Painfully honest and unforgettable, The Booze Stole My Son (Don’t Let It Steal Yours) is Aui V’s personal account of loss, grief and healing after her oldest child and son, JC, died in a road accident while driving drunk. Weaving together letters from her diary and personal storytelling, the book fills a gap in contemporary literature by boldly confronting the widespread and destructive culture of alcoholism. The Booze Stole My Son comes at an important time in our history. It arrives in the midst of an escalating War on Drugs that has sparked heated debates about how to address, and rehabilitate, people who suffer powerful and harmful addictions like drugs, but also alcohol. Aui V.’s message is clear: it is unconditional love and acceptance, not punishment and marginalization, that addicts need to recover. Aui V.’s story will resonate with mothers, parents, and families from every background. We may not personally struggle with alcoholism, but almost all of us know people whose lives have been ruined because of it, or died before they should have, like Aui V.’s son, in alcohol-related tragedies. Readers will also be drawn to Aui V.’s candid prose, as she documents her journey trying to raise a family, build a career, work through personal demons, steer her son from alcoholism, and survive his untimely death. Her honesty is a reminder and an invitation to readers not to run from difficult realities about ourselves and our loved ones. Covering themes of conflict, loss, grief, confusion, regret, guilt, despair, recovery, catharsis, unconditional love, and faith in God, there is something for everyone to relate to, and learn, in The Booze Stole My Son.
