American Epidemic: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Opioid Crisis

History professor McMillian (Beatles vs. Stones) gathers some of the most striking reporting on the opioid crisis in this wrenching collection. The first two-thirds of this collection gathers reportage (for example, a look at heroin’s journey from one small town in Mexico to the United States), op-eds (such as a lyrical look at humanity’s history with opium and its derivatives), and personal essays (including a father’s rendition of his son’s addiction) published between 2012 and 2018 in local and national publications—from the Roanoke Times to the New York Times and the literary magazine n+1. The second, much smaller section deals more explicitly with the causes of the epidemic and debates how much of addiction is caused by the chemical hook in opium-based drugs vs. social factors such as loneliness, isolation, and childhood trauma. McMillian calls this collection idiosyncratic, and it is; it provides neither linear history nor concrete solutions. But each piece is well-written, and together they bring light to a quiet but deadly scourge, create plenty of sympathy for its victims, and inspire readers to consider what society can do. (Oct.)