Saving Bobby is a painfully honest, yet realistic and riveting picture of the price families pay when addiction of a loved one strikes home. When Renee Hodges takes in her twenty-eight-year-old nephew Bobby who is suffering from an opioid addiction at the same time her best friend’s son dies from an opioid overdose, she has no idea what is in store. All she knows is that Bobby desperately needs helps and she loves him. As the mother of a son addicted to alcohol, I instantly related to Renee’s urge to save her loved one from the ravages of addiction. And yet, addiction has its own agenda and the road to recovery is fraught with detours and landmines. Acting out of love, Renee sets out to create an environment that will help Bobby find a road to recovery. It is in the slow, sometimes agonizing unfolding of this process that one can see and feel the insidious nature of addiction for both the addicted person and for those who love him.

The story is effectively structured using journal entries, emails and introspection which gives an immediacy that had me turning the pages. There were times when I wondered whether either Bobby or his family would survive even though the title “saving Bobby” indicates a positive outcome. The writing is crisp and concise and the author’s honest voice adds to the authenticity that made me as a reader trust and understand her dilemma. And I cared deeply for Bobby who comes alive on the page as a believable young man caught in the crosshairs of addiction. Yes, I was frustrated with him and often times thought of my own son whose behavior signaled the progression of his addictive disease. The son I knew was gone and addiction had the upper hand. One needs all the support they can get to deal with such heartache. In addition to her personal story, she shares the latest statistics and research about the opioid epidemic that has seized our society. This lends a sense of urgency to the problem. It can no longer be denied. Immediate action is needed by both lawmakers and by society in general.

What I liked most about this memoir is Renee’s unbridled honesty and willingness to expose her missteps and flaws along the way. No one can conquer addiction alone and she wisely taps into community resources to help Bobby. She skillfully weaves in backstory about the family’s genetic predisposition to the disease and in doing so, breaks the silence surrounding addiction that is so prevalent among families. It’s a disease shrouded in silence and shame. Saving Bobby serves to break this silence surrounding addiction and provides a beacon of hope that recovery is possible when the person has access to the right resources, including being surrounded by people who understand addiction to be a disease not a moral failing.

I highly recommend this stunning memoir for anyone affected by addiction and for those in the health care field who serve this population. ( )

I won signed Advanced Readers Copy #GoodreadsGiveaway ( )