From Junkie to Judge, Mary Beth OConnor
From Junkie to Judge, Mary Beth OConnor
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

From Junkie to Judge
One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction

Author: Mary Beth O'Connor

Narrator: Nikki Zakocs

Unabridged: 9 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/24/2023

Synopsis

From a junkie addicted to methamphetamines to a federal judge, Mary Beth O'Connor's memoir shares her inspiring journey from rock bottom to resilience as she forged a personal path to recovery from trauma and addiction.

Searing, unsettling, and ultimately triumphant, Judge O'Connor's debut memoir takes listeners on a wild ride through the rock-bottom underbelly of intravenous drug addiction to the hallowed halls of justice, where she rose to the pinnacle of success as a federal judge.

With wit and unabashed honesty, O'Connor shares her remarkable three-phase journey: the abuse and trauma that drove her to teenage drug use, the chaos that ensued from her addiction, and how she developed a personalized secular recovery plan that led to twenty-nine years of sobriety. Her story proves any addict can recover and anyone can build a productive and happy life, no matter how low the bottom or how deep the pain.

About Mary Beth O'Connor

Mary Beth O'Connor has been clean and sober since 1994. She also is in recovery from abuse, trauma, and anxiety. Mary Beth is a director, secretary, and founding investor for She Recovers Foundation. She also is a director for LifeRing Secular Recovery. She regularly speaks on behalf of these organizations and about multiple paths to recovery. This includes conferences, podcasts, radio, and recovery houses. She also develops relationships with other organizations, such as Women for Sobriety. In August 2020, Mary Beth had an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, "I Beat Addiction without God," where she described combining ideas from several secular programs to create a robust recovery foundation. Mary Beth's memoir writings have been published in Memoir Magazine, Awakenings, the Noyo River Review, The Fault Zone, Carry the Light, and Ravens Perch. Professionally, six years into her recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014, she was appointed as a federal administrative law judge.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Morgan on October 05, 2023

This was such an authentic reading experience from start to finish, and I loved every second of it. I picked this up at a favorite local book store on a whim. I opened it up at home to find it was signed by the author. And about 3/4 of the way through, I realized there was a publishing error. About......more

Goodreads review by Laura on January 28, 2023

Audiobook. Inspiring story of recovery. Timeline was confusing in places. Some sex scenes were written unnecessarily like erotica or porn & felt out of place. Narrator wasn't the best choice given some of the "street" dialogue she had to read. ALC via NetGalley......more

Goodreads review by Lauren on June 24, 2023

I had the pleasure of seeing Mary Beth O’Connor speak at a Harm Reduction summit, which led me to her book. It was definitely challenging to read what she had to experience during her lifetime, often feeling reminded of personal experiences from myself and loved ones around me, but it also brought a......more

Goodreads review by Shelley on April 27, 2023

An authentic look at how someone was able to make the choices that led them from addiction to recovery. I applaud Mary Beth O’Connor for her courage and transparency in sharing her story. There were times that I was confused as she would say that 12 step groups were too religious for her, yet she en......more

Goodreads review by Mugwumps on February 10, 2023

I’m grateful that net galley let me preview the book. The book is such a worthwhile read, while sometimes harrowing. It’s hard to look at the woman the author is, and all she has accomplished, and realize what she’s been through it – and that all by itself is a reason to read the book! The author’s be......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List