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cph_82's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
A deeply sad and dark, yet informative insight into the tragic opioid epidemic in the US. A really interesting read that delves deep into the stories of the dealers, Drs and big-Pharma that all contributed to the opioid crisis.
janeleng's review against another edition
He chuckled as he said, “I can’t wait to read your book because then maybe we’ll know what to do.”
Beth Macy’s Dopesick charts the trajectory of the opioid crisis, from the introduction of Oxycontin in the late nineties to the full-blown epidemic it is today.
I went into this book looking for a clear primer on the escalation of the opioid epidemic as well as tangible actions that could be taken to help the problem. And while Macy does focus on a system, or lack thereof, as the main barrier in treating opioid addiction, I walked away from this book not understanding most of it. There’s not much hard science here or cohesive illustrations of governmental policies. Macy reserves these facts only when she is hammering home a human-centric point.
Additionally, there’s a lack of organization. The book is full of stories about the human toll of the epidemic—almost to a fault. It becomes difficult to follow the thread of events and names when discussing the different victims of heroin. Macy will begin with a story about one heroin addict and then effectively say “but before I can continue their story, you need to know about this other person.” This happens again and again and again. Next thing you know, you’re lost in a tangled web of names with no idea how they relate to one another.
That said, what did work was Macy’s sincerity towards her subjects. You can see how much she cares for the addicts and their families. I think this is one of the most forgiving depictions of addiction that I’ve read, and something that more of is needed (but perhaps with better editing).
In stark comparison, the issue of race is not handled as empathetically. There are plenty of white drug dealers throughout the book who Macy depicts with great compassion. They are shown as victims of their own addiction, unable to help themselves. On the other hand, the main black drug dealer within the book is written off as being heartless. He himself is not an addict, but had a difficult life and struggled against systems built against him. This does not seem to matter to Macy. His lack of drug abuse issues seemingly makes him more responsible for his actions than any of his white counterparts.
On a separate note, the audiobook, read by the author, is difficult to listen to. It’s clear how impacted she is by her own source material. Anytime she reads a quote from a mother, she chokes up. This type of delivery makes an already tragedy ridden book even more depressing. I continually struggled to pick this one up.
Beth Macy’s Dopesick charts the trajectory of the opioid crisis, from the introduction of Oxycontin in the late nineties to the full-blown epidemic it is today.
I went into this book looking for a clear primer on the escalation of the opioid epidemic as well as tangible actions that could be taken to help the problem. And while Macy does focus on a system, or lack thereof, as the main barrier in treating opioid addiction, I walked away from this book not understanding most of it. There’s not much hard science here or cohesive illustrations of governmental policies. Macy reserves these facts only when she is hammering home a human-centric point.
Additionally, there’s a lack of organization. The book is full of stories about the human toll of the epidemic—almost to a fault. It becomes difficult to follow the thread of events and names when discussing the different victims of heroin. Macy will begin with a story about one heroin addict and then effectively say “but before I can continue their story, you need to know about this other person.” This happens again and again and again. Next thing you know, you’re lost in a tangled web of names with no idea how they relate to one another.
That said, what did work was Macy’s sincerity towards her subjects. You can see how much she cares for the addicts and their families. I think this is one of the most forgiving depictions of addiction that I’ve read, and something that more of is needed (but perhaps with better editing).
In stark comparison, the issue of race is not handled as empathetically. There are plenty of white drug dealers throughout the book who Macy depicts with great compassion. They are shown as victims of their own addiction, unable to help themselves. On the other hand, the main black drug dealer within the book is written off as being heartless. He himself is not an addict, but had a difficult life and struggled against systems built against him. This does not seem to matter to Macy. His lack of drug abuse issues seemingly makes him more responsible for his actions than any of his white counterparts.
On a separate note, the audiobook, read by the author, is difficult to listen to. It’s clear how impacted she is by her own source material. Anytime she reads a quote from a mother, she chokes up. This type of delivery makes an already tragedy ridden book even more depressing. I continually struggled to pick this one up.
am_berg's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t actually finish this book—I kept trying to get through the last 60 pages or so, but I got too frustrated with how Macy seems to believe individual drug dealers are equally as culpable as pharmaceutical companies for fueling opioid addiction and overdose. She (wrongly, I believe) views opioid addiction as a criminal problem rather than a public health concern, much to the detriment of her narrative about one of the dealers central to the book. She also makes tiresome, specious claims that welfare programs “incentivize” people to “stay sick” without providing any evidence, let alone any compassionate understanding for the lack of resources available to people suffering from “diseases of despair.” There is a lot of material to consider with this spike in opioid overdose deaths: the role of War on Drugs scaremongering in casting drug users and dealers as evil, pharmaceutical companies prioritizing profit over patient wellbeing, the impact limiting medication access has on those with chronic pain and disabilities... I just wish someone other than Macy had written this book.
meekoh's review against another edition
4.0
This book does an excellent job of conveying the human toll of the opioid crisis. It humanizes the crisis by including multiple first-hand accounts of user experiences and the impact on families.
However, I wish the book had better outlined the socio-economic factors that allow addiction to thrive. What makes a community more vulnerable to an addiction epidemic? How does it correlate with unemployment rates, family structure, or education? What healthcare approaches have had proven success? What laws hinder recovery? While the author does discuss some of these issues, I feel that a more academic structure was needed to clearly show causalities, systematic failings, and outline conclusions.
This book gives the impression that addiction is inevitable once an opioid prescription is written. Multiple studies have proven that this is simply not the case. It is also a fact that opioids give patients suffering from chronic pain the opportunity to live a normal life. It is important regulations evolve in ways that do not punish this demographic. While overprescribing is undoubtedly an issue, there are equally important underlying causes of addiction that would benefit from thorough analysis.
However, I wish the book had better outlined the socio-economic factors that allow addiction to thrive. What makes a community more vulnerable to an addiction epidemic? How does it correlate with unemployment rates, family structure, or education? What healthcare approaches have had proven success? What laws hinder recovery? While the author does discuss some of these issues, I feel that a more academic structure was needed to clearly show causalities, systematic failings, and outline conclusions.
This book gives the impression that addiction is inevitable once an opioid prescription is written. Multiple studies have proven that this is simply not the case. It is also a fact that opioids give patients suffering from chronic pain the opportunity to live a normal life. It is important regulations evolve in ways that do not punish this demographic. While overprescribing is undoubtedly an issue, there are equally important underlying causes of addiction that would benefit from thorough analysis.
mkwally91's review against another edition
Bad timing and felt like already knew the story.
rachel1216's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A lot of stories but ultimately a thorough look at a piece of the opioid crisis history and impact on real people and communities.
wordly_adventures's review against another edition
Ran out of time before it was due