Joaquin Phoenix Books

I'm glad I purchased this book- I held off for a long time because I did think it was a bit pricey but after reading it I'm glad I did. This book is so informative on River and this life- it was hard for me not to be angry at the end of the book when it goes into his death. Highly recommended.

The "truth" that unfolds in this book is nothing more than propaganda (from family and friends) masquerading as truth. After reading this you would think River was a Sage or even a Saint. Drugs destroyed his life; not Hollywood. There are many sensitive souls in Hollywood who manage quite well without polluting and killing them selves with a lethal cocktail of illict drugs. Sad thing is Generation X doesn't want to take any accountability for their poor decisions. Everybody else is at fault.
River Phoenix's brother (Joaquin) who had the same whacked out parents and unstable childhood hasn't destroyed his life with drug addiction. The fact is when you make bad choices you have no one to blame but yourself. The guy had it all and he blew it...big time. In the end he deceived quite a few people; including himself. Like Icarus he flew too high and plunged to his death. Another life annihilated by Hubris...

This book is a MUST for all River fans. I had spent hours reading about him already before the book was available and I thought, I knew him well. I was definitelly wrong. This book is so full of amazing and detailed facts and background information on River's Life that I could hardly believe it. Barry C. Lawrence really did incredible research and put it together in an extremely interesting and well-illustrated book. I just love it.

An excellent presentation of the life, fanily, friends, beliefs and unfortunate tragedy of an amazing human being.

I would highly recommend "In Search of River Phoenix" for anyone wanting to gain insight into River's life and work. Barry Lawrence's book far surpasses the existing biographies out there because of his tireless efforts to get to the truth and squash the rumors. In this biography, River's story is told by his friends, family members, co-workers and there are even some touching rememberances from people who only met him once. River had his flaws, as we all do. However Mr. Lawrence's book brings out all the elements to River's personality, not in a gossipy, tabloid way , but in a respectful, insightful way. The reader gets a good sense about who River was from those who knew him. I applaud Barry Lawrence's thorough research and his dedication to honoring River's memory.