In 2005, the New York Times Magazine published the article "My Addicted Son" by journalist David Sheff, in which he described his son Nic's addiction to methamphetamine and its impact on their family. In 2008, Sheff expanded that story into Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction (Simon & Schuster), which was published concurrently with Nic Sheff's memoir, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines (Atheneum). The two books are both the basis for a film called Beautiful Boy, starring Steve Carell as David Sheff and Timothée Chalamet as Nic. It will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 and open on October 12. Movie tie-in editions of both Beautiful Boy (Eamon Dolan/Mariner, $16.99, 9781328974716) and Tweak (Atheneum, $13.99, 9781534436572) come out today.
Both Sheffs have continued to write about drugs and addiction. In 2011, Nic wrote a followup called We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction (Little, Brown) about his continued fight to stay sober (Nic is also the author of several YA novels). In 2013, David released Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America's Greatest Tragedy (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin), which combines personal experience and the latest science to give a wider view of addiction. High: Everything You Want to Know About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction (HMH Young Readers) is a guide to all things intoxicating co-written by both Sheffs for ages 10 and up. This father/son collaboration is available January 8, 2019. --Tobias Mutter
