Publicity Plans:
Jack Shuler is the author of three books, including The Thirteenth Turn- A History of the Noose. His writing has appeared in The New Republic, Pacific Standard, Christian Science Monitor, 100 Days in Appalachia, and Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He is chair of the narrative journalism program at Denison University. He lives in Ohio. Find out more at jackshulerauthor.com.
Winner of the 2019-2020 Malott Prize for Recording Community
Activism
Winner of the 2020 Richard Frisbie Award for Adult Nonfiction from
the Society of Midland Authors
“With the opioid epidemic raging rampant in Ohio, Shuler gets into
the nitty–gritty of the crisis . . . An insightful look at how
issues in Ohio affect the rest of the country.” —Laura Hanrahan,
Cosmopolitan, A Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
“A book that sets itself apart from the pack with a focus on both
harm reduction and the larger economic factors that Shuler argues
comprise crucial yet oft–overlooked context . . . Shuler holds
readers’ interest with a colorful cast of activists who are on the
ground in Ohio today, pushing back against the fentanyl–driven
overdose crisis and the wider drug war . . . In the sort of
middle–America town where news reports too often only focus on the
bodies, Shuler has found a gang of heroes who have taken matters
into their own hands.” —Travis Lupick, Filter Magazine
“Jack Shuler’s new book reveals courageous men and women combating
the overdose crisis in Newark, Ohio, and makes a case for
progressive harm reduction policies . . . This is Ohio isn’t a
depressing book. It’s a portrait of men and women who, instead of
waiting for seats at the table, made their own tables and pulled up
their own chairs and began working for change.” —Joel Oliphint,
Columbus Alive
"Jack Shuler’s This Is Ohio provides a perspective on the opioid
epidemic that is refreshingly focused on those working on the
ground to save lives and change policy . . . He effectively draws
us into the lives of the people he describes, and in doing so he
calls attention to the gaps and shortcomings that are rooted in
policy and prejudice, as well as in the profit motive." —Paul
Draus, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books
“This impressively researched and deeply felt account does a
devastating job of personalizing the failures of U.S. drug policy.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Another alarming report from the front lines of the opioid
epidemic . . . This book should be shelved next to Beth Macy’s
Dopesick and Sam Quinones’ Dreamland . . . Full of grim yet
important statistics and vignettes as well as a few sensible
solutions—i>Kirkus Reviews
“[A] profoundly humanizing investigation . . . The commitment,
tenacity, and empathy of the users, activists, and advocates Shuler
meets is a stark corrective to the disdain and dehumanization
typical of policy and practice in this area. The title forcefully
claims this story for Ohio, a statistical center, but addiction
reaches all places, and this book is strongly recommended for
readers anywhere who are interested in systemic change and the
power of the grassroots.” —Library Journal
“Jack Shuler takes us to the heart of America’s overdose crisis
with clear–eyed storytelling and empathic warmth for the ordinary
Americans fighting against the economic and cultural abandonment
that have left too many behind, or locked up. A wrenching but
life–affirming book.” —Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New
Black
“A riveting and disturbing look at America, but altogether
necessary. This is a much–needed examination of a crisis and
decline that has gone on far too long without reckoning. An
absolute must–read.” —Jared Yates Sexton, author of American
Rule
“This Is Ohio is such a good book because Jack Shuler listens so
well. With clarity and heart, he tells an empowering story about
the nation’s overdose crisis in the voices of the women and men who
are facing it head–on. These are voices calling not just for
attention but for action, and they are offering solutions that come
from hard–won experience. Shuler asks us to listen, just as he did.
It’s the least we can do.” —Peter Slevin, author of Michelle Obama:
A Life
“Careful. Vivid. Empathic. Jack Shuler's This Is Ohio will
challenge many readers’ assumptions about addiction, poverty, and
the overdose crisis in not just Ohio, but across America. Much ink
has been spilled investigating Big Pharma and how their greed
sparked an epidemic of addiction. But This Is Ohio makes the
uncomfortable argument that the crisis facing communities has roots
that run far deeper than one industry's wanton greed and
corruption. Shuler's book shows that addressing the opioid crisis
also means addressing the economy, health care, inequality, and
stigma. It means restoring the meaning of community and
strengthening social bonds that not only keep us alive, but make
our lives worth living.” —Zachary Siegel, journalist and co–host of
Narcotica
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