Review of The Strength of Cara
Posted: 08 Nov 2024, 22:40
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Strength of Cara" by Kathryn Powers.]
The Strength of Cara by Kathryn Powers describes the author’s experience dealing with her sister Cara’s addiction. The book consists of ten short chapters, which you can read in one sitting. Through Powers’ perspective, we become aware of how complex the world of addiction is and how we must be supportive even when change seem impossible. Substance abuse is the main thing that Powers aims to elucidate readers about through her family’s story.
In the book, Powers begins by describing how her sister Cara got addicted to opioids. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Cara’s husband, Tony (whom she had two children with), got injured, had surgery, lost his job, and eventually got addicted to pain medication. In turn, this created an imbalance and tension in the family until, eventually, Cara decided to take pain medication to feel better about her current family life situation.
As the story goes on, we learn of Cara’s separation from Tony, the destructive relationship she had with her addict boyfriend Malcolm, self-harm, recovery attempts, relapses, people enabling her, the complexity of humans, the powerlessness that people who loved Cara felt, the lack of medical and mental health care accessibility in America, and so much more.
What happened to Tony? What happened to Malcolm? Did Cara overcome her addiction? What is the relationship between Cara and her family? What are the problems and setbacks that people with addiction deal with all over the country? If you read this book, Powers answers these questions and more.
I like that Powers shows readers how they can support people with addiction, whether they are family, friends, or strangers. I also like that the author spreads awareness about addiction to opioids, hoping to reduce the stigma by communicating and understanding those who have an addiction.
The book, however, jumps back and forth in time, which may displease readers who prefer linear reads. Typically, I am not a fan of this because it can confuse readers. However, Powers did this well, giving readers a balanced reading (of the struggle and hope) without overwhelming readers with one side or the other. Additionally, the book should have discussed Cara's strength (as the title suggests) in more detail, such as how she overcame adversity before and after her relapses and recovery attempts.
Aside from these remarks in the previous paragraph, I had no criticism of this book, which justified reducing its rating. The book is well-edited, with one typo and some formatting errors, which most readers will not find. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to people who have family members, friends, or someone in their lives who is dealing with opioid addiction. I also recommend it to readers who want to read about the perspective of someone who describes their experience as the only person supporting her sister when everyone else had given up on her.
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The Strength of Cara
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Strength of Cara by Kathryn Powers describes the author’s experience dealing with her sister Cara’s addiction. The book consists of ten short chapters, which you can read in one sitting. Through Powers’ perspective, we become aware of how complex the world of addiction is and how we must be supportive even when change seem impossible. Substance abuse is the main thing that Powers aims to elucidate readers about through her family’s story.
In the book, Powers begins by describing how her sister Cara got addicted to opioids. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Cara’s husband, Tony (whom she had two children with), got injured, had surgery, lost his job, and eventually got addicted to pain medication. In turn, this created an imbalance and tension in the family until, eventually, Cara decided to take pain medication to feel better about her current family life situation.
As the story goes on, we learn of Cara’s separation from Tony, the destructive relationship she had with her addict boyfriend Malcolm, self-harm, recovery attempts, relapses, people enabling her, the complexity of humans, the powerlessness that people who loved Cara felt, the lack of medical and mental health care accessibility in America, and so much more.
What happened to Tony? What happened to Malcolm? Did Cara overcome her addiction? What is the relationship between Cara and her family? What are the problems and setbacks that people with addiction deal with all over the country? If you read this book, Powers answers these questions and more.
I like that Powers shows readers how they can support people with addiction, whether they are family, friends, or strangers. I also like that the author spreads awareness about addiction to opioids, hoping to reduce the stigma by communicating and understanding those who have an addiction.
The book, however, jumps back and forth in time, which may displease readers who prefer linear reads. Typically, I am not a fan of this because it can confuse readers. However, Powers did this well, giving readers a balanced reading (of the struggle and hope) without overwhelming readers with one side or the other. Additionally, the book should have discussed Cara's strength (as the title suggests) in more detail, such as how she overcame adversity before and after her relapses and recovery attempts.
Aside from these remarks in the previous paragraph, I had no criticism of this book, which justified reducing its rating. The book is well-edited, with one typo and some formatting errors, which most readers will not find. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to people who have family members, friends, or someone in their lives who is dealing with opioid addiction. I also recommend it to readers who want to read about the perspective of someone who describes their experience as the only person supporting her sister when everyone else had given up on her.
******
The Strength of Cara
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon