Notes from the Challenge: 1

This year, my husband challenged me to read 50 books. I am currently reading my 29th book (War, by Sebastian Junger, non-fiction account of life with the troops in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan.) Having read so many books this year, I am filled with connections between books and current events, and would like to share those on my blog. I will call these posts "Notes from the Challenge". Here goes:

Having been a Lindsay Lohan fan during her Mean Girls days, I have been fascinated with her downfall, and I've watched her life turn into a trainwreck via Perezhilton.com and other media outlets with fascination. I was interested in this post on CNN.com about looking for hidden signs that your child has problems with addiction. It really hit a note with me as I recently read Imperfect Birds, Anne Lamott's new novel about a small, non-traditional family in California. The family discovers that Rosie, the sole, teenage daughter of Elizabeth and her husband, James, has been traveling down a dangerous road. Rosie's consistent lies have successfully covered up her substance abuse issues for a while, but Rosie's world starts to unravel, as she gets deeper into drug culture. Much to Elizabeth's surprise and dismay (Elizabeth is a recovering alcoholic herself) Rosie's in way over her head, and it takes family (nuclear and otherwise), to address this issue. A recommended read on an always relevant issue.