Natural Born Guilt

Readers Are Talking

Real reviews from real readers who lived these pages with Jackie.

What the Critics Are Saying

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David Dalton

New York Times Bestselling Author · Founding Editor of Rolling Stone Magazine · Author of 24 Books

"Natural Born Guilt is unputdownable..."

"As a native San Franciscan going through all this mishigas at the height of the cultural revolution, her descriptions of the everyday drug scene and its entanglement in the hippie lifestyle of the City is spot on. The relentless narrative drive pulls you into her hair-raising experiences with such immediacy you are breathlessly transported right into the middle of endless risky business. Her vulnerability is both alarming and endearing, and her ability to laugh at the ongoing crazy dilemmas she finds herself in turns the deeper hurts she experiences into unexpected self-reflection. Unputdownable, especially the last four chapters which read like a Scorsese action movie."

— David Dalton

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Matt Duggan

Writer & Movie Producer · Los Angeles, CA

"A brave, unvarnished, and deeply human account of the hippie years."

"Jacqueline Mendelson pushes back against the rose-tinted clichés of the flower-child era, offering a raw, honest, and unflinching look at the good, bad, and ugly of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene. Blending self-deprecating humor with a clear-eyed view of addiction, family impact, and survival, Natural Born Guilt strips away the romantic myth to deliver a powerful, authentic true story that stays with you long after the final page."

— Matt Duggan

Reader Reviews

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Marcia A.

Verified Reader

"Jackie shares her family dynamics with love, intrigue, comedy and pain... This book belongs in every treatment center. Jackie describes this part of her life uncensored—and we are invited not only to see the horrors of addiction, but also the multi faceted characters... Anyone losing themselves through drugs and pulling oneself out of the depths of such despair... should hold this book close."
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Sharon

Verified Reader

"Jackie is a wonderful story teller, and she has a very compelling story to tell... Excellently written story that is hard to put down - Jackie makes you want to keep reading to see what happens. Fascinating read."
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Mindy

Verified Reader

"Jackie Mendelson is a wonderfully talented writer... Mendelson is intelligent and stunningly honest. Soon I find myself crying my eyes out, reading of love, friendships, loss and addiction... I highly recommend this book. What a wild ride."
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Dbrod

Verified Reader

"Natural Born Guilt is a good read that is hard to put down. Jackie is a gifted storyteller... You are right along side her as she thinks, acts, changes and grows... In the words of my beloved Auntie Rose, Jackie 'You done good!'"
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Judy Z

Verified Reader

"Jackie Mendelson shares the story of her loving and complicated multigenerational family... San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury in the 60s was ground zero... and Jackie honestly reveals the life there beyond tye-dyed shirts and love beads."

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