Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

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

107 reviews

neri's review against another edition

challenging informative sad slow-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide

cathuluu's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Gaslighting, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Antisemitism and Suicide

williamgideon's review against another edition

My libby loan ran out :( but honestly wasn't liking it enough to keep reading

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide

katiecentabar's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Suicide

nassuada's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Drug use, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Forced institutionalization

ashwaar's review against another edition

challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.5

I’ve read another of Patrick Radden Keefe’s books, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, and if you liked that, I think you’ll also really love Empire of Pain.

I knew absolutely nothing about the Sackler family, Purdue or OxyContin when I started this book and it does a fantastic job of introducing you to this pharmaceutical dynasty, and their role in the opioid crisis in America.

I think what makes this book so unique in covering the addiction crises is that it goes back decades to the three brothers that founded Purdue Pharma and their experiences working in medicine and advertising which basically invented pharmaceutical marketing.

This book is a must read, it’s incredibly impactful and important, and covers so many essential areas of the story with such ease and grace. It’s an incredible achievement.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Medical content

Minor: Sexual content and Suicide

mayukiiq's review against another edition

challenging dark informative

4.5

I went into this with no prior knowledge of the Sackler family— such an insane and horrifying legacy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness

brinnet's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Very interesting look into a wealthy American family and their role in modern drug addiction.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Drug use, Drug abuse, Medical content, Child death, Addiction, Grief, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, and Racism

thelaundrybin's review

informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide

butlerebecca's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

4.25

sad that succession was only mentioned once, 13 hours in

I want to rate this a four but I’m giving it more because I think it has to do with the fact that I have already watched Dopesick and prefer the pace and arc of that, but recognize the point of this book is more Sackler and less first-hand addiction experience

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, and Suicide

Moderate: Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content