Books Worth Buying: Stuart: A Life Backwards

This is book you've probably never heard of. This is a film you've probably never seen. I'm here to tell you to fix that as soon as humanly possible. I will admit, I saw the film first. Benedict Cumberbatch. ‘Nuff said. But I was so captivated by the story of Stuart Shorter and his subsequent portrayal by Tom Hardy (he was ace!), that I had to read the book.

This is a wonderful book. Alexander Masters captures the essence of Stuart in a way that is compelling and heartbreaking all at the same time. It is the story of a young man so embroiled in pain and tragedy, yet has such a profound outlook on life. I ached for Stuart, Alexander, and Stuart’s family.

You will find yourself laughing on one page and then crying at the next. Also a treatise on the plight of the homeless and mentally ill, Mr. Masters lays these social issues out in the spotlight through Stuart’s troubled life. Stuart is not a man easily forgotten, and his story will stay with you long after you finish the book. I also recommend seeing the film as well, as it stays true to the heart of the novel.

One of the best books I have read in ages. Read this. Read it now.

Description: In this extraordinary book, Alexander Masters has created a moving portrait of a troubled man, an unlikely friendship, and a desperate world few ever see. A gripping who-done-it journey back in time, it begins with Masters meeting a drunken Stuart lying on a sidewalk in Cambridge, England, and leads through layers of hell…back through crimes and misdemeanors, prison and homelessness, suicide attempts, violence, drugs, juvenile halls and special schools–to expose the smiling, gregarious thirteen-year-old boy who was Stuart before his long, sprawling, dangerous fall. 

Shocking, inspiring, and hilarious by turns, Stuart: A Life Backwards is a writer’s quest to give voice to a man who, beneath his forbidding exterior, has a message for us all: that every life–even the most chaotic and disreputable–is a story worthy of being told. – Courtesy of Amazon.com

Tara S. Wood can be found lurking on the internet. Or in these fine establishments.
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