I was motivated to read this book after hearing about the tragic death of our church member due to an overdose. His passing made me more aware of the seriousness of the opioid crisis. Before this, it felt like a different world to me—one I was ignorant of and not motivated to understand. I had not placed myself in the reality of this broken world.

This book was refreshing. It follows one woman’s journey—someone who grew up in a conservative Christian family and homeschooled her three children. However, when Thomas and Christina entered the world of foster care, their lives were shaken. Their experiences exposed them to the harsh realities of addiction, trauma, and systemic issues that many foster children face.

Reading this book has been an eye-opening experience. I had always believed that the best approach to the drug crisis was prohibition—making drugs illegal. However, I came to realize that this policy has had unintended consequences. The prohibition of drugs has fueled underground markets, leading to the sale of contaminated substances and increasing addiction-related deaths.

The author argues that instead of treating drug addiction as a criminal justice issue, we should handle it as a healthcare issue. As long as there is a demand for drugs, incarcerating sellers does little to solve the problem. The author makes a counterintuitive but compelling argument: rather than criminalizing drugs, we should regulate them—just as we do with alcohol and tobacco. This approach would allow medical professionals, rather than law enforcement, to oversee and address addiction properly.

While this is a complex issue, I find the author’s arguments to be both practical and thought-provoking. What are your thoughts?