A review by n0silla
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones

5.0

I burned through this book in a couple of sittings, totally engrossed--it's one of the best and most important pieces of nonfiction I've read in a long time. Quinones has lots of data and lots of gripping personal accounts, and yeah, some of it is repetitive, as other reviews have pointed out. But I think the repetition serves a purpose. This book isn't just a history of the opioid epidemic or a memo on what it looks like today (in that regard it already falls short in 2018 with the rise of fentanyl, which isn't covered in this work published in 2015). It's also a thesis about the atomization and withdrawal of individuals in American society, and how the rise of Oxy and heroin (and now fentanyl) are its apotheosis. It's also a fascinating history of paradigm shifts in the medical community and public health specialists in the 20th century, which is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the epidemic, though it might seem esoteric for people who aren't med students or doctors. Overall, this book is indispensable.