By Nick Reding Reviewed by Bill Kauffman Published in the Wall Street Journal on June 9, 2009 Oelwein, Iowa, pronounced “Ol Wine,” is a small city of about 6,700 souls in northeast Iowa that Jay Leno reportedly once called “possibly the worst place in the world.” There are those who love it, though, and the effort of these faithful Oelweiners to revive their methamphetamine-dazed town is the subject of Nick Reding’s “Methland.” Mr. Reding, a Missouri-bred New York City journalist, traveled … [Read more...]
How to Raise a Drug Free Kid
The straight dope for parents By Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Fireside, a division of Simon & Schuster Reviewed by David Palmer Near the end of Joseph Califano’s book, “How to raise a Drug Free Kid,” the author quotes a father who wrote, “Like so many parents, we didn’t heed the warning signs. We found an empty beer bottle in the backyard, we smelled pot on his clothes, we found an unidentifiable pill in the laundry room; we chalked these things up to normal teen behavior, but we … [Read more...]
Out of gas on a storm-filled night
A pilot passes the point of no return By Ron T. On that unforgettable October night in 1999, we were on approach into Little Rock National Airport, and it was bad. “Go around max thrust flaps nine, positive rate gear up,” I commanded as the ground proximity warning blared “too low terrain.” My co-pilot froze while I struggled to overcome the inertia of 50,000 pounds of airliner descending at 2200 feet per minute. I was the Captain and flying this leg of a very long five-leg day. This go-around … [Read more...]
From “trash can” to redemption. And a prayer for a son’s return
By Christy N. My name is Christy. I’m a believer who struggles with drug addiction, codependency, resentment, anger, overeating and depression. My family life was dysfunctional from the beginning. My mom was a people pleaser, trying to please my abusive dad and trying to protect my sister and me from his anger and abuse. He was not an alcoholic, but he was abused terribly as a child and, as we know, “hurting people hurt people.” My mom grew up in an extremely dysfunctional family as … [Read more...]
Memoirs of a Runaway
By Michael Kennon Outskirts Press $10. 95 Review by Dorothy Cox Remembering vividly his own pain, shame and isolation as a runaway from age twelve to early adulthood, CEO Michael Kennon hopes his story will let the untold thousands of runaway children in the U.S. know that if he made it, they can too. Kennon said his recently published book, "Memoirs of a Runaway: A Story of Hope," (www.memoirsofarunaway.com), will let teens who have run away or who are contemplating it, know that there are … [Read more...]
