Well, a good friend of mine who I originally met through the bodybuilding and fitness scene sent me this book after he had read it.  I hadn’t heard of Steroid Nation before, but of course the subject matter is quite familiar having worked in the industry so long.  The first thing I was struck by was the whole back story on Dan Duchaine.  I had met Dan through a friend and former Ms. Olympia , Andrulla Blanchette, and we would see each other at shows.

In one of my earlier reports he let me use some of his commentary (1996 NPC Nationals).  It was also Dan who first exposed me to GHB and I didn’t realize how much he was responsible for that drugs popularity.  I knew he was the ‘guru’ but he never treated me in a way that made me feel like he was someone important and he did impart one piece of advice I later used.

Having been in prison, he said: “You find out who your real friends are when you go to prison.”   I later recalled that advice when Dave Palumbo had to serve time.  I sent a few photos and reports on contests happening to Dave and got some letters back.  It’s kind of neat to get mail from prison I guess?

Anyhow the book overall is a good recap of what affect steroids have had in our society and when you are close to so much of it, it’s even more interesting.  The book might go into more detail than someone outside the industry would care for, but when you are inside, it’s nice to see how others perceive things.  It’s a quick read too although it looks like it’s longer since the last 40 or so pages are source notes and such.