Carl Hart's High Price

Dr. Carl Hart’s memoir, High Price, offers insight on the influences of drugs and society and how the myths we falsely rely on are incorrect. Through his scientific research and findings and the community that he was raised in, Hart is able to debunk the common misconceptions that are related to drugs. The journey that reader’s go on through Hart’s life story offers insight on how culture, racism, and other social factors influence the way we see drugs today.
High Price displays to readers that there is a common misconception on how drugs and drug addiction are direct influencers of many societal issues. Throughout the book, Hart takes readers on a quest to discover that drugs are not the cause of our society’s problems, however, they are
Hart references pop culture continuously throughout the book as well as referencing works of non-fiction. In chapter 3 of his memoir, Hart reflects on “how race had an effect on the careers of even the most talented athletes” (59). He later goes on to discuss how his favorite Miami Dolphins athlete, Eugene “Mercury” Morris, was overlooked to be running-back due to his race, despite him being more experienced than his teammates. Further on into the book, Hart speaks about not being able to distinguish between facts and lies on drugs. Hart references his time spent with the famous group, Run-DMC, specifically discussing a time when he smoked marijuana with the group as an adolescent before an event. Later on he mentions that Run-DMC held interviews where they would tell kids to say no to drugs and to stay in school, but he then reflects that at the time, he couldn’t recognize the difference between what was correct and incorrect on the subject of drugs (123-124). Throughout the book, he also references non-fiction works such as The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), World of Our Father, and more (13, 16, 18). All of the references that Hart provides accurately and descriptively helps readers understand his topic of drugs and the society and displays a different approach other than
Hart is able to connect with readers on the hardships of life and how a single choice can influence your entire life. I originally chose this book to inform myself on drugs in today’s society and what influences the use of them. After reading the book, I was able to understand what causes drug use and how what we learn by the media is somewhat incorrect. This memoir is truly well written and includes a unique way of writing that continuously keeps the reader active and engaged in the