Synopses & Reviews
As an atheist with a background in fundamentalism, Bucky Sinister was skeptical of 12-step groups when the time came for him to get sober. He was afraid of losing his artistic abilities and had big problems with the higher power concept. In spite of his hesitations, he stuck with the program and it rewarded him greatly. In Get Up, he shares the knowledge he gained on his journey, from being afraid of AA philosophies to embracing them, motivating others to join him in their own efforts to get clean. Sinister, a spoken word artist, poet, and performer, well-known on the West Coast for his grabbing, truthful, funny performances, puts out his own story, no frills, no excuses, and no holds barred. He offers a tough-love approach to recovery for all those, like him, who are turned off by traditional "recovery" books. Sinister got sober in AA and has stayed sober in AA, and now he leads the very group he joined on his path to recovery. In Get Up, he shares the stories and the steps that come from the "self-identi?ed scum bags who just might save your life." He talks straight to readers about how to make it work if they can't buy into the program right away. For example, "Higher Power" can be a whole lot of things -- Thor and metaphor among them. He helps readers to accept the group in spite of their differences, rather than walking away. Get Up is the book that Sinister would have bought for himself, with the advice he wanted to hear when he ?rst ventured into recovery.
Review
"Get Up is not your mother's coffee table recovery book. Bucky peels away the layers of fluff and sticks it right in your face. His use of comedy and colorful language will conjure up some laugh-out-loud moments'This release is perfect for the patient or counselor looking for a light-hearted, entertaining read. It combines recovery first-hand accounts, useful suggestions and scenarios and offers the reader an uplifting feeling without becoming over-powered by religious weights or flowery prose that often read like a real snooze on a page." --Jenna Bensoussan, Counselor Magazine
Review
"Every single person should own Bucky Sinister's 12 step book. "Addict or not. "It is an incredibly funny and interesting guide on how to successfully unpack one's mind when it's overpacked. "Simply put, this book should replace every magazine in every plastic"surgeon's"office and every bible in every motel." --Amber Tamblyn, Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actress and poet
Review
"Step 13: Read Get Up, do what Bucky says, and find your inner A-Team character. And if you're a "normie", buy this book for your friend who thinks they are too cool to get sober." --Jen Kirkman, stand-up comedian, actor, and writer
Review
"If you're lost in a self made blizzard, or drowning in the drink, this book is a line you'll want to have. Told with Bucky's cracking wit, and clarity, it removes the fear from the first bite at the dozen. Walk on. Twelve steps. With hope. It's in this book." ―Alan Black, Scottish playwright and author
Review
"This book is rad." --Michelle Tea, author of Rent Girl and Valencia
Review
"' a brilliant piece of literary performance with poetic and savagely funny insights. The book is a wild mixture of autobiography, philosophy, social criticism, pop culture and nuttiness: the consummate self-help book for those too cool for self-help books."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"...a smart, snide, blasphemous self-help book written in a countercultural voice." --Rachel Swan, East Bay Express
Synopsis
A (Former) Skeptic's Guide to the 12-Step ProgramKnowledge from a personal journey. Experiences with addiction vastly differ, but something can be learned from everyone's journey--especially those who achieve sobriety. Author Bucky Sinister penned this book because he had something to share from his own journey, a realization that completely changed his outlook on recovery. This smart and snide book is his testament to the effectiveness of the 12-Step Program, a path to recovery that he never expected to go down (and work).
A tough-love approach to recovery. As a poet, author, and comedian, Sinister doesn't hold back from speaking the truth in this book. He speaks bluntly about addiction and his own struggles with it. Sinister appeals to those who are turned off by the usual recovery self-helps. He talks straight to readers who struggle to buy into the effectiveness of the 12-Step Program--particularly those like Sinister, an atheist, who have problems with the "higher power" concept intertwined with the program.
A different kind of "self-help". Sinister's book presents itself as self-help, but don't expect it to have the same tone as others you've read. The book is full of Sinister's comedic touch, colorful language, and stories from "scumbags" that contain life-saving wisdom. An unabashed testimony to Sinister's personal journey to sobriety and those of others, this recovery book is sure to educate, entertain, and inspire.
Read Bucky Sinister's Get Up: A 12-Step Guide to Recovery for Misfits, Freaks, and Weirdos and find...
- A different outlook on the 12-Step Program
- Raw and honest stories of addiction and staying sober
- A source of both light laughter and cutting wisdom for those on the path to recovery
Readers of books such as The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober; Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions; and Staying Sober Without God will find further guidance and inspiration in Get Up, which should be the next book for you.
About the Author
Bucky Sinister, is a spoken word artist who performs about 40 times a years at comedy clubs and theaters, primarily on the West Coast, but also around the country. He has published nine chapbooks and three full-length collections of poetry, the most recent being All Blacked Out and Nowhere to Go. His first full-length CD, What Happens in Narnia, Stays in Narnia was released in 2007.