David Carr was a journalist for the New York Times, among other things. He was a best-selling author. He was a beloved husband and father who took on twin girls as a single parent.

What I just wrote has the makings of a great obituary. Throw in a high school graduation and some surviving relatives and we could publish it right now. However, there is more to this story that may make you feel differently about Carr.

His article, “Me and My Girls” is an excerpt from his book “The Night of the Gun.” In this book, Carr tells the story of his struggle with drug addiction. He figured out that, because of his heavy drug use, he remembers things differently than everyone else does. The name of the book came from a story where he went to ask his friend about a time where that friend pulled a gun on him. It came out that Carr had pulled the gun on the friend. Carr realized he needed to go back and talk to people he knew during his time as a heavy drug user and piece his memories back together.

Carr’s twin daughters were born to Carr and his drug dealer, Anna. In this excerpt, we learn the story of their birth and how Carr came to be the sole custodial parent of these girls. The article is fantastically written because it does not pander to the reader to feel sorry for the author. Carr simply lays the facts bare and almost asks the reader not to feel sorry for him. For example, he points out that if he tells the high points of his story (the ones where he overcame addiction, got custody of his daughters, got them off welfare, and became a best-selling author) he sounds like a hero. However, if he shows the low points he sounds a whole lot less like a hero. Carr admits he abused the mother of his daughters. That he left his baby girls unattended in a car on a freezing night. That the court hesitated to give custody of the girls to this drug-addicted loser.

Carr tells his story with heavy imagery, both from his perspective, and from the perspective of those who were there. He does not try to make himself look like a hero, but focuses on telling the truth. Carr is a master of narrative and this, paired with his humility creates a raw experience that keeps the reader engaged and informed.

I have purchased a copy of Carr’s book “The Night of the Gun” and hope to read it in the near future. This article left me wanting to hear more of Carr’s story and I think it just might do that for you too.

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