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Opioïdes et organes
Lorsque son père se retrouve en état de mort cérébrale en raison d’une surdose de fentanyl, Arizona est encouragée à faire de ce drame un bienfait en donnant ses organes. Des mois plus tard, cette décision continue de la tourmenter. Accompagnée d’un lézard sarcastique et d’une tendre créature cadavérique, elle plonge dans l’histoire des sciences médicales afin de mieux comprendre les injustices qui sous-tendent l’utilisation des corps des uns au bénéfice des autres.
Avec un ton à la fois inquisiteur et drôle et une esthétique délicieusement vintage, Opioïdes et organes expose les côtés les plus discutables de la pratique du don d’organes, tout en offrant une touchante exploration de notre mortalité.
Avec un ton à la fois inquisiteur et drôle et une esthétique délicieusement vintage, Opioïdes et organes expose les côtés les plus discutables de la pratique du don d’organes, tout en offrant une touchante exploration de notre mortalité.
380 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 2026
About the author
Arizona O'Neill
5 books13 followersARIZONA O’NEILL is a Montreal-based author and illustrator. She is the author of Est-ce qu’un artiste peut être heureux?, a collection of graphic interviews, and the illustrator of Nelly Arcan’s L’enfant dans le miroir. Her comics have appeared in Hazlitt, Exclaim!, the Montreal Gazette, and mRb. She has created animated videos for many outlets, including the CBC. A regular contributor to Radio-Canada’s Il restera toujours la culture, she is one half of the Bookstagram page @ONeillReads. She is currently working on a graphic memoir.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
July 21, 2026
I don't know how I, a massive Heather O'Neill fan, never knew that she had a daughter, nor how I accidentally stumbled into picking up her daughter's debut graphic memoir. 'Twas meant to be, I suppose.
Immediately upon starting this book, though, it's clear that the younger O'Neill shares many similarities with her talented mother: among them, an affinity for pairing the whimsical and the macabre. In this tome, Arizona takes on the very complex feelings she has about organ donation. And for her, it's personal.
About a decade ago, her father, a struggling addict, overdosed and was declared brain-dead. In the midst of receiving that shocking news, Arizona, as her father's next of kin, was asked to donate his organs. She did so, but now has very complex feelings about it, especially given the shadowy history of organ procurement and transplantation.
Although the subject matter is heavy, it's somewhat lightened by the fact that Arizona, in cartoon form, is accompanied on her adventures to learn more about the history of organ transplants in medicine by a very sassy lizard, Izzy, and Frankenstein's monster, Frankie. Each is meant to represent a different side of herself as she seeks knowledge and, hopefully, some form of peace.
I think if you're like me and you like the novels penned by Arizona's mother, you'll absolutely find it worth your time to read this, especially because Heather makes a few cameos. But if medical and/or macabre books are your thing and you enjoyed books like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, or the lesser-known but still important The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South (the subject of which gets a few pages in this memoir) definitely consider giving this a read. It certainly gave me a lot to think about.
Immediately upon starting this book, though, it's clear that the younger O'Neill shares many similarities with her talented mother: among them, an affinity for pairing the whimsical and the macabre. In this tome, Arizona takes on the very complex feelings she has about organ donation. And for her, it's personal.
About a decade ago, her father, a struggling addict, overdosed and was declared brain-dead. In the midst of receiving that shocking news, Arizona, as her father's next of kin, was asked to donate his organs. She did so, but now has very complex feelings about it, especially given the shadowy history of organ procurement and transplantation.
Although the subject matter is heavy, it's somewhat lightened by the fact that Arizona, in cartoon form, is accompanied on her adventures to learn more about the history of organ transplants in medicine by a very sassy lizard, Izzy, and Frankenstein's monster, Frankie. Each is meant to represent a different side of herself as she seeks knowledge and, hopefully, some form of peace.
I think if you're like me and you like the novels penned by Arizona's mother, you'll absolutely find it worth your time to read this, especially because Heather makes a few cameos. But if medical and/or macabre books are your thing and you enjoyed books like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, or the lesser-known but still important The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South (the subject of which gets a few pages in this memoir) definitely consider giving this a read. It certainly gave me a lot to think about.
August 13, 2026
Ça m’a semblé un peu forcé. Je ne suis pas convaincue par la proposition. Tout est effleuré, rien n’est vraiment approfondi et j’ai eu l’impression qu’elle voulait démontrer sa thèse à tout prix, quitte à forcer des liens là où il n’y en avait pas nécessairement avec un genre de manque de rigueur qui m’a gossé.
July 16, 2026
Coup de cœur 🖤
Cette BD autobiographique est un réel chef-d’œuvre !
On y suit Arizona qui, suite du décès de son père d’une overdose de fentanyl, doit prendre une décision urgente.. accepter ou non le don d’organes. Son consentement devient alors le point de départ d’une remise en question et d’une culpabilité lourde à porter.
Ses interrogations entourant le don d’organes l’amènent à explorer l’histoire de la transplantation, la culture populaire, l’éthique médicale, la crise des opioïdes, mais surtout, à relever les inégalités sociales qui entourent ces enjeux.
On fait littéralement un voyage morbide dans l’univers de la médecine et ce, à travers le monde.
On passe d’Harvard au Louvre, jusqu’à l’Irlande. On croise Dracula, Mary Shelley et l’inconnue de la Seine. On est confronté à la cruauté de certains chercheurs et à la morale parfois absente de d’autres.
C’est un livre qui nous amène à réfléchir à un sujet plutôt inusité. La mort d’une personne qui permet à d’autres de continuer à vivre. On a changé les termes afin que le don d’organes soit acceptable mais la pratique reste la même.. celle de prélever des morceaux à un cadavre.
C’est amené avec sensibilité, intelligence et une douce touche d’humour !
Honnêtement, j’ai tout aimé !
C’est profondément humain mais aussi.. dérangeant. C’est cette dualité qui m’a vraiment plu.
Visuellement, c’est plus que magnifique !
Ce livre m’a vraiment marquée. Je vais y réfléchir longtemps. 🖤
Cette BD autobiographique est un réel chef-d’œuvre !
On y suit Arizona qui, suite du décès de son père d’une overdose de fentanyl, doit prendre une décision urgente.. accepter ou non le don d’organes. Son consentement devient alors le point de départ d’une remise en question et d’une culpabilité lourde à porter.
Ses interrogations entourant le don d’organes l’amènent à explorer l’histoire de la transplantation, la culture populaire, l’éthique médicale, la crise des opioïdes, mais surtout, à relever les inégalités sociales qui entourent ces enjeux.
On fait littéralement un voyage morbide dans l’univers de la médecine et ce, à travers le monde.
On passe d’Harvard au Louvre, jusqu’à l’Irlande. On croise Dracula, Mary Shelley et l’inconnue de la Seine. On est confronté à la cruauté de certains chercheurs et à la morale parfois absente de d’autres.
C’est un livre qui nous amène à réfléchir à un sujet plutôt inusité. La mort d’une personne qui permet à d’autres de continuer à vivre. On a changé les termes afin que le don d’organes soit acceptable mais la pratique reste la même.. celle de prélever des morceaux à un cadavre.
C’est amené avec sensibilité, intelligence et une douce touche d’humour !
Honnêtement, j’ai tout aimé !
C’est profondément humain mais aussi.. dérangeant. C’est cette dualité qui m’a vraiment plu.
Visuellement, c’est plus que magnifique !
Ce livre m’a vraiment marquée. Je vais y réfléchir longtemps. 🖤
August 4, 2026
This absolutely is right up my alley - a graphic novel about the intersection between organ donation and the opioid crisis?? BUT I walked away feeling deflated and...angry? disappointed? unimpressed? by the storytelling, positioning and narrative structure.
first things first: on page 101 she mentions how her parents had a "baby monitor lizard, also known as a komodo dragon". FALSE - Komodo dragons are a *type* of Monitor, but there is absolutely no chance they or one of their associates smuggled in a baby komodo dragon and tried to raise it. it was probably another type of Monitor, which tbh is not a pet for the faint of heart but absolutely not the same thing as the worlds largest reptile.
next: I'm not sure....what she was wrestling with in this book? the medical system is discriminatory (yes). advances in medical science was based on experimenting on living and dead bodies - often without their consent or compensation (yes). medical professionals are eager to transplant viable organs into people in desperate need (yes). all these things can be true, but she hints at a broader conspiracy of physicians and society about allowing the Opioid crisis to continue so that we can keep 'harvesting" organs. it seems like she could have....done more research about that, because for all of the ineffective strategies and politics of tackling the drug crisis, this is not anywhere near anyone's strategic radar.
and finally - I am donating stem cells very soon. I signed up as a donor through Canadian Blood Services and have been matched with a recipient. so obviously I have strong feelings about the role of consent and the ability we have, through our bodies, to save lives.
first things first: on page 101 she mentions how her parents had a "baby monitor lizard, also known as a komodo dragon". FALSE - Komodo dragons are a *type* of Monitor, but there is absolutely no chance they or one of their associates smuggled in a baby komodo dragon and tried to raise it. it was probably another type of Monitor, which tbh is not a pet for the faint of heart but absolutely not the same thing as the worlds largest reptile.
next: I'm not sure....what she was wrestling with in this book? the medical system is discriminatory (yes). advances in medical science was based on experimenting on living and dead bodies - often without their consent or compensation (yes). medical professionals are eager to transplant viable organs into people in desperate need (yes). all these things can be true, but she hints at a broader conspiracy of physicians and society about allowing the Opioid crisis to continue so that we can keep 'harvesting" organs. it seems like she could have....done more research about that, because for all of the ineffective strategies and politics of tackling the drug crisis, this is not anywhere near anyone's strategic radar.
and finally - I am donating stem cells very soon. I signed up as a donor through Canadian Blood Services and have been matched with a recipient. so obviously I have strong feelings about the role of consent and the ability we have, through our bodies, to save lives.
June 30, 2026
Not really sure what O'Neills's point was with this novel. The narrative is a confusing mix of her experience of grief with information that presents to be insightful on organ transplantation, but is really just random trivia that serves to illustrate her points and does not do justice to its complex reality. Organ transplantation is an issue of increasing importance, as is the opioid crisis, and whilst controversial opinions are always invited to enrich our collective perspective, it is misleading and dangerous to present facts in a biased and sometimes erroneous manner to further one's agenda.
I think the sections that focus on her individual experience coming to terms with her father's passing and subsequent organ donation are very interesting and well supported by her drawings. However, she dabbles in the rich history of organ transplantation with diverse disconnected moments taken out of context, and does not do justice to the reality that those of us who work in organ transplantation know or face everyday. These sections I fear might contribute to increase public misunderstanding of this already very controversial and yet extremely important topic.
I think the sections that focus on her individual experience coming to terms with her father's passing and subsequent organ donation are very interesting and well supported by her drawings. However, she dabbles in the rich history of organ transplantation with diverse disconnected moments taken out of context, and does not do justice to the reality that those of us who work in organ transplantation know or face everyday. These sections I fear might contribute to increase public misunderstanding of this already very controversial and yet extremely important topic.
September 19, 2026
A woman who just lost her father to a drug overdose finds herself questioning the organ donor system. It's interesting. I like the use of the first organ recipient, Frankenstein, as a sounding board. There's a lizard companion as well as she tries to come to terms with what happened. It's really long at 382 pages. I wish O'Neill found time to go into specifics about how hospitals use those organs, how much money the industry is making off these donations, etc.
August 13, 2026
J’ai toute aimé, mais surtout le lézard hehehehehehehehe
4,5/5
4,5/5
October 18, 2026
Vraiment surprenant et intéressant comme sujet. J’ai adoré l’autodérision, les changements de perspective et les ptits clin d’oeil faits au lecteur dans la BD.
August 20, 2026
This was superb! Very thought provoking and informative.
Also, I LOVE Izzy.
Also, I LOVE Izzy.
October 3, 2026
Je referme ce roman graphique avec une certaine déception. Le sujet m’intéressait particulièrement, mais l’autrice ne l’a que survolé. J’aurais aimé que le livre soit davantage concentré dans les thèmes initialement abordés, soit la consommation de drogues ou encore le don d’organes. Les illustrations graphiques sont à mon goût, quelque peu répétitives et j’aurais apprécié que l’autrice approfondisse son sujet. J’ai eu l’impression de tourner en rond.
May 21, 2026
I love a good graphic novel. So visually beautiful and interesting. I’ll read anything by the O’Neills!
July 12, 2026
Incroyable, cette BD! Un véritable coup de cœur. ❤️
September 11, 2026
The art was great.
I feel like I need to note this was written by a Canadian and someone that is upset and is going to be biased. Because we are talking about death and addiction there’s a lot of strong feelings going on. Like the belief that no one cares about addicts, or how they are being used to fulfill organ donation lists.
1. No one forced anyone to do anything, so it was annoying to read how much blame was going on, except to their own.
There’s a ton of regret about author donating their father’s body for donation after he dies from overdose. I get it bc there’s limited time to make a decision.
FACTS: no one makes money donating organs. If religious people didn’t exist, we are very close to being able to clone/grow organs and probably won’t need donations in the near future, but until that happens, donations can make miracles happen. Canada and the US are NOT the same, and each state is different. Michigan has Gift of Life, which is a non-profit that works with all hospitals to find acceptable donors and is a free service. Meaning they pay for life support they are able to harvest parts if the patient is a donor or the family consents. They are the people who are called to come talk to the grieving family.
THIS IS WHY EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A LIVING WILL/ADVANCE DIRECTIVE that CLEARLY states what their wishes are. Then you don’t force people to make those decisions. Get it notarized and TELL YOUR LOVED ONES. Get it signed or it doesn’t count. Put it in your medical chart NOW.
When I was a nurse and worked in Oncology, TONS of people die every day that are not acceptable as organ donors. I have had 1 patient that was able to donate their eyes (they use the corneas).
The book mentions a lot of research, but I think this is a case of what you don’t know, you don’t know, and her “facts” back up her opinion but aren’t quite true. There is NO conspiracy with healthcare workers. It’s offensive to say so.
ALSO: I know TONS of people in recovery. It’s offensive to make such a blanket claim that no one cares about addicts, when it’s simply not true.
Also 2016 is super late to be the beginning of the opiate crisis. That was the beginning of the fentanyl crisis and other opiate analogs being brought in from China. By 2016, it was almost impossible for prescription opiates to be available on the street BECAUSE of the opiate crisis (that began shortly after 1996, the year OxyContin was introduced).
I know a recovering alcoholic that was given a liver donation bc his was ruined from Hepatitis and addiction. That was over 10 years ago and he is still alive today. It was days, not weeks, from dying. This explains why there is not a magical Organ Donation List, bc recipients need to have compatible blood types and geography matters bc organs do not last long out of the body. A person with rare blood types will be passed up a lot until a match is made, and this is why people aren’t given a magic number where they are on the list.
Up until 15 years ago, Hep C was an incurable disease that severely damaged livers and millions died early in life than they probably would have if they didn’t contact it. Now it’s a 3 month treatment. It’s a huge breakthrough that doesn’t get a lot of attention.
No healthcare worker wants addicts to die so they can clear Organ Donations.
But it’s NOT ethical to pay people for their organs, so at this time this is the best we have. I know that the author’s father probably made the children of the man who received his heart, the best thing that has happened to them.
I lost my sister 16 years ago and I miss her every single day. I would have donated all my organs to save her.
I feel like I need to note this was written by a Canadian and someone that is upset and is going to be biased. Because we are talking about death and addiction there’s a lot of strong feelings going on. Like the belief that no one cares about addicts, or how they are being used to fulfill organ donation lists.
1. No one forced anyone to do anything, so it was annoying to read how much blame was going on, except to their own.
There’s a ton of regret about author donating their father’s body for donation after he dies from overdose. I get it bc there’s limited time to make a decision.
FACTS: no one makes money donating organs. If religious people didn’t exist, we are very close to being able to clone/grow organs and probably won’t need donations in the near future, but until that happens, donations can make miracles happen. Canada and the US are NOT the same, and each state is different. Michigan has Gift of Life, which is a non-profit that works with all hospitals to find acceptable donors and is a free service. Meaning they pay for life support they are able to harvest parts if the patient is a donor or the family consents. They are the people who are called to come talk to the grieving family.
THIS IS WHY EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A LIVING WILL/ADVANCE DIRECTIVE that CLEARLY states what their wishes are. Then you don’t force people to make those decisions. Get it notarized and TELL YOUR LOVED ONES. Get it signed or it doesn’t count. Put it in your medical chart NOW.
When I was a nurse and worked in Oncology, TONS of people die every day that are not acceptable as organ donors. I have had 1 patient that was able to donate their eyes (they use the corneas).
The book mentions a lot of research, but I think this is a case of what you don’t know, you don’t know, and her “facts” back up her opinion but aren’t quite true. There is NO conspiracy with healthcare workers. It’s offensive to say so.
ALSO: I know TONS of people in recovery. It’s offensive to make such a blanket claim that no one cares about addicts, when it’s simply not true.
Also 2016 is super late to be the beginning of the opiate crisis. That was the beginning of the fentanyl crisis and other opiate analogs being brought in from China. By 2016, it was almost impossible for prescription opiates to be available on the street BECAUSE of the opiate crisis (that began shortly after 1996, the year OxyContin was introduced).
I know a recovering alcoholic that was given a liver donation bc his was ruined from Hepatitis and addiction. That was over 10 years ago and he is still alive today. It was days, not weeks, from dying. This explains why there is not a magical Organ Donation List, bc recipients need to have compatible blood types and geography matters bc organs do not last long out of the body. A person with rare blood types will be passed up a lot until a match is made, and this is why people aren’t given a magic number where they are on the list.
Up until 15 years ago, Hep C was an incurable disease that severely damaged livers and millions died early in life than they probably would have if they didn’t contact it. Now it’s a 3 month treatment. It’s a huge breakthrough that doesn’t get a lot of attention.
No healthcare worker wants addicts to die so they can clear Organ Donations.
But it’s NOT ethical to pay people for their organs, so at this time this is the best we have. I know that the author’s father probably made the children of the man who received his heart, the best thing that has happened to them.
I lost my sister 16 years ago and I miss her every single day. I would have donated all my organs to save her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2026
5 étoiles pour le visuel
3 étoiles pour le texte
Le sujet du don d'organes m'a tout de suite interpellée. L'art est incroyable. Le texte un peu moins...
J'ai aimé entendre la perspective qui se trouve au revers de la médaille, celle dont personne ne parle vraiment. J'ai aimé les passages historiques ou ceux qui détaillaient les recherches de l'autrice.
Mais le tout était bizarrement ficelé, les interactions entre les personnages n'étaient pas naturelles et la fin qui se veut être une morale pas très subtile... Je suis mitigée.
3 étoiles pour le texte
Le sujet du don d'organes m'a tout de suite interpellée. L'art est incroyable. Le texte un peu moins...
J'ai aimé entendre la perspective qui se trouve au revers de la médaille, celle dont personne ne parle vraiment. J'ai aimé les passages historiques ou ceux qui détaillaient les recherches de l'autrice.
Mais le tout était bizarrement ficelé, les interactions entre les personnages n'étaient pas naturelles et la fin qui se veut être une morale pas très subtile... Je suis mitigée.
August 17, 2026
I feel sympathetic to the authors plight, but I need way more evidence then mere suspicion to prove a conspiracy on this level. Rather then basic opertunism and societies typical ambivalence towards people with mental health problems (especially those that are complicated and take a LONG time to manage if people ever heal). There just wasn’t anything even close to a money trail. Just a lot of finger pointing. Demobilization of the medical trade is dangerous, even though there still is a shit ton to criticize. (Although doctors are typically brusk/insensitive/direct, they still spend their lives helping people). In the end at no point was there even a hint of a money trail. Even the enslaved peoples body trade is fathomable because I have read better more in depth books about it. The facts were mostly surface level. And like sure the point could have been the memoir but, they book wasn’t as focused on that part (it felt like the catalyst/lens rather then the story). Overall I was disappointed
May 21, 2026
finished on the amtrak back home … i wanted More from this book, i fear
June 9, 2026
3.5 - decent debut, but the quality of the illustrations surpass the strength of the narrative.
October 18, 2026
Très mitigée sur ce roman parce que bien que les dilemmes éthiques abordés soit très pertinents, j'ai été en désaccord avec la majorité des propos mais j'ai tout de même beaucoup aimé le rythme lié à un roman graphique !
August 16, 2026
Well that was fucking cool, and macabre, and funny, and sad AND educational. Extra points for the gecko. 🦎 Big Arizona O’Neill fan now.
October 18, 2026
J’ai appris beaucoup de choses et j’ai aimé les questionnements et émotions engendrés par le don d’organes!! Je pense que ça aurait pu être plus approfondi, j’ai l’impression de pas avoir eu de dénouement
Review of advance copy
Je vais y revenir, mais j'ai l'impression que la lecture du livre de shelley manque un peu de sensibilité métaphorique à mon goût.
2.8: Je comprends que c'est un livre nécessaire pour le deuil de l'autrice, mais ça tourne un peu en rond et j'ai l'impression que le côté féministe de l'écriture de mary shelley est un peu oblitérée et la relation problématique (très problématique) avec son mari est oubliée.
2.8: Je comprends que c'est un livre nécessaire pour le deuil de l'autrice, mais ça tourne un peu en rond et j'ai l'impression que le côté féministe de l'écriture de mary shelley est un peu oblitérée et la relation problématique (très problématique) avec son mari est oubliée.
July 8, 2026
beautiful art but what was the point of this ?
September 23, 2026
Idk it just felt like a bunch of (maybe not so) fun facts about organ donation and I kinda expected more, but the artwork was gorg so sad that I don’t have a kindle color to have fully experienced the lovely watercoloresqueness(?) of it.
October 2, 2026
Génial! J'ai appris plein de choses et ça m'a fait réfléchir. :) Dessins magnifiques.
May 20, 2026
Soo good I wasn’t expecting that! Make me question a lot of things about organs donation. Love it
August 18, 2026
I loved the illustrations. I would have preferred more of a fiction graphic novel than documentary facts.
May 23, 2026
I thought this was well done. Dark, quirky, and thought provoking.
August 27, 2026
4.5! What a beautifully haunting book. This is why I love reading graphic memoirs!
August 14, 2026
Le sujet est vraiment intéressant, la vie et la mort, le don d’organes, la moralité s’y rattachant… j’ai apprécié
August 11, 2026
"There's no longer such thing as originality, there is only creativity"
Pour moi, Arizona O'Neill est très certainement originale et créative. Ce roman graphique est unique.
En temps qu'intervenante j'ai été très touché de lire comment Arizona donne une voix aux personnes et aux corps des victimes de la crise de la toxicité des drogues.
La relation entre la crise et les dons d'organes était un angle mort pour moi et je tâcherai d'y porter plus attention.
Au delà de ça, c'est une histoire fabuleuse de deuil.
Pour moi, Arizona O'Neill est très certainement originale et créative. Ce roman graphique est unique.
En temps qu'intervenante j'ai été très touché de lire comment Arizona donne une voix aux personnes et aux corps des victimes de la crise de la toxicité des drogues.
La relation entre la crise et les dons d'organes était un angle mort pour moi et je tâcherai d'y porter plus attention.
Au delà de ça, c'est une histoire fabuleuse de deuil.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews