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Scribbles: A Drug Story
From addiction comes hope. In this electrifying and remarkable story, author Matthew McCain reveals take you on a journey of one mans addiction with opioid dependence and the struggles of Bi Polar disorder. Laced with wit, heartache and surprises combined with a stunning writing performance, McCain defies all the norms in this riveting powerhouse story that will leave you speechless.
118 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 21, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 9, 2021
Scribbles by Matthew McCain takes you on a journey of one man's addiction with opioid dependence and the struggles of Bi-Polar disorder. I personally know this author, and he's a great guy, but there will be no bias when writing this review.
Entertainment: star
Entertainment probably isn't the right word for judging this piece; I would never want to claim that a dark story in someone's life entertained me. However, McCain's book is engaging and heartbreaking, all wrapped in one. Even though the book was shorter, I had to put it down quite a few times because some scenes are difficult to read. Difficult in the sense that it might rip your heart out as it did to mine. If you have trigger warnings regarding drug abuse or suicide, I would keep that in mind before reading this book.
Characters: star
The main character of Scribbles by Matthew McCain is Matt himself. I felt like he painted himself as more of an antagonist, but I didn't see that when I read this memoir. I witness a man who is coping with a new diagnosis. Someone who is not only fighting a tough fight but then having a treatment plan that is laced with temptation.
I think it's easy to say this character comes to life because he's based on a real-life person. His "character" swears quite a lot, and it was a little excessive, in my opinion. Still, if that's who he was during that time, then he's staying true to the character's behaviors and painting us an accurate representation. Also, you might not relate to him, but there's probably at least one person you know who has fought these demons. There are a few more characters, and I liked that they were quite different from one another. You couldn't get confused by who was who. In a way, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, how Matthew meets the people he meets during his journey through life.
Plot: 1/2 star
I have to address one thing that bothered me the most when reading this book. The author would hint at other stories in his life (ex. love life, being gay, child abuse, etc.) but then never go into detail. It KILLED me. Mostly that we didn't get to delve into the first two I listed. There's a stereotype that gay men love doing drugs, and I think it would have been interesting to dispel that. Matthew becomes very personal with the reader, but I think mentioning some of the other things in his life, he should have either went into those as well or not mentioned them at all.
The plot shows two key points: One, it's challenging to ween off of drugs, and two, human beings aren't perfect. Sometimes, we put a gigantic pressure on our shoulders to grind and not make mistakes. But mistakes are going to happen, and you don't need to beat yourself up for eternity. When we're going through dark times, it's also easy to feel isolated and alone. McCain makes it a point to remind the reader that you're not the only one going through your battle. There is a plot twist in the book that I didn't expect in a memoir, but it wasn't random and had my mouth on the floor.
I will admit, if Scribbles by Matthew McCain were made into a movie, I would watch it. I don't think we talk about Bi-Polar disorder in the media enough, and there's a negative stigma behind mental health disorders.
Writing Style: 1/2 star
I enjoyed moving back and forth between present Matt and past journal entries. I believe that's a good plot device, especially when writing about yourself. The writing style itself is not my favorite. Towards the beginning of the book, the excessive swearing doesn't seem necessary, but it cools down as you read. I can also defend the swearing by saying it's part of the main "character." The sentence flow works well. It feels like McCain is talking to you alongside telling a story. One critique I have to recognize is on two occasions; the author will tease you about what's coming next. I feel like it was filler that can be taken out. The point of view is solid, and I'm happy the author focuses on him instead of switching between the first-person and omniscient narrator.
Finished Product: no star
There are many editing errors. If the book is self-published, I give it more passes than a traditionally-published book, but there were too many to look the other way. In the book's defense, if the author chose not to edit the journal entries for authenticity, I can support that. But his present-day text needed polishing; otherwise, those with less patience wouldn't finish the book.
The cover represents the story well. I wish the book were longer, and I can see opportunities where the story could be expanded.
Let Me Be Frank Rating for Scribbles by Matthew McCain
3 out of 5 stars
Regardless of Frank's rating, you should check out the book for yourself: Scribbles: A Drug Story: McCain, Matthew: 9781984509826: Amazon.com: Books
Be sure to check out all of Frank's other book ratings: Book Reviews Archives - Frank Anthony (letmebefrankanthony.com)
Entertainment: star
Entertainment probably isn't the right word for judging this piece; I would never want to claim that a dark story in someone's life entertained me. However, McCain's book is engaging and heartbreaking, all wrapped in one. Even though the book was shorter, I had to put it down quite a few times because some scenes are difficult to read. Difficult in the sense that it might rip your heart out as it did to mine. If you have trigger warnings regarding drug abuse or suicide, I would keep that in mind before reading this book.
Characters: star
The main character of Scribbles by Matthew McCain is Matt himself. I felt like he painted himself as more of an antagonist, but I didn't see that when I read this memoir. I witness a man who is coping with a new diagnosis. Someone who is not only fighting a tough fight but then having a treatment plan that is laced with temptation.
I think it's easy to say this character comes to life because he's based on a real-life person. His "character" swears quite a lot, and it was a little excessive, in my opinion. Still, if that's who he was during that time, then he's staying true to the character's behaviors and painting us an accurate representation. Also, you might not relate to him, but there's probably at least one person you know who has fought these demons. There are a few more characters, and I liked that they were quite different from one another. You couldn't get confused by who was who. In a way, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, how Matthew meets the people he meets during his journey through life.
Plot: 1/2 star
I have to address one thing that bothered me the most when reading this book. The author would hint at other stories in his life (ex. love life, being gay, child abuse, etc.) but then never go into detail. It KILLED me. Mostly that we didn't get to delve into the first two I listed. There's a stereotype that gay men love doing drugs, and I think it would have been interesting to dispel that. Matthew becomes very personal with the reader, but I think mentioning some of the other things in his life, he should have either went into those as well or not mentioned them at all.
The plot shows two key points: One, it's challenging to ween off of drugs, and two, human beings aren't perfect. Sometimes, we put a gigantic pressure on our shoulders to grind and not make mistakes. But mistakes are going to happen, and you don't need to beat yourself up for eternity. When we're going through dark times, it's also easy to feel isolated and alone. McCain makes it a point to remind the reader that you're not the only one going through your battle. There is a plot twist in the book that I didn't expect in a memoir, but it wasn't random and had my mouth on the floor.
I will admit, if Scribbles by Matthew McCain were made into a movie, I would watch it. I don't think we talk about Bi-Polar disorder in the media enough, and there's a negative stigma behind mental health disorders.
Writing Style: 1/2 star
I enjoyed moving back and forth between present Matt and past journal entries. I believe that's a good plot device, especially when writing about yourself. The writing style itself is not my favorite. Towards the beginning of the book, the excessive swearing doesn't seem necessary, but it cools down as you read. I can also defend the swearing by saying it's part of the main "character." The sentence flow works well. It feels like McCain is talking to you alongside telling a story. One critique I have to recognize is on two occasions; the author will tease you about what's coming next. I feel like it was filler that can be taken out. The point of view is solid, and I'm happy the author focuses on him instead of switching between the first-person and omniscient narrator.
Finished Product: no star
There are many editing errors. If the book is self-published, I give it more passes than a traditionally-published book, but there were too many to look the other way. In the book's defense, if the author chose not to edit the journal entries for authenticity, I can support that. But his present-day text needed polishing; otherwise, those with less patience wouldn't finish the book.
The cover represents the story well. I wish the book were longer, and I can see opportunities where the story could be expanded.
Let Me Be Frank Rating for Scribbles by Matthew McCain
3 out of 5 stars
Regardless of Frank's rating, you should check out the book for yourself: Scribbles: A Drug Story: McCain, Matthew: 9781984509826: Amazon.com: Books
Be sure to check out all of Frank's other book ratings: Book Reviews Archives - Frank Anthony (letmebefrankanthony.com)
May 10, 2022
Going into this book, I thought to myself “I went to middle school with this kid, let’s see what his story is all about” I mean point blank, that’s what was going through my mind. I didn’t realize at how fast I would be sucked into this whirlwind journey he brought me though. Half of the time I felt like I was a fly on the wall witnessing everything in real time right there with him, and the other half of the time I felt like him and I were at your local coffee shop having a conversation about why life had brought us through over a fresh cup of coffee.
This story was raw, it was pure, and it was fucking brilliant.
If there is one thing you should take out of this book… it’s to keep pushing, keep going, if you fall down let’s try ONE more time to get back up.
This story was raw, it was pure, and it was fucking brilliant.
If there is one thing you should take out of this book… it’s to keep pushing, keep going, if you fall down let’s try ONE more time to get back up.
September 23, 2019
Stunning! You'll laugh and cry at the same time. There's nothing else to say
October 14, 2019
One of the most powerful memoirs I've ever read. The language is offensive without question, but the message makes up for that and more!
September 8, 2020
Deeply offensive and boarderline over the top and filled with off the chart language, but a well constructed book and powerful story. I'm glad I read it, though.
March 12, 2021
I'd give it 5 stars but the pervasive language was just a bit to much for me to get over. It was a good book but not for the faint of heart.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews