Brian O'Dea

Told in alternating locations and times, High is the very personal story of Brian O'Dea, who was the son of a somewhat prominent family in Newfoundland who eventually became a very high-rolling international drug smuggler. It took the DEA a long time, but finally O'Dea was arrested and put into prison at Terminal Island near Long Beach, California. His story is one of many highs (literally) and then the lows of hitting bottom, losing everything, and then being put into the US Federal Prison system, where for many, hope is nonexistent.

High is funny at times, while being serious all of the time. O'Dea's writing style is real, giving his readers small punctuated glimpses into the drug trade, prison life, and the reality of often overblown sentencing laws for first-time drug offenders. He never shies away from admitting his mistakes, and gets a bit introspective at times while trying to just hang on and make it through another day. It also highlights the often absurd points about the US war on drugs, especially on the part of officials in other countries who supposedly have a stake in combatting the trafficking of illegal substances. The only thing I didn't really like about this book was that it seemed too condensed -- I know there's more that's not being told.

The book is well written, and didn't come across as a "poor pitiful me" kind of story which it easily could have. Au contraire, it is more of a look at a man who screwed up, paid the price, and got himself out of the hole of his former existence. I'd recommend it to people who are interested in personal or inspirational memoirs, or people who are interested in reading about the drug trade.… (altro)