The most recommended rehabilitation books

As public awareness of mass incarceration has grown, reformers, and even law enforcement, have attempted to build alternatives, policies, and institutions they argue are alternatives to prisons and jails. These alternatives include policies like electronic monitoring, drug courts, halfway houses, lockup mental health facilities, and court supervision. In this book, Law and Schenwar systematically demolish the notion that such initiatives do anything more than widen the net of incarceration. In their view, these “alternatives” create programs and institutions based on the notion that altering the form or style of punishment will eliminate mass incarceration. Instead, they argue this requires the elimination of the paradigm of punishment and the establishment of programs outside the criminal legal system that provide freedom and opportunities for targeted populations. 

This is another memoir that pulled me right in. Like Hepola, I loved the excitement of the whole bar scene, and quite often, drank until I blacked out. Trying to blackout things from my childhood that caused me so much anxiety and pain. And then having to remember and heal from it all when I got sober. 

Although this book isn’t about suicide, I include it because families with mental health issues, often exacerbated by the “anything goes” ethos of hippy culture, can suffer from confused or “enmeshed” parent/child boundaries. It was one of the first, and I think best self-help books I ever read. With great clarity, it showed me what was destructive in my family of origin. Enmeshment or “parentification,” basically using a child to meet the emotional needs of an adult, is not widely understood and often goes undetected (versus more obvious physical or sexual abuse).

Dr. Love’s book gave me straightforward guidelines for being a non-destructive parent myself, something I think I did achieve due to much self-education and counselling prior to having kids. It’s always been obvious to me that my father’s mental illness and substance abuse took root in his very unhappy childhood. I think my father would be glad that… show more.

I’m writing this around the time of Thanksgiving. A time when many of us are making plans for a feast. How can we make it special and create lasting memories as we plan and choose what’s going on the table that special day. And a majority of us have one thing in common - our choices are leading us on a straight path to heart disease, the number one killer in our society.

When Dr. Dean Ornish's best-selling book, ‘Reversing Heart Disease’ came out in 1995, I made it required reading in the college yoga classes I taught. I now lead book discussions on his latest book with his wife, Anne Ornish, ‘Undo It!” As Dean and Anne direct readers to: "Eat Well. Move More. Stress Less. and Love More," it reminds me of a similar yogic path I embarked on years ago and have dedicated my long life teaching.… show more.

I tend to flee from memoirs and “horse story” books. Then I read Half Broke by Ginger Gaffney.

Ginger is a schooled writer, horse trainer, clinician, rider-trainer and, in my opinion, a master observer. She was asked to help the tooth-bearing, ear-pinning, predatory gang of horses tended by the Livestock Team of resident “multiple offenders and felons” at an alternative-prison ranch in New Mexico. As a memoir, Half Broke is a “peeling off” of emotional bandages—for her, for the raw souls of the inmates and for the horses.

Ginger’s style is straightforward, non-judgmental, and thought challenging. No gooey anthropomorphizing.

Armpit (aka Theodore), after his release from Camp Green Lake Juvenile Correctional Facility, follows his counsellor's advice to take small steps to get his life back on track. Unfortunately, because of how other people perceive him, one of his steps – avoiding situations that might turn violent – is not always easy to do. I've read this a few times and love it because Theodore is such a kind character. If you've ever been in a situation where you're trying to do the right thing while juggling the conflicting needs of a friend who wants help, and a boss who depends on you, you'll relate. The story is fast-paced, funny at times, filled with diverse characters, and has plenty of dialogue, which I love.

I'm a sucker for angsty romance stories between two first loves who get a second chance, so this book hit all my GO buttons. Our main character is an ex-con and recovered addict who's trying to get back on his feet by working on the Shipley's farm. He never forgot the woman he fell for before his world crumbled to pieces, a girl who was his friend first and his first love. But that same woman is at the center of the tragedy that put him on his path to addiction and a fateful car accident that sent him to prison.

Watching these two reconnect, first as friends and allies, then later, when their chemistry leaps off the pages, and they learn to trust again, was insanely powerful. I rooted for these two with my whole heart. I mourned these characters when the story ended, but the burn was 100%… show more.

This book was an absolute joy for me! It was not just a guide; it was a vibrant and relatable companion, filled with wit and unwavering honesty. With every page, it opened up a world of possibilities, offering a roadmap to live my best life, liberated from the suppression of ethanol.

Holly transformed the way I viewed the drinking culture, and the journey it took me on was utterly exhilarating. I adore this book for its genuine approach and the sheer excitement it brought for me to embrace an alcohol-free life.

This is the first book I read by a mom admitting to alcoholism after I stopped drinking. It was recommended to me when I only had about 30 days sober under my belt, and I devoured it in one sitting.

I found it revelatory to hear someone say the things out loud that I was holding inside too embarrassed to share. Her writing style is conversational yet lovely, and made me feel like I wanted to find her and make her my bestie.   

This is a story that deals with old soldiers who never give up. It’s the story of Jake surviving Afghanistan as a serving soldier. I write about soldiers with PTSD, so it’s important I study the area, and it can be tough. Really tough. Heartbreaking to read about the effects of war on the mind of a soldier. I’ve read several, but this one really knocked me for six. It’s an educated, intelligent narrative about a young life full of honour, duty, passion, and hope. Then he goes to war. If we are ever to understand why war is so terrible, then we need to listen to those on the front line. Highly recommended for those brave enough.