What if society looked at addiction without judgement? Unstitched shares the powerful story of one librarian’s quest to understand the impact of addiction fed by stigma and inevitable secrecy. The opioid epidemic has hit people in communities large and small and across all socio-economic classes. What should each of us know about it, and do about it? Unstitched moves readers from feelings of helplessness and blame into empathy, ultimately helping friends, family, and community members separate the disease of addiction from the person underneath. A stranger, rumored to be a heroin addict, repeatedly breaks into the small-town library Brett Ann Stanciu runs. After she tries to get law enforcement to take meaningful action against him—elementary school children and young parents with babies frequent the place after all—he dies by suicide. When she realizes how little she knows about opioid misuse, she sets out on a mission, seeking insight from others, such as people in recovery, treatment providers, the town police chief, and Vermont's US attorney. Stanciu’s journey leads to compassionate generosity, renewed faith, and ultimately a measure of personal redemption as she realizes she has a role to play in helping the people of her community stitch themselves back together. “…A compelling read, and an important one.” --Literary North  “This is a deeply compassionate and extremely important book” -- The Deerfield Valley News “…by approaching these conversations with humility, willing to listen and not judge, Stanciu gathered an illuminating collection of testimonials." --Seven Days “…written in such an accessible manner that I found it difficult to put down.” --Addison County Independent "...as gripping as a good novel. Stanciu skillfully weaves together the complexities of addiction and the opioid crisis, and it’s hard to put the book down." --Montpelier Bridge "Unstitched is a harrowing, and absorbing read about addiction, and discovery. compassion, persistence, knowledge, and strength. A book that is hard to put down once started, due to the gripping, but frequently beautiful writing of the author."  -- The North Star Monthly "This is both a page-turner and a primer in understanding the many complex dimensions of the opioid crisis in a rural state, where the reader accompanies the author in her own recovery and process of discovery. Ultimately, it is impossible for any of us to be totally disconnected from the impact opioid use disorder has on our communities, and it is through reading Stanciu’s skillful, compassionate and thoughtful rendering of personal stories that we can all gain valuable insight, diminish harmful stigma, and foster true healing." -- Dr. Mark Levine, Vermont State Health Commissioner "Powerful! An exploration through education of substance misuse disorder and its impact on small town idyllic Vermont. The personal redemption and recovery story of the writer is beautifully interwoven with insights into stigma, opioid misuse and finally recovery through purpose, community and connection.  Beautifully crafted and a must read for anyone affected by substance misuse disorder." -- Fawn D. Montanye, Executive Director Vermont Recovery Network "I took a sobering read through this book because it focuses a lot on community, conversation, Vermont and the effects/impacts of substance abuse on all lives involved. This book allows the reader to be a bystander to the heartbreaks, headaches, and heartwarming forays into understanding how things ended up the way are. This book can empower us and at the same time provide hints of destruction of the family system, and an inability to move forward with our lives when working through recovery." --Jason Broughton, Vermont State Librarian & Commissioner   "The opioid crisis darts jagged all around us, if we but open our eyes to it.  Unstitched deftly lays out the groundwork for the crisis but also probes deeply into the personal, bringing the reader face to face with stories of tragedy and loss, courage and great strength as well as just plain luck, good and bad. Brett Stanciu is brutally honest about the jaws of addiction, candid and clear-eyed on a subject often avoided by so many. In our small state the notion of community holds us together at all levels, as, in fact, community flourishes most places. Within lies perhaps the greatest hope to meet this dire need. For many of us, Unstitched serves not only as a much-needed introduction but a vital resource to be returned to, over and again." --Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall and Before We Sleep "Unstitched is riveting, compassionate, topical, and one of the best books I've read this year. Stanciu, in beautiful prose, takes on the impact of the opioid epidemic on a small Vermont town with the gusto and suspense of a fine mystery novel, and the empathy that only a truly fine observer of the human condition could muster. Highly recommended."