Read this when
Transcendent Kingdom
Gifty studies addiction in mice for a living. It still can't explain why her brother is gone. Grief doesn't care how much you know.
Who it's for
Gifty studies reward-seeking and addiction in mice at Stanford while her depressed mother lies in bed in her apartment, and the novel moves between that present and her childhood in Alabama as her brother Nana becomes addicted to opioids after a basketball inj.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Yaa Gyasi's 2020 novel follows Gifty, a neuroscience PhD candidate at Stanford who runs experiments on laboratory mice, as her severely depressed mother comes to stay with her. Her mother's arrival brings back memories of the family's immigration from Ghana to Alabama and of her gifted brother Nana's opioid addiction after a sports injury and his death from an overdose.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain in the US.
Before you start
Heads up: A parent's suicide attempt and an overdose.
Age: Ages 16+
Much of your pain is self-chosen.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Pain”
