✰✰½ The numbers are staggering. Whether you realize it or not, almost everyone knows someone who is dealing with the opioid addiction epidemic in America. It could be your co-worker, neighbor, parent, sibling, or friend. Opioid addiction can affect anyone. No one is immune. But how did we get to this point? Who is at fault? Many would blame the person with substance use disorder, but there are so many other aspects of this epidemic to consider. American Fix takes a look at Big Pharma, the healthcare community, local resources, and the government.
The author, Ryan Hampton, offers a unique perspective to this issue. As a person in recovery, Hampton has taken on the challenge of putting a face on this epidemic. By sharing his story and that of others, he hopes to encourage people to take action in creating change. If you have an open mind and are interested in discussing what can be done in communities to battle this epidemic, then pick up this book and read on.
The Bottom Line: This is a difficult read that gets you thinking about the current opioid addiction crisis. There is a lot of repetition in the book, and Hampton can sound preachy at times. Nevertheless, Hampton has valuable experience to share. As a person with a substance use disorder who is in recovery, Hampton brings his lived experience to the pages. Hampton succeeds in creating an awareness of the current epidemic, and hopefully encourages the reader to get involved. Recommended for healthcare professionals, mental health professionals, educators, parents, and people struggling with substance use disorder.
Book Club Notes: Members of our group felt very strongly about the issues brought up in this book. Unfortunately, this was one of those rare times when we really did not enjoy the book itself. On a scale from 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, ratings ranged from a low of 1 to a high of 3.75, with an average rating of 2.5. Why the low ratings? Well, in a nutshell, the author comes across the pages as being very angry and self-serving, which put a lot of people off. Members commented that overall the book was preachy, repetitive, and poorly written; it could have benefited from a good edit. Others commented that Hampton seemed disrespectful to Alcoholics Anonymous and was loose with his facts.
Another issue that really bothered several of us was the comparison of substance use disorder to other chronic diseases, especially breast cancer. While Hampton does have the lived experience of substance use disorder, he made some assumptions about breast cancer, for example, that show a lack of insight. Instead of making comparisons to other diseases, perhaps Hampton could simply focus on the opioid addiction crisis.
That being said, this book sparked one of our book club's most engaging discussions. Despite all the negatives, this book got us talking to our families, friends, and each other. Hopefully, we will take this discussion into our community, which in turn will allow us to continue to create awareness and understanding about substance use disorder.
This book is a challenging read. Recommended for colleges, communities, and hospitals looking for a way to start a dialogue about the opioid addiction epidemic. Discussion questions are available at Perusall.
Details: American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis--And How To End It by Ryan Hampton with Claire Rudy Foster. Hardcover published by All Points Books in 2018. 304 p. ISBN: 9781250196262
✰✰½ Forget the silk party dresses, glass slippers, royal carriages, banquets, and Prince Charming. The stories of these princesses tell it like it was back in the day. This book is divided into seven sections of very different kinds of women including princesses who were warriors, usurpers, schemers, survivors, partiers, floozies, and madwomen. Each section features three to five short chapters about specific princesses. The short biographies are chock full of tantalizing tidbits of royal lives gone wrong. Additionally, there are shorter sections featuring mini biographies of other lesser known princesses. Featured princesses include Hatshepsut, Catherine Radziwill, Lucrezia Borgia, Caraboo, Clara Ward, and Pauline Bonaparte to name just a few.
The Bottom Line: On the positive side the author made a good effort to include princesses from many cultures and countries instead of just the European princesses. The women hail from China, Egypt, India, and Mexico as well as Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and many more places. There's even a Native American princess.
On the negative side, the author uses a writing style that was much too casual and flippant for me. For example, Prince Camillo Borghese is described as "dumb as mittens on a cat." (p. 224) Upon reading about each princesses' foibles and follies, I wasn't entirely convinced that all of them were "bad." Perhaps some were simply responding in self defense to their unpleasant situations.
Princesses Behaving Badly is a quick read. However, while the tone is humorous, at times it is just too chatty. This is an optional purchase that might appeal to teens. Note: I did not see the introduction, bibliography, or index in the advance reading copy I received for the purpose of reviewing.
Details: Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings by Linda Rodriquez McRobbie. Hardcover published by Quirk Books in 2013. 288 p. ISBN: 978-159474-644-4 Note: I received a copy from Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review. This was made possible by the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing.
✰✰½ A little girl named Mia is on a trip to visit her cousin in Illinois during the Christmas season. Every day for twelve days, Mia writes a letter to her family describing their adventures. Mia enjoys popcorn, learns about explorers Lewis and Clark, and sees bald eagles. Mia also has the chance to cruise down Route 66, eat S'mores, and visit Navy Pier. However, the fun isn't over yet. There's so much more to do and see. Kids will learn lots of fun facts and trivia as Mia enjoys an action-packed adventure in the Prairie State.
The Bottom Line: I picked up this title because I'm currently living in the state of Illinois; however, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. While part of the book is a parody of The Twelve Days of Christmas, the words in this version seem a bit clunky and are not very lyrical. In addition to the parody part of the book, facts and trivia about the state of Illinois are presented to the reader in the form of letters. Unfortunately, the end of the story fell rather flat with the final letter on the twelfth day. This is followed simply by illustrations, and left me feeling like there should have been something more at the end like a thank you letter from the little girl to her cousin's family. Finally, at the very end of the book there is an additional page of Illinois trivia including a list of some famous Illinoisans (spelled Illinoisians in the book). That being said, I did enjoy Jeffrey Ebbeler's clever, cute, and colorful illustrations. Readers planning a trip to Illinois and looking for fun things to do with kids may want to check this out. Although the product description has an age range of 5 and up, this book is probably more suited for kids in grades 3 - 5.
Details: The Twelve Days of Christmas in Illinois written by Gina Bellisario & illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Hardcover picture book published by Sterling Children's Books in 2012. 32 p. ISBN: 978-1-4027-9733-0 Note: This book is part of Sterling's series, The Twelve Days of Christmas in America.
