Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Why do we recoil from those struggling with addiction rather than reach out? With a heightened sense of both empathy and fear because of her own struggles with alcoholism and a mother's desire to protect her daughters, Stanciu is determined to learn more about the nature of addiction and what each of us can do in our own communities to stem the opioid epidemic and stitch them back together. A stranger, rumored to be a heroin addict, repeatedly breaks into the small-town library Stanciu runs. After she and her board try to get law enforcement to do something about it -- the elementary school children and young parents with babies frequent the place after all -- he commits suicide. Why had she refused to offer him any concern or aid? When she realizes how little she knows about opioid abuse, and how much she fears it, she sets out on a mission, seeking insight from people in recovery, treatment providers, the town police chief, and Vermont's US attorney. She witnesses how tenaciously and often invisibly the threads of addiction tangle into our communities. Unstitched portrays the complexity of interpersonal relationships thrown into relief against the overarching question of what do we owe our neighbors? Stanciu's quest forces her to see her small town, and herself, in unexpected ways. Her page-turning book will enable others to do the same.
Synopsis
Unstitched takes aim at bystanderism. The opioid epidemic has hit people in communities large and small and across all socio-economic classes. What should each of us know about it, and do about it?
A stranger, rumored to be a heroin addict repeatedly breaks into the small-town library Stanciu runs. After she tries to get law enforcement to do something about it -- the elementary school children and young parents with babies frequent the place after all -- he commits suicide. When she realizes how little she knows about opioid abuse, she sets out on a mission, seeking insight from others:
- people in recovery
- treatment providers
- the town police chief
- Vermont's US attorney
Unstitched portrays the complexity of interpersonal relationships thrown into relief against the overarching question of why do we recoil from those struggling with addiction rather than reach out?
With a heightened sense of both empathy and fear because of her own struggles with alcoholism and a mother's desire to protect her daughters, Stanciu is determined to learn more about the nature of addiction and what each of us can do in our own communities to stem the opioid epidemic and stitch them back together. Stanciu's quest forces her to see her small town, and herself, in unexpected ways. Her page-turning book will enable others to do the same.
Synopsis
The opioid epidemic has hit people in communities large and small and across all socio-economic classes. What should each of us know about it, and do about it? Unstitched, as both a quest and personal redemption story, aims to move readers from feelings of helplessness and blame into empathy, ultimately helping friends, family, and community members separate the disease of addiction from the person underneath.
A stranger, rumored to be a heroin addict repeatedly breaks into the small-town library Brett Ann Stanciu runs. After she tries to get law enforcement to do something about it -- the elementary school children and young parents with babies frequent the place after all -- he commits suicide. When she realizes how little she knows about opioid abuse, she sets out on a mission, seeking insight from others: people in recovery, treatment providers, the town police chief, Vermont's US attorney, etc.
Unstitched portrays the complexity of interpersonal relationships thrown into relief against the overarching question of why do we recoil from those struggling with addiction rather than reach out? Stanciu's quest forces her to see her small town, and herself, in unexpected ways. Her page-turning book will enable others to do the same.
Synopsis
What if society looked at addiction without judgement? Unstitched shares the powerful story of one librarian's quest to understand the impact of addiction fed by stigma and inevitable secrecy.
The opioid epidemic has hit people in communities large and small and across all socio-economic classes. What should each of us know about it, and do about it?
Unstitched moves readers from feelings of helplessness and blame into empathy, ultimately helping friends, family, and community members separate the disease of addiction from the person underneath.
A stranger, rumored to be a heroin addict repeatedly breaks into the small-town library Brett Ann Stanciu runs. After she tries to get law enforcement to do something about it -- the elementary school children and young parents with babies frequent the place after all -- he commits suicide. When she realizes how little she knows about opioid abuse, she sets out on a mission, seeking insight from others: people in recovery, treatment providers, the town police chief, Vermont's US attorney, etc.
Literature stitches broken people and cracked worlds together, and Stanciu's journey leads to compassionate generosity, renewed faith, and ultimately a measure of personal redemption as she realizes she has a role in how to move one step nearer healing and away from destruction.