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A review by albernikolauras
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.5
If you wanted an in depth book about the horrors the Sackler family has bestowed upon the world, go no farther. Keefe starts with the oldest Sackler, who revolutionized pharma by marketing directly to doctors. Then it shifts over to the younger brothers who ran Purdue Pharma and rode the painkiller train as high as they could. Oh, how far they have come from the college communist days.
As a book, it is well-written and gives excellent explanation of just how the Sacklers have made it to the position they hold today and the opiod crisis they had a large hand in creating. The book was at times a little long-winded. However, because portions of it felt like watching reality TV with the family drama, it was easy to fly through. Keefe wrapped the book up well by the end, but I felt a bit lost. Not due to any fault of his, but just the lack of punishment the family suffered, so beware of that going in.
As a book, it is well-written and gives excellent explanation of just how the Sacklers have made it to the position they hold today and the opiod crisis they had a large hand in creating. The book was at times a little long-winded. However, because portions of it felt like watching reality TV with the family drama, it was easy to fly through. Keefe wrapped the book up well by the end, but I felt a bit lost. Not due to any fault of his, but just the lack of punishment the family suffered, so beware of that going in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Suicide