In his memoir "The Los Angeles Diaries, "author James Brown describes a turbulent life sullied by his mother who committed arson and two siblings who committed suicide, which, compounded with failed screenplays, created mounting problems that he could only erase through the consumption of narcotics. Brown became pulled into a maelstrom of drug addiction, abandoning his wife, children, and students. He exposed the guts of addiction and his futile attempts to maintain a facade of sobriety in front of his family and fellow faculty. This sequel picks up where Brown left off in his first memoir, providing an honest portrait of the anatomy of an addict and delving into his new struggles. It describes his tenuous relationship with sobriety, tells of agonizing relapses, and traces his attempts to become a better father. Brown's ability to intimately weave his stories in vivid, powerful prose, but without attempts to extract sympathy from the reader, makes for a devastatingly gripping read. A message of hope lies layered between his distressing stories of drug abuse, as a sober Brown now manages to stay one step ahead of the demons that threaten to consume him. The sequel to "The Los Angeles Diaries" is the utterly heartbreaking, yet oddly uplifting tale of Brown's battles, peeking into his former life as an addict and detailing his subsequent ascent to sobriety and fight for redemption.