We Can’t Be Friends

Cyndy was a high-school kid in the 80s, doing what other kids do: hanging out and going shopping. She had also tried alcohol and marijuana. Her mom, fearing that her daughter was heading in a difficult direction, dropped her off at Straight, Inc, an organization that helped young people to overcome their addictions. While their methods were unorthodox, her sixteen months there helped her to see that drugs and alcohol were the devil incarnate, and if she didn’t stay straight and sober, so was she. Once she accepted how addicted she was, she was able to start anew, but the new start didn’t look like what the counselors at Straight, Inc said it should.

This autobiography details the author’s own experiences trying to survive the teen years. It is a difficult read, as the counselors at Straight, Inc employ abusive methods to psychologically twist their patients into believing the worst of themselves, and her mother is less than supportive, to put it mildly. The graphic descriptions of intimate encounters border on New Adult, rather than Young Adult, but the message at the end is appropriate for readers trying to navigate high school and college.