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A review by janeleng
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy
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.