In Love and Pain, Benny Reed recounts a tumultuous childhood and early adulthood that would set the course for years ahead of addiction and cyclical incarceration. Written with aching honesty, the autobiography reveals Reed’s struggles with drug use, sexual relationships, and ever-unravelling interpersonal conflicts all while illustrating the setting of his life in a late-1990s and early-2000s Portland, Oregon. 

Love and Pain draws us into Reed’s narrative with his vernacular, persisting voice. His storytelling is full of exposing dialogue, tireless action, and an immediacy that chooses to look at the consequences of his choices. Reed holds a mirror to the self before turning its gaze toward the reader. 

Love and Pain was written in the writing workshop at Columbia River Correctional Institute. The book includes a foreword by Bud Smith and cover artwork by Travis Souza. With One Is the Other is the sixth book included in the Same Time series published by Some People Press.