Joshua Mohr Bücher

The intimate, gorgeous, garish confessions of Joshua Mohr—writer, father, alcoholic, addict. Her teeth marks in the wood are some of my favorite things. Every now and again she rips the pick out of my hand and tosses it inside the guitar . . . I hold it over my head, hole down, shaking it back and forth, the pick rattling around in there. And as it ricochets from side to side, I always think about pills. Maybe the pick has turned into oxy. Or Norco, codeine, Demerol. Maybe it’s a pill and when it falls out I can gobble it up. After years of hard-won sobriety, while rebuilding a life with his wife and young daughter, thirty-five-year-old Joshua Mohr suffers a stroke—his third, it turns out—which uncovers a heart condition requiring surgery. Which requires fentanyl, one of his myriad drugs of choice. This forced “freelapse” should fix his heart, but what will it do to his sobriety? And what if it doesn’t work? Told in stunning, surreal, time-hopping vignettes, Model Citizen is a raw, revealing portrait of an addict. Mohr shines a harsh spotlight into all corners of his life, throwing the wild joys, tragedies, embarrassments, and adventures of his past into bold relief. Pulsing with humanity and humor, revealing the immediacy of an addict climbing out of the murky pit of his past, Model Citizen is a darkly beautiful, incisive confession.

The story unfolds during a morning rush hour on the Golden Gate Bridge when a shocking incident occurs, witnessed by a man and his son, Jake, who shares the footage online. This act thrusts Jake into a tumultuous journey as he grapples with the consequences of his actions and the stark contrast between reality and the digital world. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Sara faces her own crisis after an intimate video goes viral, turning her into a target of public shame. Both characters navigate the repercussions of their choices in a society increasingly defined by online interactions.

The story follows Bob Coffin, who experiences a breaking point after a neighbor's SUV runs him off the road. Frustrated with the emptiness of suburban life, he becomes determined to mend his strained relationships with his wife and children, seeking guidance to avoid repeating his father's mistakes. The narrative explores themes of family dynamics, personal growth, and the quest for connection amidst modern life's challenges.