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Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
13 reviews
kristin_h_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Chronic illness, Addiction, and Drug use
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, and Drug use
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
caseythereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
- Pretty sure no one needs my endorsement to pick up EMPIRE OF PAIN at this point, but here it is. I don't read a ton of heavily reported nonfiction, but this is one you can't miss.
- Keefe is so good at discussing complicated people and topics in a conversational, easy to follow way.
- Even if you already know the basics of this story from news reports or other books like DOPESICK, I'm willing to bet there are still anecdotes in this book about the callousness of the people involved that will shock you. You think you know how greedy people can be, and yet.
- Also, this is a sort of irrelevant side note, but if this was fiction I would have dinged the author for seemingly transparently lifting Richard Sackler's personality from the characters in THE SECRET HISTORY, haha.
- Keefe is so good at discussing complicated people and topics in a conversational, easy to follow way.
- Even if you already know the basics of this story from news reports or other books like DOPESICK, I'm willing to bet there are still anecdotes in this book about the callousness of the people involved that will shock you. You think you know how greedy people can be, and yet.
- Also, this is a sort of irrelevant side note, but if this was fiction I would have dinged the author for seemingly transparently lifting Richard Sackler's personality from the characters in THE SECRET HISTORY, haha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Antisemitism, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
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