Pursued

Michael Heil tells the story of his teenage years as a drug addict in this memoir. It opens with a memory of a forest fire that he and his friends set one night, an image he later came to see as a picture of his own life going up in flames. Stoned, with his sister calling for emergency help, he looks back on the moment he began to recognize what his pursuits were doing to him.

The early appeal of drugs, sex, and success is portrayed as exciting and at times comical, but the book shows how these pursuits fail to deliver what they promise. Heil's record grows to five arrests and a dozen allegations, and a police chase down the center street of his town is among the events that follow. Years of worshipping the wrong things bring him to the brink of death before he finds hope in life.

The central message is that a higher source of fulfillment exists, one that can satisfy what pleasure, status, and accomplishment cannot. The narrative moves between hysteria, tears, and joy, and is meant to show readers that their struggles are shared by others.

The book is written for people facing addiction and for the friends, parents, mentors, counselors, and teachers who support them. Students in public schools and college who see drinking and partying as the good life will likely recognize themselves, as will those driven to build a name through wealth, luxury, and success. It is also meant for readers who fear they will never heal or who have not yet tried drugs.