Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

34 reviews

libbyhb's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

5.0

After listening to Say Nothing, I immediately lucked out and got a skip-the-line copy of this from Libby! This was so well done, as expected. I liked following the journey through Arthur Sackler's life, and then through the development of Purdue Pharma and impact of OxyContin, and that Patrick Radden Keefe focused on the thread of the Sacklers' obsession with naming philanthropy and the later "un-naming". Obviously it was rage-enducing, but I feel like I learned so much. Can't wait to read more PRK!

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kristin_h_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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ticktock's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

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sapphire's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad

5.0

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znvisser's review

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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thunderousdandelion's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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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.

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