“The Heroin Diaries” by Nikki Sixx is a book made by a member from the band Mötley Crüe. He writes a memoir about, as said in the title of the book, “A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star” which takes place in 1986 to 1987. When some people think of rock stars, they think it’s all fun and games-road tripping in the day and partying rocking in the night-but Nikki Sixx proved that wrong.
In this memoir you go on an emotional roller coaster ride. He reveals his deepest moments of self-intimacy and moments of loneliness. In his diary entries, he gets really vulnerable and brutally honest about a couple of heavy topics such as drug addiction, mental health issues, relationships, trauma, and abuse.
Reading someone else’s diary is very private and invasive, but he really opens up and shows his personal diaries with the rest of the world. In the book, he also opens up about his early childhood and family. How his relationship with his mom is and his last memory of his father before he left. He does talk about his band members often since he’s close with them but he mostly talks about himself and his struggles.
Compared to a normal memoir, the author doesn’t use a normal structure like your average book. This book is entirely made up of diary entries and commentaries next to them. Picture a diary entry, that’s literally how it’s written in. Not only does he set up his memoir like that, but he includes cool pictures and designs as well. He did this on purpose not only to fit in his own style/personal aesthetic but to engage the reader.
What’s really cool about this is that he made an album that goes along with the book, something you don’t really hear. Throughout the story, Nikki Sixx consecutively writes in first person and shares his thoughts and emotions on things which allows the reader to connect with Nikki on a personal level. He uses descriptive language and vividly describes his surroundings, experiences, and emotions. By doing this, he really captures his journey. The book includes a lot of artistic elements such as photographs, artwork, handwritten notes, etc. He gets really creative with how he presents his memoir.
On the outside he has this image of a tough, edgy rockstar but on the inside he’s broken. I really like how vulnerable and honest Nikki Sixx gets. In interviews, he said he made this book for those who struggle with addiction and that they’re not alone. I don’t have any addictions, but I bought the book to get more insights about him and his life since I’m a fan.
He went through a rough childhood and didn’t have great parents like the rest of us did. He rose to be a star, but at what cost? He was still broken on the inside. However, he overcame his addiction and came clean. He got out of this hole that he was stuck in and became a different person. I’ve never seen a memoir so unique as Nikki’s.
The artist elements he added to the book is very incredible and easily grabs people’s attention. Most kids love to judge a book by its cover and this book is very artistically and uniquely designed. When I would bring the book to school and read it, people would always ask me “What are you reading? What is it about?” Yeah, the book is pretty cool looking, but it’s an emotional roller coaster ride.
If I had to rate this book out of 10 I’d give it an 8. I just really love how vulnerable he gets. Most people don’t have the courage to open up, but he does and that’s what I love. He doesn’t just talk about addiction. He struggles with other mental health problems that even one can relate to. He opens up with a variety of struggles such as self-esteem issues, anxiety, depression, trauma etc. It’s really touching and emotional. Overall, it gives deep insights on personal struggles, personal growth, and rock and roll. So if you’re a fan of rock and personal transformation, this book is for you.
