Hurt - by Miriam Boeri (Paperback)

About the Book

"Hurt: Chronicles of the Drug War Generation weaves engaging first-person accounts of the lives of baby boomer drug users, including the author Miriam Boeri's own knowledge as the sister of a heroin addict. The compelling stories are set in historical context, from the cultural influence of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll to contemporary discourse that pegs drug addiction as a disease punished by incarceration. Boeri writes with penetrating insight and conscientious attention to the intersectionality of race, gender, and class as she analyzes the impact of an increasingly punitive War on Drugs on a hurting generation"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Hurt: Chronicles of the Drug War Generation weaves engaging first-person accounts of the lives of baby boomer drug users, including author Miriam Boeri's first-hand knowledge as the sister of a heroin addict. The compelling stories are set in historical context, from the cultural influence of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll to contemporary discourse that pegs drug addiction as a disease punishable by incarceration. With penetrating insight and conscientious attention to the intersectionality of race, gender, and class, Boeri reveals the impact of an increasingly punitive War on Drugs on a hurting generation.

From the Back Cover

"Adroit use of first-person narratives draws the reader into the human condition of people who went through the War on Drugs. Boeri has contributed harrowing perspectives on disastrously failed enforcement policies. Her work reflects especially on the aging of drug users and the gender aspects of using drugs in an era hostile to drug users."--J. Bryan Page, coauthor of Comprehending Drug Use and The Social Value of Drug Addicts

"Boeri's ethnography chronicles the personal and social costs of our nation's war on drugs. Her up-close look at personal lives of drug-using baby boomers across their life histories challenges common assumptions and provides a sociologically grounded, paradigm-shifting analysis of heavy drug use. A much-needed insightful and compassionate account."--Leon Anderson, author of Deviance: Social Constructions and Blurred Boundaries

"Profound life histories of baby boomers who were all users of illicit drugs, captured through Miriam Boeri's lens, inform and guide us in understanding the fundamental challenges of addiction to users, their relatives and friends, and society at large. Boeri argues persuasively for prevention and policy approaches to meet these challenges. Hurt is an important resource for experts in public health, addiction, social and health services, and public policy, but also for anyone interested in drug users and solutions for their own health as well as that of society."--Claire E. Sterk, Charles Howard Candler Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

Miriam Boeri provides a scholarly and comprehensive critique of the failure of the War on Drugs. Framed through a life course perspective, she uses the voices and experiences of aging baby boomer drug users to explain how U.S. policies have exacerbated drug problems. The book challenges conventional paradigms and theories that dominate current public policy discourse on the subject.-- Avelardo Valdez, Professor of Social Work and Sociology, University of Southern California

Review Quotes

"Hurt challenges many assumptions about substance use, substance use disorders, and the people who use and sometimes misuse alcohol and other drugs. ... Criticisms of the War on Drugs and its consequences abound. Works such as Boeri's that document the specific impact at the level of the individual are less common. Far from reducing the harms associated with problematic or chaotic drug use, the strategies of the War on Drugs are themselves a source of harm, diverting resources and undermining ties to people and social institutions that make change and self-actualization possible, even likely. This finding, which Boeri makes explicitly clear, is arguably the book's greatest contribution."-- "Contemporary Sociology"

"Sociologist Boeri lifts back the curtain on some of the more unseen aspects of drug use and abuse. ... This enlightening, well-written text will be an appreciated addition to any library collection, especially those supporting sociology, history, or criminology and criminal justice programs. ... Highly recommended."-- "Choice"

"While it is too late to prevent the myriad tragedies experienced by the 'drug war generation, ' Hurt respectfully draws on such experiences to make important contributions to drug research, including an intriguing alternate framework for rebuilding once the war is done. In doing so, Hurt presents a fresh take on a continually pressing issue, and should be of broad interest to researchers, students, policymakers, and beyond."-- "Social Forces"

About the Author

Miriam Boeri is Associate Professor of Sociology at Bentley University. She is the author of Women on Ice: Methamphetamine Use among Suburban Women.