Opioid addiction is a serious problem in the United States. Opioids are medications used to manage pain. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2019, about 50,000 people in the United States died of opioid overdose. Around 29% of Americans use opioids for chronic pains and are at risk of addiction. It has become a major public health problem.*
Many people refuse to seek help. Even those who want to stop their bad habits, like smoking, vaping, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse, struggle because their brain refuses to let them stop. They then fall into the vicious cycle of addiction. It can lead to serious consequences and even death from overdose. If you know someone who suffers from addiction, please encourage them to seek help. There are many resources such as specialists and rehabilitation centers.
I have a new book review that covers the issue of opioid addiction and its effect on families. The book is Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee.
Renata is a twelve-year-old who hates her name because it sounds like an old lady’s name. So she goes by Ren, but spelled Wren, like the bird. Her parents are divorced, and they divided life. She lives with her mother in Illinois but often visits her father in New York. Her father is married to Vanessa, who is pregnant with twins. Her mother works as a nurse and treats her patients well. Also, she struggles physically and emotionally from her divorce. Her mother’s changing behavior concerns Wren. Soon after moving to the new place, she realizes her mom has been acting strange. She had been feeling sick all the time, tired, sleeping, not going to work often, and even locking the bedroom doors. Wren slowly begins to notice things that alarm her specially, when she finds bottles of pills with no name on the prescription label. Even her mother’s friend, Krystal, starts noticing something is going on. Wren does not know what to do. However, Wren finds comfort in doing makeup art and learning techniques from video tutorials of her role model and idol Cat FX, a makeup artist. One day, her friend suggests Wren does the makeup for the school musical, Wicked. She thought it would help Wren experiment with makeup, make new friends and perfect her hobby. Makeup is an art, and art can make you feel less worried. What will happen to Wren’s life? Will she follow her dreams of becoming a makeup artist? What’s up with her mother? Will there be a happy ending like all other books? Read this book to find out.
I highly recommend this book to ages 12 and up. It covers serious and complicated issues that middle-grade kids will understand. Family conflicts, divorce, separation, and addition are a few of the themes this book covers. I am currently on the third chapter of the author’s other book Maybe He Just Likes You. I noticed that the author’s writing techniques are amazing, and she tackles serious and important issues in a reader-friendly way.
Please order this book on Amazon or from your local public library.
Reference: * https://nida.nih.gov/drug-topics/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis