and beautiful. Good writing. I read this book like I drank. I didn't stop until I had to. "
— Ric, 10/30/2013 -
" Addiction is hard; addiction to drugs heavy. This is an honest portrayal about relapse and tenacity; he is very forthright; i wish him so well. "
— Esther, 7/1/2013 -
" A great follow-up to "Portrait of the Addict as a Young Man" that explores Clegg's extremely difficult recovery from crack addiction. It's a powerful and inspiring story (and just as beautifully-written as his first memoir). "
— Anna, 6/27/2013 -
" Compelling, moving, true. "
— Sarahvicbarberis, 6/26/2013 -
" Hell of a story, and I'm really thrilled for Clegg that he's been making it. I wish him luck in his continued path. "
— Alina, 11/24/2012 -
" Great book with a really powerful message. Worth the read especially if you have loved an addict. "
— Emmas, 8/21/2012 -
" Harrowing yet hope-filled. "
— Christine, 7/13/2012 -
" This was a really nice sequel to Portrait of an Addict. It's not as great of a book, mostly because it's not as stylistic with the flashbacks. But I really enjoyed reading it and hearing from him. His recovery and realizations about himself are quite moving. "
— Laura, 7/11/2012
About the Authors
Bill Clegg is a literary agent in New York. He is the author of Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man, and Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery. He graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.
Zachary Lazar is an American novelist. His second novel, Sway, was a finalist for the Discover Great New Writers Award at Barnes & Noble and was an editor's choice at the New York Times book review. He earned an AB in Comparative Literature from Brown University and an MFA from the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Lazar’s articles and reviews have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, BOMB Magazine, and elsewhere. In 2011, Lazar joined the faculty of Tulane University as an assistant professor of English.