Heroine

by Mindy McGinnis

Ebook, 2019

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

Young Adult

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

Katherine Tegen Books (2019), Edition: Reprint, 421 pages

Description

Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: A captivating and powerful exploration of the opioid crisis�the deadliest drug epidemic in American history�through the eyes of a college-bound softball star. Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a visceral and necessary novel about addiction, family, friendship, and hope. When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she's ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she's been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. With a new circle of friends�fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill�Mickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member HeatherLINC

"Heroine" was a real wake-up call to how addictive some pain killers can be, and how it can start with a single (prescribed) tablet. It was frightening to watch Mickey's life quickly spiral out of control as she became more and more dependent on OxyContin to relieve her pain, help her sleep and

give her the comforting buzz she was craving. Mickey lied to herself and her loved ones, stole both money and other people's tablets, all to help feed her addiction, until the Oxys were no longer enough and she tried heroin.

The storyline was frighteningly realistic and Mickey's loss of guilt and morals was devastating as she rationalised her growing addiction and turned away from the sport she loved, and her family, to become fixated on her next high. Personally, I was a bit addicted to this book and found it hard to put down until I had finished it.

However, even before her addiction, I never connected with Mickey. She was quiet, distant and socially awkward, and the reader only she her confidence when she was on the softball field. I preferred Carolina, Mickey's softball friend and the other girl involved in the car crash that severely injured both girls.

"Heroine" has an amazing cover, but it is not an easy book to read. It came with trigger warnings at the start and by the end I understood why. It was raw, heartbreaking and stomach churning. Mickey's situation felt all too real and, sadly, one I think many people could relate to. An intense read.

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LibraryThing member olegalCA

Realistic account of how an athlete is in a car accident and goes from taking pain pills to injecting heroin.

LibraryThing member ecataldi

Heavy doesn't even begin to describe this book. There is a trigger warning at the start of this book and that ain't no joke! I'm not an addict (recovering or otherwise) but this book made me anxious as sin. I know an addict or two and this was so spot on to their behavior and justifications.

Heroine follows Mickey Catalan, a high school softball star, as she tries to recover from a life changing injury that threatens to take away the one thing she really cares about, sports. She and her best friend were in a horrific car accident that popped Mickey's leg out of its socket, and the therapy and emotional toll its taking on her, is crippling. She soon starts relying on the Oxy she's prescribed to take the pain away so she can focus on physical therapy. Her only goal is getting healed before spring training so she can start on the varsity team her senior year. But she's not an addict, she's using a prescription from her doctor for the pain. She's not like those losers that overdose and live on the streets. The real question is, what will happen when she runs out of her pills? How badly does she need them to "recover?" A haunting story that shows just how easy it is for ANYONE to get addicted to opiates. It's a slippery slope fraught with good intentions, the end result is just so horrifying. A powerful book that will stay with the reader long after finishing.

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LibraryThing member Jonez

4.25

McGinnis does it again with another hard hitting piece of YA fiction that defies its genre. This one dealing with the ugly side of drug and prescription addiction. The addiction take front and center, even over many of the characters (much like an actual addiction) but there is still

development to be found in our main character. There were some vaguely explored or explained areas anf plot points, which puts it under the five star mark. However, I highly recommend this read for both teens and adults. Its also a great book to use to start an honest conversation with teens about the dangers of drug abuse.

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LibraryThing member mjspear

Mickey is a terrific catcher with her eyes on the prize for college ball...then there is the car crash. Mickey's hip is crushed and to alleviate the pain, she is prescribed Oxycontin. The pills run out and she is still in pain and most of all she wants to make it to the spring season and her final

year, so she finds other sources for her pills. From pills from a kindly (?) woman to snorting heroin to injecting, Mickey enters a new, dangerous world of acction. She lies to her mother, steals things, and lives only for her next "hit." Will she save herself in time? This is a hard-hitting book. Intense but honest.

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LibraryThing member lflareads

Heroine is a novel about addiction and the fact that the main character Mickey is a high schooler brought another layer of empathy for a young person pulled into such a life. Mickey and her best friend are in an accident and seriously injured. They are star players on their softball team and

colleges are already scouting. Mickey is in extreme pain as her leg was essentially removed from it socket. The author compares it to tearing the leg off a Barbie doll. Mickey becomes reliant on Oxy and then heroine. This is a view into an addict’s life and the need for family intervention. A novel that brings awareness and anger about the opioid crisis.

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LibraryThing member NCDonnas

Herione is a compelling story of one young girl's decent into addiction. I like that this realistically shows how quickly drug abuse escalates into a full blown addiction and how choices that may seem insane to those on the outside may seem completely logical to the addict. It also highlights how

families miss all the clues mostly because they don't want to see their loved one in that way. The story feels authentic and important. I highly recommend it.

2020 Popsugar Challenge - Book with a great first line "When I wake up, all my friends are dead."

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LibraryThing member NCDonnas

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LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell

Trigger Warnings: car accident, addiction, opioid use, heroin use, overdose, character deaths

Note In the Front of Book: “This book contains realistic depictions of opioid use. Recovered and recovering addicts should proceed with caution.”

After getting in a car crash with her best friend,

Carolina, Mickey must find a way to keep her spot as catcher on the girl’s softball team her senior year, regardless that her leg literally popped out of her hip socket. Being on the field with Carolina pitching has been the only place she has ever felt comfortable.

Until the painkillers she’s been prescribed not only help with the pain, but they also make her feel good. The group of friends she meets in connection with the pills make her feel welcomed and peaceful.

As the pressures of the season pile on Mickey, her need increases into a want and her tolerance level rises. The new Mickey Catalan just may be going down a road spiraling out of control.

Mickey was a fully written character, and because of this my heart was racing in panic alongside and for her during her journey. Her life fell apart piece by piece and her sense of right and wrong changed drastically. The high she felt on the softball diamond was replaced with getting her hands on new pills - shame or guilt also vaporizing once the drugs were in her system.

This book won’t be for everyone. It’s intense, terrifying, depressing, and super dark. It’s sometimes hard to judge Mickey (not that you still won’t) - but you go down this road with her as she gets deeper and deeper into the dark world of drug use where there’s so much raw pain. There is nothing sugar coated in this book.

I would still recommend this book as it could possibly help others see those suffering with addiction in a newer light of understanding. Just please be cautious of your mental place when reading.

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