Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

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

36 reviews

readandfindout's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Antisemitism

cathuluu's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Suicide and Antisemitism

nassuada's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Forced institutionalization

sarah_who_reads's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

 I adore Patrick Radden Keefe and would read anything he wrote, but this one is near and dear to my heart. It explores the Sackler family and their connection to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged the US as a whole, but especially Appalachia. In Empire of Pain, Radden Keefe traces the rise of the Sackler dynasty, beginning with its origins in Arthur Sackler's high school side hustle, and its inextricable connection to explosion of opioid addictions in the late 90s and early 00s. Radden Keefe is journalistic, one of the US' best journalists currently writing, but as one reads through, it becomes obvious, over and over again, why his measured tone belies a rage simmering just below the surface. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the opioid epidemic or Appalachia or medicine, or otherwise, anyone interested in the art world and the misdeeds of some of its most prominent benefactors.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Suicide

Minor: Antisemitism

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

Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Antisemitism

dancingdugongs's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide and Antisemitism

mc235's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

I listened to the audiobook of this and was gripped throughout. I think I might have struggled with the first section of the book had I been reading it, but overall for such an enormous book it was very well paced. Incredibly thorough indictment of the Sacklers and the pharmaceutical industry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Antisemitism

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Surreal, insightful, albeit and clinical deep dive into the depraved and unhinged Sackler criminal billionaire family. This book is one of many definitive proofs that the billionaire is incompatible with humanity at this point and greed is an addiction as equally destructive and demoralizing as any substance addiction if not more or worse. The lengths the rotting rich go to to keep their corrosive money are so twisted but it's also morbidly impressive how they weave the web of connections and buy their way into getting the results they want. Particularly this family who honestly wouldn't have made it without ass kissers and enablers and unscrupulous people making their perversity possible bc most of them are so offensively insensitive and stupid.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt

____emily____'s review against another edition

informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Mental illness and Suicide

samarakroeger's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.25

fascinating and extensive look at the villain origin story behind the opioid epidemic.  as addicting to read as oxy (although this is certainly a slow release). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Gaslighting