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A review by rosa_inverno
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Would you like to feel angry? Or perhaps deeply frustrated?
Would you like to stare at a page in utter disbelief at the callousness of your fellow human beings toward other fellow human beings?
Would you like to be so angered so much by something you read that you slam a book shut and have to walk away for awhile before you finish reading?
Would you like to feel sympathy and then a hundred pages later feel so guilty for feeling that sympathy that you are forced to confront the complexities of reality and the true nature of good and evil?
Well then do I have a book for you!
I truly believe this to be a must read when it comes to understanding the last quarter century, the story of which is heavily entwined with the opioid crisis. That said, it is not a easy read. That is not because of Keefe's writing, which is thoughtful and engaging, but because the subject at hand is a gut punch.
Would you like to stare at a page in utter disbelief at the callousness of your fellow human beings toward other fellow human beings?
Would you like to be so angered so much by something you read that you slam a book shut and have to walk away for awhile before you finish reading?
Would you like to feel sympathy and then a hundred pages later feel so guilty for feeling that sympathy that you are forced to confront the complexities of reality and the true nature of good and evil?
Well then do I have a book for you!
I truly believe this to be a must read when it comes to understanding the last quarter century, the story of which is heavily entwined with the opioid crisis. That said, it is not a easy read. That is not because of Keefe's writing, which is thoughtful and engaging, but because the subject at hand is a gut punch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse
Moderate: Suicide