Book Summaries

The Top Books About Addiction

- Title: Naked Lunch - Author(s): William S. Burroughs - First Published: 1959 The reader follows the narration of junkie William Lee, who takes on various aliases, from the U.S. to Mexico, eventually to Tangier and the dreamlike Interzone.

February 23, 2023Book Summaries

  • Title: Naked Lunch
  • Author(s): William S. Burroughs
  • First Published: 1959

The reader follows the narration of junkie William Lee, who takes on various aliases, from the U.S. to Mexico, eventually to Tangier and the dreamlike Interzone.


The Biology of Desire

  • Title: The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease
  • Author(s): Marc Lewis
  • First Published: 2015

Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the “disease model” of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery.


  • Title: Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction
  • Author(s): Maia Szalavitz
  • First Published: 2016

More people than ever before see themselves as addicted to, or recovering from, addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, prescription meds, sex, gambling, porn, or the internet.


In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

  • Title: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
  • Author(s): Gabor Maté
  • FirstPublished: 2007

Diligently treating the drug addicts of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside with sympathy in his heart and legislative reform in mind can’t be easy. But Maté never judges. His book is a powerful call-to-arms, both for the decriminalization of drugs and for a more sympathetic and informed view of addiction.


Title: Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction Author(s): Judith Grisel First Published: 2007

From a renowned behavioral neuroscientist and recovered drug addict, an authoritative and accessible guide to understanding drug addiction: clearly explained brain science and vivid personal stories reveal how addiction happens.


The Attention Merchants

Title: The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads Author(s): Tim Wu First Published: 2016

Feeling attention challenged? Even assaulted? American business depends on it. In nearly every moment of our waking lives, we face a barrage of messaging, advertising enticements, branding, sponsored social media, and other efforts to harvest our attention. Few moments or spaces of our day remain uncultivated by the “attention merchants,” contributing to the distracted, unfocused tenor of our times.


Title: Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked Author(s): Adam Alter First Published: 2017

Welcome to the age of behavioral addiction—an age in which half of the American population is addicted to at least one behavior.


  • Title:Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
  • Author(s): James Clear
  • First Published: 2018

A concise guide to breaking bad habits and implementing new ones. It is essentially a compilation of psychological tricks that you can use to help you in your fight against yourself.

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  • Title:The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
  • Author(s): Charles Duhigg
  • First Published: 2012

A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.


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