From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a breathtaking story about a town, its tragedies, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. Emory’s junior year is starting, and Mill Haven is reeling from the accident that killed Candy MontClaire: the same accident that revealed just how bad her brother’s drug habit was. Everyone’s telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed—how can she be the same person? Mill Haven wants Emmy, Joey, and everyone else to live one story. But Emmy’s beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Almost 21 million Americans have at least one addiction, but only about 10% receive treatment. Millions more are also affected by addiction, whether it’s siblings, parents, friends, lovers, or loved ones. Addiction can refer to a variety of things, including alcoholism, drug addiction, self-harm, and eating disorders. (I am including eating disorders in this post as they can share many similarities with addiction, and often co-exist with another addiction; you can read more on this here). There are many YA books on the shelves with addiction in them, and there are just as many ways to write about addiction. There are books from different points of view, books that glamorize addiction, books that demonize it, books that are starkly honest in their portrayal, and books about recovery and living with addiction. Many books avoid the fear tactics and instead portray addiction in a nuanced, complicated way, as it is in real life. We’ve come a long way since Go Ask Alice. (Thank goodness for that — spoiler alert, it’s likely not a true story, but a story meant for scare value, written by a Mormon youth counselor named Beatrice Sparks, whose other books, coincidentally, include other anonymous “real diaries”). You’ll notice that in many of the books on this particular list, addiction isn’t necessarily the main focus. Instead, it affects characters’ lives in various small (or big) ways. For those who have friends, family, or loved ones living with addiction or in recovery, this is how it can feel, and these books encompass a variety of situations. This list is not a be-all, end-all list, but a good place to start if it’s something you want to read more about. For more books, check out these 100 must-reads about addiction.
