Three screws in her hip. Two months until spring training. One answer to all her problems.
Mickey Catalan’s life has been littered with struggles—from the scars that tell of past injuries, to her parents’ divorce, to the daily complexity of finding the right words to fit in socially. Mickey is no stranger to pain, emotional or physical.
When a car crash sidelines her months before softball season, Mickey 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 back 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.
Edgar Award–winning author Mindy McGinnis lays bare an honest exploration of the opioid crisis through the eyes of one girl, a visceral and necessary story about addiction, family, friendship, and hope
Reviews
★ “A compassionate, compelling, and terrifying story about a high school softball player’s addiction to opioids. The writing is visceral, and following Mickey as she rationalizes about her addiction is educative and frightening. By the end, readers understand how heroin can infiltrate even the most promising lives. A cautionary tale that exposes the danger of prescription medications by humanizing one victim of America’s current epidemic.” —Kirkus Reviews
★ “This powerful, harrowing, and compassionate story humanizes addiction and will challenge readers to rethink what they may believe about addicts. From the horrific first line to the hopeful yet devastating conclusion, McGinnis knocks it out of the park.” – School Library Journal
“There is never a moment in this harrowing but compassionate account that feels either unbelievable or melodramatic as it illuminates the terrifying ease with which people from all walks of life can fall victim to opioid addiction.” - Cooperative Children’s Book Center
“A realistic portrayal of how easy it is to develop an opiate addiction and the very real consequences of addiction. A timely and important message for teens everywhere.” – Booklist