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Reviews tagging 'Suicide'
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
91 reviews
noshelf_control's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Suicide and Death
maarsargo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Self harm, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death
mcmarg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
I was determined to read this book because of my love for the book Say Nothing and my interest in the opioid epidemic. In my sophomore year of college, I went to West Virginia on a service trip and we learned and saw firsthand the devastating impact that the opioid crisis had in that state due to a large population of individuals with chronic pain from injuries and hard labor jobs.
I loved the way Patrick Radden Keefe wrote Say Nothing in such an action-packed, page-turning storytelling way despite the fact that the subject matter was super dense and fact-heavy. I do think that Empire of Pain was so well written but the subject matter was just never going to be as exciting or fascinating as the cutthroat epic tales of IRA heroes and villains. So for those reasons, I found it harder to get through this.
I did love some of the chapters that intertwine fringe stories like the chapter about the temple of Dendur - as a NY native that was so interesting to read. Also, the story of Calixto Rivera was so shocking, infuriating, and important to expose the level to which the Sackler's were never going to take responsibility for any of their actions.
One chapter I did not love was Turks. I thought at this point and some other points in the book were not totally essential and didn't add anything to the larger story for me. But then again, it does focus on the greed of the family which furthers the narrative, it just slowed me down in my energy to finish the book.
As the book got more into the many lawsuits filed against the Sacklers it was so frustrating to watch them evade all responsibility over and over. A lot of the specifics of the lawyer jargon went over my head but there was so much corruption. My overall takeaway is that this was a family who started from nothing and completely realized the American dream of the self-starting patriarch and family business dynasty. They were blinded by greed and ambition and over time became the most evil family in America.
I loved the way Patrick Radden Keefe wrote Say Nothing in such an action-packed, page-turning storytelling way despite the fact that the subject matter was super dense and fact-heavy. I do think that Empire of Pain was so well written but the subject matter was just never going to be as exciting or fascinating as the cutthroat epic tales of IRA heroes and villains. So for those reasons, I found it harder to get through this.
I did love some of the chapters that intertwine fringe stories like the chapter about the temple of Dendur - as a NY native that was so interesting to read. Also, the story of Calixto Rivera was so shocking, infuriating, and important to expose the level to which the Sackler's were never going to take responsibility for any of their actions.
One chapter I did not love was Turks. I thought at this point and some other points in the book were not totally essential and didn't add anything to the larger story for me. But then again, it does focus on the greed of the family which furthers the narrative, it just slowed me down in my energy to finish the book.
As the book got more into the many lawsuits filed against the Sacklers it was so frustrating to watch them evade all responsibility over and over. A lot of the specifics of the lawyer jargon went over my head but there was so much corruption. My overall takeaway is that this was a family who started from nothing and completely realized the American dream of the self-starting patriarch and family business dynasty. They were blinded by greed and ambition and over time became the most evil family in America.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Suicide
citrinuke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
thunderousdandelion's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Addiction
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This meticulous, damning work of non-fiction is worth all the hype. The opioid epidemic was a topic completely outside my sphere of understanding before picking this book up. I was unaware of all the legal battles raging to bring a particular company and its scions to account for a public health disaster of epic proportions. I was horrified by the influence of one powerful family over an entire industry, and through that, the country at large. The Sacklers' inability to empathize, to accept any level of responsibility for the opioid crisis through the aggressive marketing of their drugs, is more astounding than it ought to be given our society, fueled by capitalistic fever dreams and cold ambition. Here, we have a family ostensibly offering a compassionate product, a drug that can help many suffering from pain of all sorts. However, the tactics revealed in this book tell a different story, the calculating minds of a family willing to do anything to increase their net worth with no concept that there could be negative, lasting consequences to answer for. That misleading the medical establishment could lead to dangerous prescription practices. That data indicating where pill mills are located could necessitate corrective action rather than representing a welcome source of income. That influencing government agencies and public perception is anything less than their right as the ultra-wealthy. That willful ignorance is somehow less harmful than intentional malice when the result is the same: over a million dead and many more affected in the US alone.
I'm not really sure how to review such an impactful work. I think everyone can benefit from a closer look at how the pharmaceutical industry works and how wealth is accrued and kept more broadly. It leaves me with a lot to ponder and with a lot more information at my disposal to see things clearly. Highly recommend.
I'm not really sure how to review such an impactful work. I think everyone can benefit from a closer look at how the pharmaceutical industry works and how wealth is accrued and kept more broadly. It leaves me with a lot to ponder and with a lot more information at my disposal to see things clearly. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Antisemitism, Chronic illness, and Suicide
ninaw's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
An excellent narrative exploration of the Sackler family, their involvement in the opioid crisis and the extensive measures they've taken to protect and promote their name.
Also a terrifying tale of repeated regulatory capture.
Also a terrifying tale of repeated regulatory capture.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Suicide
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This book has absolutely everything I like, and it was done so well. Well-developed characters with complex relationships in a comprehensively researched, utterly compelling narrative nonfiction story spanning decades. A Jewish immigrant family in New York with connections to Columbia University and, of course, a critical look at the opioid crisis and the many contributors to its horrors.
I was fascinated by every element of this book (though the introduction of Arthur Sackler and the family history developed in Part 1 was my favorite section), and it was one of those audiobooks that had me seeking out more household chores in order to keep listening. Patrick Radden Keefe narrates his own writing fabulously, and he wrote an absolutely incredibly piece of investigative journalism that never bothered me with its length or detail.
I was fascinated by every element of this book (though the introduction of Arthur Sackler and the family history developed in Part 1 was my favorite section), and it was one of those audiobooks that had me seeking out more household chores in order to keep listening. Patrick Radden Keefe narrates his own writing fabulously, and he wrote an absolutely incredibly piece of investigative journalism that never bothered me with its length or detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
alisiakae's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Suicide
horizonous's review
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
◦ Mental illness = addiction, descriptions of asylums in the early 20th century and treatments like electroshock therapy and lobotomy