Title: On Lighthouses.
Author: Jazmina Barrera (translated by Christina MacSweeney).
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir, architecture, tourism.
Country: Mexico.
Language: Spanish.
Publication Date: 2017.
Summary: Far from home, in the confines of a dim New York apartment, Jazmina Barrera offers a tour of her lighthouses—those structures whose message is "first and foremost, that human beings are here." In trying to "collect" lighthouses by obsessively describing them, Barrera begins to question the nature of writing, collecting, and how, by staring so intently at one thing, we are only avoiding others. Equal parts personal memoir and literary history, the book takes the reader on a desperate flight from raging sea to cold stone—from a hopeless isolation to a meaningful one—concluding at last in a place of peace: the house of a selfless, guiding light.

My rating: 8.5/10
My review:

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Title: Behind the Lines.
Author: A.A. Milne.
Genre: Poetry, WWII.
Country: England, U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1940.
Summary: A collection of 43 poems written as a diary of the first 9 months of WWII. Deliverance describes the impression upon the announcement of the beginning of WII. Adolf Hitler is a critical portrait of the German dictator. The Third String is a besmirching poem about Rudolf Hess. High Purpose is a poem about Hitler changing his mind and joining hands with Stalin. An Alphabet is an abecedarium in verse about the war. The Portrait Gallery is a parody of German citizens and characters. Black-Out is a poem about the black-outs that were so disturbing and annoying. Hausfrau Speaks is a poem about Mein Kampf and its meaning to the German people. The Sinking of The Winston Churchill is a poem in which Goebbels recounts the torpedoing and sinking of The Winston Churchill of the British Fleet. Song for a Soldier is from a point of view of a young, newly-enlisted soldier, who yearns to win the war for his mother. Unity is a poem about Hitler's meeting with his closest associates, of whom he is not a fan. In War Work, the author suggests how he would move around the local geography to help with the war. Information is a poem about how information and propaganda makes their way through the world. Farewell to Butter is an ode to butter, which was heavily rationed during the war. The Supermen is a mocking poem about the Germans being the Chosen Race. Safety is a humorous poem about safety pacts and their efficacy, the author taking as example recent pacts with Baltic States and the earlier one with Finland and Russia. Par Nobile Fratrum wonders who wold be better, Stalin or Hitler. In The British Communist, the author critiques Communism with the example of Soviet Union, where adherents were required to suddenly and drastically change their allegiances back and forth between vastly different "Communist" leaders. Travel is about the solitude and mystery of traveling with strangers, and not quite being sure when your station is. Class Distinction is a poem about class distinction, and how nothing actually changes after a workers' revolution when capitalism takes the stage. Hoares de Combât is a poem where the author reveals what he would do if he were Prime Minister and had to choose a Cabinet. Excelsior is the author's take on the famous Longfellow poem of the same name, in the context of the war, in which a young man travels through a mountain village at dusk, bearing the banner "Excelsior," and refuses to heed warning and take rest on his way up the mountain. Merry Christmas is a poem about the first Christmas of the war, and trying to keep it merry still. Obsession looks at Winston Churchill from Goebbels's and Germans' point of view, as the causer of all evils. Home Service is about the BBC Home Service, which is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 1st September 1939 and ended on the 29th September 1967. In The Bottle, the author, passing through a humble village, is surprised to stumble on a rare wine bottle only to find out people were saving it to celebrating Hitler's demise. In Weather Report, the author remarks how one of the things he misses most during the war are the weather reports and competing with other regions for worse weather. In Almost a Gentleman, the author mocks the phenomenon as a German "almost gentleman" addresses a typical British one. Sleep No More is the author's wish that Hitler is haunted by all those whose deaths he is responsible for, and is unable to sleep again. The Neutral is a poem about the dangers of political neutrality, and making others establish your values and beliefs for you. Talk is a poem about the author realizing every station on the radio is filled with political war talk and propaganda all over the world. Officers and Gentlemen is a humorous poem about three gentlemen and officers winning the war with the help of marmalade-making and financial finagling. Matilda, the author recalls his disappointment in Norway's occupation by recalling his meeting with an enchanting young lady named Matilda whilst sailing to Norway. Spring Offensive is an allegorical poem about a harsh spring. In Quid Pro Quo, the author defends war taxation, expressing pleasure to be able to contribute in some way, being too old to fight at the front whilst others die. Guests is a poem about refugees, wherein the author expresses they have been more pleasant and welcome company than most of his friends. The Patriot is about a German calmly proceeding to play golf and enjoying life as the war rages on. Old Soldier is a melancholy poem about an a veteran soldier struggling with yet another war, and finding he may not be a soldier any longer. Wishful Thinking is a humorous poem that criticizes those who criticize positive and wishful thinking. The Voice of Italy is a poem about Italy's threats and eventual entry into the war. To America critiques America's refusal to enter the war, and an urging to do so. The Conscientious Objector is a harsh critique of anyone who claims to be one, and an argument that even from a Christian point of view, the stance is not defendable. The Lost Generation praises the generation which was "raised by women" and made fun of during WWI, but went to war to the awe of WWI veterans during WWII.

My rating: 7.5/10
My review:

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Title: Essays.
Author: Wallace Shawn.
Genre: Non-fiction, essays, philosophy, ethics, politics, theatre.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2008, and 2010 (this edition 2010).
Summary: A collection of 16 essays divided into two parts. Up to Our Necks With War (2004) are excerpts from a diary in which the author discusses his feelings on the war in Iraq, the irrationality of calling United States a democracy, and the hypocrisy of being entirely against war and killing in context of human history. In Israel Attacks Gaza (2008), the author explains why so many Jews find the extermination of Palestinians historically justifiable, and how irrational it is for other countries to pander to that belief. In Why I Call Myself a Socialist (2010), the author compares the roles actors play to the roles we all play on a daily basis, and the randomness and unfairness in the illusion of class equality, and how the division of labour and how we view it in our society is inherently immoral. PART TWO: DREAM-WORLD: In Myself and How I Got Into the Theater (1996), the author expounds on the influences that made him become a playwright, from his privileged and liberal upbringing, to his father being a book critic and the innate discomfort Shawn felt that any form of art could be criticized as "bad," a critique nonexistent in the world of theater. Reading Plays (1997) is about the unique experience of reading a play, as opposes to seeing it performed. In Aesthetic Preferences (2008), the author wonders about different tastes and preferences, and philosophizes on the importance of dreams. Interview With Mark Strand (1998) is an interview with the American poet about his poetry and his outlook on the medium, as well as the importance of poetry in the world overall and the ultimate meaning of it. In Writing About Sex (2008), the author talks about why writing about sex is most interesting and most taboo. (Only PART 2 in this post, refer to PART 1 for the rest of the quotes).

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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Title: Essays.
Author: Wallace Shawn.
Genre: Non-fiction, essays, philosophy, ethics, politics, theatre.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1985, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008 (this edition 2010).
Summary: A collection of 16 essays divided into two parts. PART ONE: REALITY: In The Quest for Superiority (2008), with remarkable honesty and self-criticism of his own privileged life and upbringing, the author looks at what makes people, particularly in the U.S., feel superior and apathetic to suffering, and how that feeling can be replaced with compassion and love with the help of the arts. After the Destruction of the World Trade Center (2001), written a couple months after the attacks in the form of letters between America and "The Foreign Policy Therapist," the essay empathetically but critically takes a look at what America must honestly come to terms with about its place and reputation in the world. In Morality (1985), the author looks at the way morality functions in the world and individual lives, and both the temptation and the folly of giving up on the concept by accepting the faulty logic that all humans are vile anyway. An "American" Publishes a Magazine (2004), published in a one-issue magazine in response to the Abu Ghraib tortures, discusses Americans' apathy to and in fact dependence on the despicable actions overseas, and the concept of United States in general. Patriotism (1991) discusses what the concept should and should not mean, and how America does not need it. In Interview with Noam Chomsky (2004), the two men discuss a variety of subjects, including political personal responsibility, consumerism, the relationship between people and those who rule them, and the perception of social freedom where there is none. In Bush Proposes Preemptive War (2002), the author discusses how irrational fear of Iraq is, and how both illogical and unethical it would be to go to war with it. The Invasion of Iraq Is Moments Away (2003) are excerpts from a diary that discuss the imminent invasion of Iraq, and the United States' relationship with its leaders, as well as its attachments to its privilege. (Only PART 1 in this post, refer to PART 2 for the rest of the quotes).

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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Title: Columbine.
Author: Dave Cullen.
Genre: Non-fiction, true crime, school shootings, journalism.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2009.
Summary: Columbine shootings became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. The author was one of the first reporters on the scene, and he spent ten years on this book—widely recognized to be the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings. The author paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors. (Only Afterword, Epilogue and Appendices in this post, refer to PART 1 and PART 2 for the rest of the quotes).

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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Title: Columbine.
Author: Dave Cullen.
Genre: Non-fiction, true crime, school shootings, journalism.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2009.
Summary: Columbine shootings became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. The author was one of the first reporters on the scene, and he spent ten years on this book—widely recognized to be the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings. The author paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors. (Only PART 2 in this post, refer to PART 1 for the rest of the quotes and PART 3 for Afterword, Epilogue and Appendices).

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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Title: Columbine.
Author: Dave Cullen.
Genre: Non-fiction, true crime, school shootings, journalism.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2009.
Summary: Columbine shootings became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. The author was one of the first reporters on the scene, and he spent ten years on this book—widely recognized to be the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings. The author paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors. (Only PART 1 in this post, refer to PART 2 for the rest of the quotes and PART 3 for Afterword, Epilogue and Appendices).

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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Title: On Walking in Ice.
Author: Werner Herzog (translated by Martje Herzog and Alan Greenberg).
Genre: Non-fiction, diary, travel.
Country: Germany.
Language: German.
Publication Date: 1974, 1982 (this edition 2015).
Summary: In late November 1974, the author and director set off on a three-week walk from Munich to Paris as a pilgrimage to save the life of his close friend and fellow filmmaker Lotte Eisner. This is his beautifully written account of everything he saw and felt on his journey to his friend's bedside, from descriptions of the landscape and harsh weather to practical concerns about where to find lodging to the intense loneliness of his solo excursion. The book also includes Tribute to Lotte Eisner (1982), the speech Herzog gave in honour of Lotte Eisner on the occasion of her receiving the Helmut Käutner Prize for her contribution to German film culture (she was the first person to be given this award).

My rating: 9/10.
My review:

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Title: The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First-Person Accounts.
Author: Aaron Paddack, Jethro Macy, Herman Melville, Thomas Nickerson, Commodore Charles Goodwin Ridgely, Charles Wilkes, Rev. Daniel Tyerman & George Bennet, Esq., Thomas Chappel, Edward Dobson, (notes, edited and compiled with introduction by Nathaniel and Thomas Philbrick).
Genre: Non-fiction, nautical history, survival.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1821, 1831, 1851, 1876 (this collection, notes and introduction 2000).
Summary: In 1820 the Nantucket whaleship Essex, thousands of miles from home in the South Pacific, was rammed by an angry sperm whale. The Essex sank, leaving twenty crew members in open boats for ninety days, only eight of which were finally rescued. This is a collection of 2 major first-person accounts, as well as 3 letters, 2 commentaries and 4 excerpts. The Paddack Letter (1821) attributed to Diana's captain Aaron Paddack, who was presumably witness to Captain Pollard's account right after rescue, on the Dauphin, provides a detailed account of the disaster. The Macy Letter (1821) is attributed to Jethro Macy of Nantucket, who spoke to Owen Chase in the days after his arrival in Nantucket, and recorded his impressions. Annotations to the Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex (1851) by Herman Melville are a series of annotations Melville made while he was writing Moby Dick, and later on in life, while reading Chase's narrative, and of his impressions on meeting Chase himself. Nickerson's Letter (1976) from Thomas Nickerson to Leon Lewis was written in reply to specific questions Lewis had about the disaster after reading Nickerson's narrative, specifically pertaining to the sacrifice of Owen Coffin. Excerpt from Letterbook by the USF Constellation (1821) by Commodore Charles Goodwin Ridgely is a record he made of his impression of the survivors of the Essex. Excerpt from Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, U.S. Navy, 1798-1877 by Charles Wilkes is the author's (then a 24-year-old midshipman in the U.S. schooner Waterwitch) account of his meeting with Captain George Pollard in August of 1822, then commanding the whaleship Two Brothers. Excerpt from Journal of Voyages and Travels (1831) by Rev. Daniel Tyerman and George Bennet, Esq. mentions when Bennet met Captain George Pollard in the Society Islands, shortly after the latter lost his second whaler at sea. Excerpt from an Account of the Loss of the Essex, Pamphlet No. 579., contributed to by Thomas Chappel is an account by the boatsteerer of the Essex who, along with two others, decided to stay behind on Henderson Island when the boats stumbled upon it, and later rescued. Excerpt from the Journal of the Surry (1821), attributed to Edward Dobson, the first mate of the Surry, the ship that rescued the 3 men that stayed behind on Henderson Island. Extracts: Memories and Apocrypha is a miscellany of variety of sources, not all reliable, that mention the Essex disaster. (Only the supplementary material in this post, refer to PART 1 for the 2 main narratives).

My rating: 8.5/10.
My review:

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Title: The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First-Person Accounts.
Author: Owen Chase and Thomas Nickerson (notes, edited and compiled with introduction by Nathaniel and Thomas Philbrick).
Genre: Non-fiction, nautical history, survival.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1821 and ~1870s (this collection, notes and introduction 2000).
Summary: In 1820 the Nantucket whaleship Essex, thousands of miles from home in the South Pacific, was rammed by an angry sperm whale. The Essex sank, leaving twenty crew members in open boats for ninety days, only eight of which were finally rescued. This is a collection of 2 major first-person accounts, as well as 3 letters, 2 commentaries and 4 excerpts. Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex (1821) by Owen Chase is the definitive first-person account of the tragedy, by the ship's first mate, in charge of one of the rescued boats. My First Voyage at Sea and Subsequent Loss of the Ship Essex (~1870s) by Thomas Nickerson is the account of the disaster written later in life by the cabin boy, who, at fifteen and on his first voyage, was also the youngest member of the crew. (Only the 2 main narratives in this post, refer to PART 2 for supplementary material).

My rating: 8.5/10.
My review:

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Title: The Lady in the Van.
Author: Alan Bennett.
Genre: Non-fiction, humour, old age, diaries, social criticism, class struggle.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: Diaries from 1969-1989 (essay 1989, this compendium 1994).
Summary: This is a true account, excised from autobiographical memoirs mostly in the form of diaries, of Miss Mary Shepherd, an eccentric tramp of uncertain origins, who parked her van in Bennett's garden "for a short while," and stayed for fifteen years. After her passing, Bennett attempts to unravel her history to uncover what had reduced her to life on the streets and brought her to Camden Town.

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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Title: People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo—and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up.
Author: Richard Lloyd Parry.
Genre: Non-fiction, journalism, traveling and exploration, true crime.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2011.
Summary: Lucy Blackman—tall, blond, twenty-one years old—stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo and disappeared forever. For months, the police's only lead was a suspicious message left with Lucie's best friend claiming she had joined a religious cult. The truth would prove much darker. Who was the mysterious man she had gone to meet? What exactly did Lucie do at her hostess job in the notorious Roppongi nightclub district? How many others had suffered—and will suffer—her same fate? The author, a foreign correspondent, covered Lucie's case from the beginning. He tracked the story across four continents, earned the trust of her family and friends, won unique access to the Japanese detectives and legal system, and delved deep into the mind of the man accused in Lucie's disappearance, Joji Obara—described by the judge as "unprecedented and extremely evil."

My rating: 8/10.
My Review:

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Title: Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident.
Author: David Mamet.
Genre: Non-fiction, journalism, mystery, survival, traveling and exploration, Soviet Union.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2013.
Summary: In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the incident — unexplained injuries, signs the hikers cu open and fled their tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of them, and radiation readings on some of their clothes — have led to decades of speculation over what really happened. This gripping work delves into the mystery through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs (many translated and reproduced here), rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and the author's own retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter. A fascinating portrait of the young hikers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of their story, the investigators' efforts, and the author's contemporary examination, here for the first time is the real story of what happened that night on Dead Mountain.

My rating: 8.5/10.
My Review:

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Title: More Fool Me: A Memoir.
Author: Stephen Fry.
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir, drugs, addiction, writing, acting, homosexuality, diary.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2014.
Summary: In his early thirties, Stephen Fry - writer, comedian, star of stage and screen - had, as they say, "made it". A much loved television star, author of a critically acclaimed and bestselling first novel, with a glamorous and glittering cast of friends, he had more work than was perhaps good for him. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as the 80s drew close, he discovered a most enjoyable way to burn the candle at both ends, and took to excess like a duck to breadcrumbs. Writing and recording by day, haunting a never-ending series of celebrity parties, drinking dens and poker games by night, in a ludicrous and impressive act of bravado, he fooled all those except the very closest to him, some of whom were most enjoyably engaged in the same dance. He was, to all intents and purposes, a high-functioning addict. Blazing brightly and partying wildly as the 80s turned to the 90s - AIDS became an epidemic and politics turned really nasty - he was so busy, so distracted by the high life, that he could hardly see the inevitable, headlong tumble that must surely follow... Containing raw, electric extracts from his diaries of the time, the book is an eloquent account by a man driven to create and to entertain - revealing a side to him he has long kept hidden.

My rating: 7.5/10
My review: It appears general reviews on this book have been negative, mainly due to the fact that Fry apparently reuses a lot of material from his previous two autobiographical works, so I'm really glad I read this one first. Because I loved it.

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Title: On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894.
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Genre: Non-fiction, diary, adventure, travel, survival, family saga.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: Written in 1890s (published 1962).
Summary: In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful and hoped to begin a new life. During their journey, Laura kept a detailed diary of events: the cities they passed through, the travelers they encountered on the way, the changing countryside and the trials of an often difficult voyage. Laura's words, preserved in this book, reveal her inner thoughts as she traveled with her family in search of a new home in Mansfield, where Rose would spend her childhood, where Laura would write her Little House books, and where she and Almanzo would remain all the rest of their happy days together. Interspersed with commentary by Laura's daughter, Rose.

My rating: 7.5/10.

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Title: From an Occult Diary: Marriage with Harriet Bosse.
Author: August Strindberg.
Genre: Non-fiction, diaries, romance, mental health, occult, health, cancer, religion.
Country: Sweden.
Language: Swedish.
Publication Date: February 21st, 1896 - July 11th, 1908.
Summary: Recounts Strindberg's bizarre relationship with his third wife, Harriet Bosse, 30-years his junior. His obsession with her lasted way beyond their 3-year marriage. She "possessed" him, and in his fevered imagination, he slept with her night after night. The closing pages of the diary, written in early 1908, when Harriet became engaged to a young actor, and Strindberg was feeling the first pains of a fatal cancer, convey an anguish and pathos beyond the scope of fiction.

My rating: 7.5/10.

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Title: Dragonslippers: This is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like.
Author: Rosalind B. Penfold.
Genre: Non-fiction, graphic novel, psychology, abuse.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2005.
Summary: Rosalind is an appealing, successful 35-year-old businesswoman running her own company when she meets widower Brian. Romantic and exuberant, with four loving children, Brian seems like everything a woman could possibly want. But soon Roz begins to notice troubling signs that Brian is not what he seems. A pattern of lies and petty cruelties begins to emerge that, over the course of their decade together, comes to encompass a litany of physical, mental, and sexual abuse appalling in its scope and malevolence. Roz pours her anguish into a series of graphic diaries that provide a touching, profoundly shocking, and completely original portrait of domestic abuse.

My rating: 6/10.

Title: The Diary of a Young Girl.
Author: Anne Frank.
Genre: Non-fiction, diary, WWII, teen, YA.
Country: Netherlands.
Language: Dutch.
Publication Date: 1947.
Summary: In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

My rating: 8.5/10.

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Title: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.
Author: Helene Hanff.
Genre: Non-fiction, memoirs, diary, travel.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: January 1, 1973.
Summary: A zesty memoir of the celebrated writer's travels to England, where she finally meets the cherished friends from 84, Charring Cross Road, and searches for the London of beloved literature.

My rating: 8.5/10.

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Title: The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
Author: Nikki Sixx (with Ian Gittins).
Genre: Non-fiction, autobiography, drugs, addiction, mental health, music.
Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Publication Date: September 18th, 2007.
Summary: A collection of diary entries written between Christmas of 1986 and Christmas of 1987. In considerable detail, the diaries chronicle the recording of Mötley Crüe's 'Girls, Girls, Girls' album and the subsequent 'Girls Girls Girls' tour, ending with Sixx's near-death from a heroin overdose in late 1987, which inspires the band to quit heroin altogether.

My rating: 7.5/10

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