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A review by jtrogers1992
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
5.0
Short Version: All of them should be in jail.
Long Version: I think John Oliver said of the Sacklers, “If you want to do something evil, wrap it in something boring”. Radden Keefe does an amazing job of removing the banal wrappings of the Sackler family and revealing the evil within. The message of this book is clear to me: despite their protestations to the contrary, a large portion of the blame for America’s opioid crisis can be laid squarely on the Sackler’s doorsteps.
This book is a testament to excellent reporting and I will be reading any and everything Radden Keefe writes. He does an amazing job of showing the public face of the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma and contrasting them with the reality of the pain their products have wrought. The level of hubris and greed displayed is hard to fathom. I really could write an essay on this book but I’ll spare everyone on Goodreads.
Long Version: I think John Oliver said of the Sacklers, “If you want to do something evil, wrap it in something boring”. Radden Keefe does an amazing job of removing the banal wrappings of the Sackler family and revealing the evil within. The message of this book is clear to me: despite their protestations to the contrary, a large portion of the blame for America’s opioid crisis can be laid squarely on the Sackler’s doorsteps.
This book is a testament to excellent reporting and I will be reading any and everything Radden Keefe writes. He does an amazing job of showing the public face of the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma and contrasting them with the reality of the pain their products have wrought. The level of hubris and greed displayed is hard to fathom. I really could write an essay on this book but I’ll spare everyone on Goodreads.