The Devil Speaks Louder:

About the Book

The late teenage years are times to experiment, to flirt with chance-taking and laugh at near-misses. Jason and Brian are invincible, with miles to go before they sleep, and their good times are bacchanalian. This Friday afternoon is no exception: Jason, ignoring the fact that he is on the brink of failure, leaves school early again to begin the party. He and Brian drink into the afternoon; the warning of blue lights is not enough to end the hilarity, and as lucidity morphs to black-out, Brian must make a decision between carnal desire and adult responsibility. His sodden mind is in no condition to deliberate, and the night turns tragic. Having now to deal with the reality of prison, the loathing of a community, the screaming of his demons and the battle with his conscience, Brian is forced into very serious self-analysis, while Jason uses his best friend’s plight as a justification to continue his own insane drinking behavior which could, ultimately, lead to his need to find a bottom. Written by a recovering alcoholic, this fictitious story contains would-be scenarios relevant to all mature readers, for there are few degrees of separation between it, and you.

About the Author

Jeremy Stevens received his BA (Canisius College, Buffalo, NY) in 1993 and his MSA (UNC-Chapel Hill) in 2001. His meteoric rise to success as middle school principal in Wilson, North Carolina ended abruptly in 2006, when he began his journey through the hell of alcohol addiction, from jail to halfway house to homelessness. His visit lasted four years. Having found his redemption, he currently teaches middle grades ELA in Greenville, NC