The paradox of the same pronunciation of the words heroine and heroin are pivotal to Mindy McGinnis’s latest work Heroine. The author tackles the front-page headlines of the opioid crisis through the eyes of her teenage protagonist and superstar athlete, Mickey. Mickey’s physician prescribes Oxycontin to her after a severe injury sustained in a car accident and through the pages of this novel, we slowly see how Oxy consumes all aspects of her life.

In a recent conversation with award-winning author Mindy McGinnis, she stated, “It was important to me to create an addict that readers would feel empathy for, and – according to my early readers – it seems to have worked. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they were sucked into Mickey’s slippery logic, her self-justification for always seeking out the next fix, to the point that they were almost rooting for her to get what she believed she needed…. not help, but heroin. That’s exactly the reaction I was looking for.”

Coaches hear the horror stories of their athletes who return to school after an injury or an operation and are immediately asked by other students if they have leftover drugs to sell. Emergency squads are inundated with calls for overdose victims. There’s a raging debate about how tax dollars are diverted to deal with the effects of the drug epidemic. Illicit substances can change the course of family life and the trajectory of development where addiction and dependence are prevalent; this can take the form of grandparents raising children, adjustments for teachers, and early intervention by medical professionals. Children in these situations might experience physical, emotional, psychological, and academic setbacks. Teachers are experiencing a higher rate of burn out dealing with the range of issues that are associated with children impacted by addiction and dependence. It’s even been recommended that the common citizen should carry Narcan.

So what does the opioid crisis have to do with libraries? Where do libraries fall in this issue? This book highlights the intersection where teachers, parents, educators, and students can see the impact of substance use. Reading this book helps bring about a better understanding of the protagonist’s challenges to the wide range of issues that are faced. One of the stops on the way to understanding someone’s journey with addiction and dependence involves accessing resources and knowledge. We need libraries involved in the process because they help disseminate information, share resources to the community, offer a space for forums, and provide access to those seeking information. Those with limited means and resources are utilizing the tools of the libraries more and more for those services.

Mindy McGinnis

The author states, “It’s easy to slot people into arbitrary “good” and “bad” categories, but I often tell aspiring writers to remember that no one is ever the villain in their own narrative. Everyone that makes a bad choice has a good reason (to them) why they did it. Readers find themselves sliding down the slope of self-justification along with Mickey, and that’s right where I want them to be – with her, slipping. Not judging from a safe distance.”

Thus, public and school librarians are in the midst of unusual conversations about whether staff members should be provided with the medical tool of Narcan. As staff are not trained for this mission, fear of misuse and lack of education are major concerns. Clinical studies have shown that paramedics have been using Narcan for 40 years as an assistance in reversing an overdose. Though not as dramatic as jolting awake like in the movies, the nasal dose used by non-medical personnel gives a few more minutes of life to the overdose victim before the EMTs arrived. One nasal dose of Narcan is considered the standard. Yet, this brings us to Carfentanil, a more potent form of fentanyl which is used to sedate large animals like horses, elephants, etc. Carfentanil might take 3 or 4 doses of Narcan to help the person; how on earth is a public or school library staff member supposed to know this? Having Narcan on hand falls under the Good Samaritan Act and is considered to be just another tool like a fire extinguisher, defibrillator, aspirin for heart attacks, etc. However, the impacts of the opioid epidemic are providing new challenges to citizens in jobs that require no medical training.

Thus, the realistic and well-researched novel Heroine by the ever-fascinating Mindy McGinnis is an excellent discussion starter among educators, kids, and their parents. The author states that “I’m hoping as Heroine finds more readers, that it will provide a safe space for parents and teens to talk about things like addiction through the lens of fiction, then branch out into their own realities.”

This book provides a harrowing view on the intersection where teachers, parents, students, and community members can see the impact of substance use. It is a must read for all citizens as the epidemic has started to impact each and every one of us, whether we know it or not.