(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Join journalist and author Julia Hotz on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 as she discusses her book The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging during a virtual author talk presented by the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Traditionally, when we get sick, health care professionals ask, “What’s the matter with you?” But around the world, teams of doctors, nurses, therapists, and social workers have started to flip the script, asking, “What matters to you?” The Connection Cure combines diligent science reporting, moving patient success stories and surprising self-discovery to discover the lasting and life-changing power of social prescribing. The success stories Julia finds bring a long-known theory to life: if we can change our environment, we can change our health.
By integrating age-old medicines like art, nature, movement, and volunteer service into patient’s daily lives, social prescriptions are radically changing health and healthcare in more than 30 countries. Science shows that social prescribing is effective for treating symptoms of depression, ADHD, addiction, trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, dementia, diabetes, and loneliness. By reconnecting to what matters to us, we can all start to feel better.
Julia Hotz is a solutions-focused journalist in New York. Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, Time, and more. The Connection Cure is her first book.
Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/HotzOCL, call 732-349-6200, or visit your local OCL branch.
The Connection Cure is available for free in various formats for OCL cardholders. Visit tinyurl.com/ConnectionCureOCL to request your copy today.
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