Jessica Hoppe’s First in the Family is a moving memoir that plunges into the turbulent depths of family trauma, addiction, and the deceptive allure of the American Dream. From the start, Hoppe unearths her battle with alcoholism, locating its roots in the trauma that has woven through her life and that of her ancestors, especially her mother’s family in Honduras. Her struggles with addiction are neither isolated nor inexplicable; instead, they are framed as part of a broader and deeply inherited narrative of intergenerational harm. Hoppe brilliantly likens the American Dream to “the ultimate gateway drug,” its promises tantalizing yet treacherous, driving individuals toward exploitative systems that extract more than they offer.

Hoppe delves into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including racial trauma and socioeconomic precarity, which led her to alcohol as a means of coping. She reflects on her family’s pursuit of the American Dream, one marked by instability, periods of homelessness, and the constant specter of financial insecurity. For Hoppe, these were not just obstacles; they were the circumstances that shaped her sense of self and survival. Her parents’ attempts at achieving stability through property ownership were thwarted by an unjust housing market and the profound limitations placed on immigrant families within a capitalist framework. As she learns more about her family’s Honduran roots, she sees how historical trauma—spanning from the rule of dictatorships to the U.S. interventions in Honduras’ so-called “Banana Republic” era—has a throughline, culminating in her grandfather’s alcoholism, her mother’s experiences, and her own struggles.

Hoppe’s writing shines in its accessibility and emotional resonance. There’s a poetic cadence to her reflections, like in the line, “The anesthetizing power of the American Dream dulled my sense and blunted the focus of my logic— it worked by design.” Her vulnerability brings readers into the grip of her addiction and recovery, which is depicted as a continuous, often agonizing process of choosing oneself, a mantra she urges for breaking generational trauma. Yet, the narrative shifts near the end, turning to a broader analysis of systemic oppression and addiction. While important, this section lacks the deeply personal and magnetic quality of the earlier parts, making it somewhat less engaging.

While the memoir loses some momentum toward the end, First in the Family is a profound testament to resilience and radical self-compassion. Hoppe’s story is a call to confront our inherited traumas, honor our right to healing, and redefine recovery through a compassionate, community-centered lens. With unflinching honesty and poetic grace, she captures the liberation and loneliness of breaking cycles as the “first” in her family to address what was once shrouded in secrecy. For anyone who has grappled with intergenerational trauma or questioned their place in this country’s unforgiving systems, Hoppe’s story is one of both solace and solidarity.

📖 Recommended For: Readers drawn to introspective memoirs, anyone grappling with generational trauma and recovery, those curious about immigrant experiences within the American Dream, fans of poetic prose, and supporters of community-based, anti-racist recovery.

🔑 Key Themes: Intergenerational Trauma, Addiction as Survival, The American Dream and Capitalism, Family and Cultural Heritage, Anti-Racist and Decolonial Healing.