Reviews tagging 'Grief'

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

22 reviews

linneak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gaslighting, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Addiction

Moderate: Classism, Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Stalking, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Grief, Antisemitism, and Cursing

_meeg's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Medical trauma, Grief, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Death

laurenleigh's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

I am telling everyone to read this, especially when read alongside Demon Copperhead!! This was exactly what I want out of nonfiction. I want to learn, but while being engaged in a cohesive narrative. The amount of research Keefe has done is staggering, but he has communicated his findings so clearly. I was so hooked the whole time, even when I was enraged. (Greed is one hell of a drug.) After reading this and Kingsolver’s aforementioned novel, I feel so much more informed on the opioid crisis. It’s terrifying, depressing, and fascinating to see the similarities between the pharmaceutical, tobacco, and firearms industries. Radden doesn’t necessarily make his stance on the subject a secret, but he also doesn’t throw it constantly in your face.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Medical content, Grief, Classism, Terminal illness, and Suicide

luckyone's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Bullying, and Antisemitism

Minor: Suicide, Chronic illness, Stalking, Ableism, and Antisemitism

dannythestreet's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Stalking, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Classism, and Drug use

ksuazo94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Addiction, Death, and Grief

Minor: Medical trauma

matildak28's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

this is an incredible piece of non fiction writing — Patrick Redden Keefe is sharp and reflective, presents the facts through a deeply engaging narrative and I literally couldn’t stop listening - I listened to this non stop over the course of 3 days. This may be one of the most precise, excellent non fiction books I’ve ever read. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries about the opioid crisis in America (I’m from the UK and have no personal connection), and all of them have very limited details about the family — I feel like I have learned a lot despite already knowing a fair deal. 

Quite simply, this is incredible and this writer is nothing short of brilliant. I will be seeking out his other works immediately. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Addiction, Drug use, Death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Chronic illness

katiecentabar's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicide

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.

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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

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

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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