LIVING WITH A PARENT WHO TAKES DRUGS

With the same straight-talking honesty she brought to Living with a Parent Who Drinks Too Much (1979), Seixas addresses the subject of drugs largely through the experiences of Jason--a seventh-grader who decides to enlist the help of his guidance counselor in dealing with his family's problems. Using different styles for Jason's story and the associated commentary, the text elucidates ways kids cope with a drug-affected household: caretaking, trying for academic excellence, withdrawal. Drag-avoidance information and tips for finding part-time or permanent solutions for body and soul (without being self-destructive) are often couched as Jason's counselor's offerings. Though dense at times--with ideas, details, and several stories being followed at once--this should be of great help to young people trying to find ways out of the quagmire of their elders' drug abuse.