Tracy's Choices by Max Elliot Anderson

Tracy’s Choices. Max Elliot Anderson. TBCN Inc. December 2017. 194 pp. ISBN: 9780938447177. YA Nonfiction.

Most of Max Anderson’s novels are light-weight with some tension mixed in throughout, nothing that a young adult can’t handle.  This is NOT one of those books. Yet this is a MUST READ story.  The story takes place many years ago but is as relevant today as it was years ago.  Tracy starts taking drugs the way most people do, some pot, hash, a few pills, and then leading to hard core heroin, crack etc. addiction.  Everyone who becomes addicted says the same thing, “A little bit won’t hurt. I won’t get hooked.” Wrong!

Tracy’s story is heart-wrenching, devastating and overwhelming yet inspiring.  This is the slow path to hell, starting with drugs and progressing through theft, prostitution, numerous arrests, pregnancy, crime and more crime, and ultimately AIDS.  The author places facts about each of these parts of the journey in factual summaries in between the summaries in case one is tempted to say, “No way.”

One is drawn deeper into the account as one feels Tracy’s agony in wanting to escape this horrific journey yet continually cannot escape the desperate hunger for more drugs and more drugs and more drugs. 

Tracy is fortunate enough to be arrested by Lt. Jim Mays who is able to lead Tracy to embrace Christianity and be embraced by this Christian supportive family who accept her with her addiction, disease, lies and truth of her condition.  One needs not be a Christian to realize how desperate Tracy needed some help.

Read the rest yourself! Experience the ups and downs and the indescribable ending that you will never forget!  This is a nonfiction story based on an actual young woman’s life!!!! Words cannot convey the depth of intensity and importance of this message which should be part of every middle school, high school and college curriculum! Highly recommended, necessary reading!