Richie : The Ultimate Tragedy Between One Decent Man and the Son He Loved

...and, by now, so have many others, much of a generation of people my own age, give or take. As a teenager, it was an eye-opener, but in a way, it actually had a negative effect upon me as well ('...as long as I don't let it get as bad as Richie...' can justify a lot of bad teenage behavior, rough treatment of relationships with adults, and risk of getting into lots of trouble; but fortunately I got it through my dumb head in a couple of years that it doesn't have to be nearly as bad before it's not worth it anymore). Richie had so much going for him by contrast to myself, so many opportunities, a much better school, caring parents I wish I could have had as my own; yet ended up going over the edge into serious drug abuse. In the '70's, I knew maybe two people that I could swear never touched the stuff and I was by no means one of those two, but thanks in large part to Richie, I never got that far into drugs and, even then, wondered how people who were heavily into drugs evolved. Talk about it, joke around about it (I did have every Cheech and Chong tape ever made), yes. Experiment a little, get high on weed now and then, yes. (No way I could ever be elected President: too many people saw me inhale...) Get that deep into it - better not, too much is too much. I knew people who were that far into it and even then, wouldn't give thirty-nine cents for any future they had. As an adult, having recently rediscovered the book that had such an impact on me when I was younger, what I marvel at, now as much as then, was how much Richie (and his friends, especially Brick and Mark) was able to largely get away with before it all caught up with him at once on that terrible afternoon in his parents' basement. Now, I can say, if it had been my kid, I'd have grounded his butt so securely and for so long at the very first report of him smoking pot that I'd be raking dead leaves from around his ankles come fall -- but this was a lesson I learned from George Diener's mistake. He had no way of knowing what he was getting into by not doing just that at first opportunity, so I can't judge him. Having the benefit of thirty years' hindsight, what I now marvel at just as much is how insidiously it all got started and took hold, and how little time afterward - only two and a half years - it took to all play out. George Diener had in no time completely lost control of the situation, not that he didn't make heroic but obviously futile efforts to regain control of it, with that tape deck down celler tapping his family phone. He didn't at the time have our present-day gift of hindsight, and he didn't at the time have my present-day understanding of how it all worked, the dynamics involved, the parts there's no need to panic about, the parts it's counterproductive to get angry or disgusted about, and the parts where the things to do are indeed to come down like a load of cement. Something I, during my last reading of Richie, paid attention to and noticed this time mor

mainly because this is a true story, unlike the former, which was revealed to be a work of fiction in recent years. I was first introduced to the story of Richie when I saw a repeat of the made for television film based on this book, "The Death Of Richie," starring Robby Benson as Richie and Ben Gazarra as George Diener. The movie was pretty true to the book and the book was just outstanding for its time and its genre. I was honestly expecting a barrage of overwrought and exaggerated hyperbole designed to frighten would-be drug users. Instead I got an honest, forthright and heartbreaking portrayal of a family's disintegration into hell. Highly recommended.

George Richard "Richie" Diener was born in 1954 during the height of the baby boom. He is the picture of middle class. His father, George, Sr. is a spice salesman and mother is a homemaker. Richie and his little brother Russell are the poster boys for Nassau County, N. Y. suburbia.Life unravels during the summer of 1969 when Richie, then 15, steals a bike and starts smoking pot. He begins associating with the drug takers and thugs and his relationships with his parents deteriorate to animosity. Bored by school, Richie scraps his dream of becoming a herpetologist. He is transformed from a boy who loved and collected every stray animal he saw into a sullen drug addict.In February of 1972 matters reach a head when Richie threatens both parents after he totals their 1966 Buick LeSabre. George defends himself and his wife by shooting Richie to death. This is a very tragic story of how drugs will ultimately kill relationships, kill abilities and kill people.

My 8-9th grade English teacher picked this book out of our schools library for me to read and do a report on. I read the book in one sitting..it was that riveting! It held my attention and kept me looking for the answers and also asking questions. I am hoping to find a copy of it for my own teenagers to read.

I read this book years ago and just reread it. The issues are always important. The author does a great job presenting a non bias view of the tragedy of a father killing a son because he can't cope with the son's drug use. The problem is here years later I want to know how the survivors have moved on with their lives and generally what has happened to them.