Addiction and Overdose: Confronting an American Crisis

Gr 8 Up—This title not only concisely details addiction and overdose from a scientific perspective but also incorporates the personal stories of famous and average U.S. families who have dealt with the experience firsthand. (The author dedicates the book to her sister Kerri, "who battled the twin demons of depression and opioid use for many years.") Goldsmith offers relevant data on drugs and addiction and continually circles back to the long process of recovery. The role of pharmaceutical companies in contributing to the crisis is also discussed. Stories such as Prince's or best-selling author Ellen Hopkins's daughter's emphasize the dangers of prescription and illegal substances and provide commentary on how to confront this issue. Back matter is extensive. Though the scientific explanations of how addiction takes hold are complex, this is important information. With an abundance of photographs, graphs, text boxes, neatly labeled subheadings, definitions, and quotations, this well-structured text reads like narrative nonfiction.