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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Interesting but way too long and repetitive so that by 60% I was bored. Kept wanting to get to the point but just got a repeated story or a random new story that didn’t get tied back in very well. Skimmed to the end so maybe I missed some things but it didn’t feel like it all came together super well, probably because it was just way too long and jumped around so much.
Excellent content, well-researched, but towards the 3/4 mark, started to get very redundant and repetitive. For that reason, 4 star. Otherwise-- a must read. Don't be turned away by the non-fiction, this reads like a narrative and there are character/town story lines followed throughout the book.
I have a brother who was in a horrible mountain biking accident over 15 years ago. He was prescribed pain medication, of course, to heal from his injuries. I basically never saw that brother again. He became severely addicted to opiates and never recovered.
Suffice to say, I am interested in the opiate epidemic in our country. It is complicated, but it also isn't.
Sam Quinones takes us back those two decades when prescription pain medication was just beginning to grow, starting with a town called Portsmouth in Ohio. I was blown away by the history behind Purdue Pharmaceuticals and how they mobilized and pushed Oxy drugs. One article written by a doctor, taken slightly out of context, would become the platform for pushing pain medication prescriptions beyond the terminally ill. Watching this all unfold is jaw dropping.
Alternating chapters tell two stories. One is a small town in Mexico, where heroin originated, that was developing methods for bringing it into our country. The other is the explosion of prescription pain medication usage in small towns of America. What we end up with is a well-researched thorough account of why we have the epidemic we do.
I was surprised at some of the obviously shocking things that happened with the pharmaceutical industry but most fascinated by the small town on Mexico's west coast that started bringing heroin into our country. I felt understanding and sympathy toward the dealers bringing the drugs into our country and was most surprised to learn they were not villains in those early days.
The eventual collision of these two worlds is not surprising or unexpected. It is how we got here that is.
Suffice to say, I am interested in the opiate epidemic in our country. It is complicated, but it also isn't.
Sam Quinones takes us back those two decades when prescription pain medication was just beginning to grow, starting with a town called Portsmouth in Ohio. I was blown away by the history behind Purdue Pharmaceuticals and how they mobilized and pushed Oxy drugs. One article written by a doctor, taken slightly out of context, would become the platform for pushing pain medication prescriptions beyond the terminally ill. Watching this all unfold is jaw dropping.
Alternating chapters tell two stories. One is a small town in Mexico, where heroin originated, that was developing methods for bringing it into our country. The other is the explosion of prescription pain medication usage in small towns of America. What we end up with is a well-researched thorough account of why we have the epidemic we do.
I was surprised at some of the obviously shocking things that happened with the pharmaceutical industry but most fascinated by the small town on Mexico's west coast that started bringing heroin into our country. I felt understanding and sympathy toward the dealers bringing the drugs into our country and was most surprised to learn they were not villains in those early days.
The eventual collision of these two worlds is not surprising or unexpected. It is how we got here that is.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This book should be required reading for anyone currently living in the United States. It is so important to be aware of what is truly going on with this epidemic, what is causing it, what is being done about it and what you can do. This book was eye-opening on many levels and wonderfully written.
Great explanation of how and why your neighbor’s kid is a heroin addict. Really eye-opening.
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Researching the opioid crises in America has got to be one of the most depressing subjects to explore. I’ve read The Empire of pain, and to be honest, was a much better book with regards to how this crises began and where to lay the blame, sackler/Purdue. However this explores how a small town in Mexico capitalized on our opioid addictions. Once the pills would stop, heroine picks up where they left off.
I also thought it was insightful how during the crack cocaine epidemic upped policing and militarizing our police for mass incarcerations in black communities. I had no idea that once drug addiction took hold of the mid west with the white kids, legislation began to be soft on crime with an attention to rehab was quite telling.
The book was uneven in places and bit jumpy here and there. It felt at times like the author just threw it all in there willy nilly without good structure but I got the point.
Empire of Pain is a more solid read in this very painful subject matter.
I also thought it was insightful how during the crack cocaine epidemic upped policing and militarizing our police for mass incarcerations in black communities. I had no idea that once drug addiction took hold of the mid west with the white kids, legislation began to be soft on crime with an attention to rehab was quite telling.
The book was uneven in places and bit jumpy here and there. It felt at times like the author just threw it all in there willy nilly without good structure but I got the point.
Empire of Pain is a more solid read in this very painful subject matter.
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
Can’t believe it’s taken me till now to read. Quinones uses interwoven stories to brazenly cover a topic that holds a microscope to the fabric of America: misinformation, corporate greed & recklessness, isolation, and shame. It sheds a much needed light on the tragic prison of addiction, and I would go as far as saying it needs to be taught in history class.
!read this!
!read this!