First in the Family

A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream

By: Jessica Hoppe

Narrated by: Jessica Hoppe

Long-listed, Esquire Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2024

Long-listed, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2024

This program is read by the author.

An unflinching and intimate memoir of recovery by Jessica Hoppe, Latinx writer, advocate, and creator of NuevaYorka.

“A powerful thunderclap of a memoir.” —Lilliam Rivera, author of Dealing in Dreams

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024: Today.com, LupitaReads, Electric Literature, Esquire, Publishers Weekly

In this deeply moving and lyrical memoir, Hoppe shares an intimate, courageous account of what it means to truly interrupt cycles of harm. Perfect for fans of The Recovering by Leslie Jamison, Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford, and Heavy by Kiese Laymon.

During the first year of quarantine, drug overdoses spiked, the highest ever recorded. And Hoppe’s cousin was one of them. “I never learned the true history of substance use disorder in my family,” Hoppe writes. “People just disappeared.” At the time of her cousin’s death, she’d been in recovery for nearly four years, but she hadn’t told anyone.

In First in the Family, Hoppe shares her journey, the first in her family to do so, and takes the listener on a remarkable investigation of her family’s history, the American Dream, and the erasure of BIPOC from recovery institutions and narratives, leaving the listener with an urgent message of hope.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2024 Jessica Hoppe (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Hoppe debuts with a bold and illuminating account of getting sober and her attempts to ‘decolonize recovery’ by deconstructing ingrained narratives about people of color and substance abuse... She presents her findings in sharp, forceful prose, effortlessly weaving together her personal story and her insights into the intersection between race and sobriety. This is essential reading."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“First in the Family is a riveting memoir, but also a tender guide to overcoming—addiction, trauma, colonialism. It takes a writer with great emotional intelligence and generosity to trace the harrowing moments of her life back to the invisible systems and structures that damage every one of us. Jessica Hoppe has done that more.”—Alejandro Varela, author of The Town of Babylon

"Jessica Hoppe writes with grace and gripping candor about being the first in her family to recover from addiction in this fiery debut memoir."—Esquire

Powerful Listen

Jessica really poured a part of herself into all of us with this book. Her story is moving and inspiring. She touches on so many subjects that, as a Latina woman, I could relate to and really needed someone to share. This book makes you feel seen and heard. I will be recommending First in the Family to all of my friends.

A journey to self love and healing.

This book is a refreshingly honest look at the ups and downs of learning to accept yourself. Jessica shares her story in a way that feels real and relatable, showing how being unapologetically honest with herself helped heal not just her, but her family too. The journey to self-love is always a work in progress, but the leaps she and her family have made are inspiring. It’s also a great reminder that it takes a village, no matter how old we are. Definitely worth a listen if you're looking for something inspiring and down-to-earth.

The depth. The honesty. The story. The voice.

I loved and cherished every single moment of this book. Listening to it read by Jessica is a treasure I will hold with me for the rest of my life. What an incredible talent and force. I am changed.

First in My Family

Your book First in the Family is truly unique. It resonated with me deeply, as I come from an alcoholic family where numbing with alcohol is typical. Being the first in my family to break cycles through education, therapy, or different life choices is empowering and exhausting. Thank you for sharing your life story and creating a book that speaks to the challenges so many of us face.
Liliana Baylon

What a beautiful story of survival and strength

My heart. Wow. This is one of those rare books that hits you right in the gut with its honesty. It’s a memoir that doesn’t just tell a story, but breaks down walls. Hoppe digs deep into her personal experiences with addiction, sobriety, and the complicated layers of being the first in a family that didn’t talk about their struggles. Her journey is raw and real, pulling you into her world as she navigates sobriety and uncovers generational trauma. Hoppe beautiful expands her story to include the imperative history surrounding race and recovery.

What really stands out, though, is the audiobook. Listening to Jessica read her own story is like having her sit down next to you and bare her soul. Her voice carries all the weight of her experiences, and you can hear the conviction, the courage, and the vulnerability in every word. There’s something about the way she tells her story that feels intimate, almost like she’s offering you a piece of herself. And in many ways, she is. Humbled by her strength.

This isn’t just a memoir—it’s a call to rethink how we talk about recovery, race, and what it means to heal.