Title: And the Monkey Lets Go: Memoirs Through Illusion and Doubt
Author: Scott J. Hunter
Genre: Memoir, Addiction
Book Blurb:
Scott Hunter should be dead: Alcohol. Pot. Mescaline. Acid. Cocaine. You name it, he did it to excess. Like many young Americans who came of age in the 1960s, he told himself it was all part of life’s grand adventure. Truth was, he couldn’t face the secrets that were consuming him. Beginning with pharmaceutical LSD at two seminaries, Scott searched for an awakening. His journey took him to Thailand, where he taught English as a Second Language and studied Vipassana meditation. He was an attendant at a Massachusetts State School for developmentally-challenged children, drove tractor trailers, farmed organically on a hippie farm, lived in a teepee, and studied mantra meditation. He became a vagabond (read: homeless) exploring politics and poetry. Eventually, he found recovery from drugs and alcohol in the AA and NA programs, and uncovered the reasons for his addictions. In And the Monkey Lets Go, Scott writes about his life with clarity and humor, each milestone serving as an ultimately revelatory story about what it means to unearth the truth about yourself.
My Review:
Scott J. Hunter has lived a full life, full of adventures and trials, yet with each tribulation, he’s garnered the strength to dig himself out of the pit of despair. He’s tried every drug imaginable and lived to share his experiences. He’s right, for all the drugs he ingested into his body, he should be dead. But he isn’t. He’s here and wants to help others get out from under the monkey of addiction.
I’ve read quite a few books lately on drug addiction and the one thing I’ve learned is it takes immense strength to move through the rehab process. Drugs are serious addictions and only those with the strength and support system like AA and NA can defeat it. And the Monkey Lets Go illustrates in detail an addict’s struggle. It is eye-opening and my heart goes out to Scott Hunter for all he's been through.
This is not just a cautionary tale for addicts, though. We all struggle with addictions of one kind or another. We all have times when we fall and darkness is all around. Our inner demons fight for control and keep us from moving forward. An inspiring memoir and one I highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
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Author Biography:
Scott J. Hunter is the author of And the Monkey Lets Go: Memoirs Through Illusion and Doubt scheduled to be released on April 7th, 2020 from Mascot Books. Scott J. Hunter graduated from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and dramatic arts and McCormick Seminary with a Master of Divinity. He has a Masters in rehabilitation services with a concentration in substance abuse counseling from Springfield College. The grandson of Matthew Albert Hunter, inventor of the Hunter Process for producing titanium, Scott channeled his creativity through his boutique landscaping company Philosophical Gardening—the earth is my canvas. Scott is currently working on a handbook for emotional development for children and young adults and a piece of fiction.
Social Media Links:
Website https://www.scottjhunter.com/
Reviewed by: Mrs. N