Zoe Zontous new work is an important contribution to socially engaged arts to deal with addiction and recovery cultures. Its an excellent and timely account that brings the dynamics of the practices to life with different projects expertly documented and analysed. The book is simultaneously both thought provoking and moving, demonstrating the importance of performance work for people in different stages of recovery. This is a vital read for all those involved in the applied theatre, performance and community arts fields.
James Thompson, Professor of Applied Theatre, University of Manchester
This is a vital and timely work that reframes vulnerability as a source of creative power and cultural resistance. Zontous deep engagement with recovery communities and socially engaged performance offers a compelling challenge to stigma and reductive narratives. A must-read for anyone invested in recovery, justice, and the transformative potential of the arts.'
Dr David Patton, Associate Professor in Criminology, University of Derby
Zontous new book is an urgent reminder to treat people in addiction recovery with compassion and care, and how the arts might provide a balm by which to do this. Her fascinating case studies illuminate the best in both grassroots and large organisational approaches, whilst continuously foregrounding the real people involved in the work. In the chapter exploring the Pink Flamingos group, their voices are as prevalent as her own: exploring the complexity that addiction and caring might encounter. We live in times where society has never felt more divided, and Zontous book reminds us of all that humanity, and the arts can always be the answer.
Anna Woolf, CEO London Arts and Health
