This book has been on my Amazon wish list for over a year. It came out in September. Yeah. I’ve been waiting for it. So now I’ve read it. It only took two days. Which may not be a terribly short time for some of you, but for me to get through a 413 page book in two days says something.

Since I am an aficionado of all things Motley Crue it would only make sense for me to be interested in this book. I had no idea. Basically, it is the actual journal kept by Nikki Sixx during the deepest depths of his heroin addiction. His description of it does not make it seem the least bit enticing. Besides the needles, there’s the paranoia, the puking, the poop, and the lack of hygiene. Oh yes, rock stars are very glamorous.

The diary ends a few days after he officially died of an overdose. He was resuscitated in the emergency room. He woke up in a hospital bed, walked out, went home and shot up again. No one ever said rock stars are brilliant.

The diary is interspersed with commentary by Nikki and some of the people mentioned in the diary. They added their own perspectives on what was described. I liked this part. It gave a bit of dimension. Especially in the parts where Nikki was obviously less than coherent.

The diary ends 20 years ago. Luckily, Nikki Sixx is still alive. He’s been through a lot in the last twenty years, including some relapses with drugs. But actually killing himself seems to have changed him a bit. He seems less bitter and negative. I believe that took a lot of effort. It’s much easier to be negative.

I don’t know if it’s ever been done before, but there is a soundtrack to this book. Nikki has a band called Sixx A.M. The single from the album that has been released is called Life is Beautiful. It’s a really great song. The CD is sold separately from the book.

Why did I not know this was a 9/11 book? I don’t remember anywhere that it said anything about it. Was I just not paying attention? So I was a bit surprised when the planes hit the towers in the book.

And you know? It kind of made most of the 380 pages that came before that sort of obsolete. This lovely, kind of trivial, story is going along. You’re trying to like some of the people in it. All these sort of normal things are happening for a story. You sort of care what’s going to happen to them. Then, bam! Everything changes. Which is obviously what happened to thousands of people in real life, but it didn’t make for a great story.

When I started this book, I realized it was about dogs. Not too long after that, I remembered that in every book about dogs, the dog dies. I then decided I couldn’t read this book. I kept reading anyway.

Then I decided it wasn’t so much about the dogs as it was about the dogs’ owners. I decided I might get away without a dead dog.

Spoiler Alert!

About 3/4 of the way through, the main dog was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I knew it! I knew it! The dog dies. Now I’m going to have to cry. I hate that.

I don’t usually mind if a human character dies, unless it’s a small child, or something. But I hate it when the dog dies. I hate that!

Otherwise, the book is interesting and I like Schine’s writing. And the book clearly describes the neighborhood in New York where all these people live.

It’s worth reading, but have tissues handy.