Book Review: Deviate From Denial

     Sam Perez’s book Deviate from Denial personifies the struggles of people dealing with addiction in the United States. Through stories of her parents’ restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky, with the mission of hiring individuals in recovery, Perez captures the roller coaster of recovery.

     The book starts by recounting the history of the opioid epidemic, setting the stage for the personal stories intertwined in the book. Perez’s parents’ experience in the restaurant industry helped them identify the need for a change. They saw the cycle of addiction affecting their ability to maintain healthy, stable employees. This, in part, led them to open a restaurant with recovery in mind, DV8 Kitchen. There are powerful individual stories throughout showing the true pictures of individuals facing addiction. Perez ends with resources for treatment, harm reduction, and a guide for hiring individuals in recovery.

     I would recommend this book for any student and educator to use in social work education. It offers a unique perspective on addiction and recovery that is similar to those I have heard from clients in the field. Substance use does not occur in a vacuum; there are countless moments in a person’s life that lead them to substance use. Perez’s story following Tara’s opioid addiction after a medical procedure provides a glimpse into one of the most common real world social work scenarios.

     This book is a great resource, as it chronicles a well-researched history of the opioid epidemic in addition to providing resources in Part Three about paths to recovery and harm reduction techniques. Addiction intersects with many social work problems. All future social workers need to understand addiction, paths to recovery, and real world lived experiences. This book offers those pieces in a thoughtful and well laid out manner through Perez’s storytelling and research.

Reviewed by Sarah E. Bryant, MSW, Family Services Office Supervisor, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Commonwealth of Kentucky.