Zailckas tells of her life as an extreme drinker from the age of 14 until 23. Then she stops drinking and starts writing this work about her life while drinking. She describes her drinking, lack of self-image and self-respect, depression, and delinquency. Zailckas almost romanticizes the experience of extreme drinking and the social and physical problems it causes. Ellen Archer takes the narrative and reads it smoothly as though she is not disturbed by the content. Her pronunciation of polysyllabic words is jarring as are the changes in volume throughout the narrative. Smashed can be a wake-up call to talk to your children and pay attention to what they do, or just another "poor pitiful me" book. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

 

Smashed by Koren Zailckas
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