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A review by samgutheil
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones
5.0
While a bit dated (published in 2015), this book chronicles the rise of doctor-prescribed opiate addiction turned heroin addiction that ravaged across the USA in the early twenty first century and continues to this day. It is thorough, heavy, and unflinching, featuring a narrative style that jumps unceremoniously between dealers, DEA agents, addicts, police officers, parents… all roles in the crisis are represented.
It would definitely be reductive to call the book a cautionary tale, but it does leave me with two primary thoughts: 1, anything in the world of medicine (and many other fields) that seems like a silver bullet, a miracle pill, too good to be true… probably is too good to be true, and deserves suspicion and thorough research, even and especially if we want to believe in it. 2, an experience of community and a sense of purpose are substantial protections from a myriad of ills, including addiction, and a lack of those things stands as a substantial risk factor.
This is obviously not a light read. As a chronic book non-finisher, I considered stopping about halfway through, as Dreamland is dense and at times feels repetitive. I’m so glad I kept going, though, as I now feel I have a decent understanding of a monumental source of pain in thousands of Americans’ daily lives, as well as an understanding of the roots of criminal justice reforms and public policies still being discussed today.
It would definitely be reductive to call the book a cautionary tale, but it does leave me with two primary thoughts: 1, anything in the world of medicine (and many other fields) that seems like a silver bullet, a miracle pill, too good to be true… probably is too good to be true, and deserves suspicion and thorough research, even and especially if we want to believe in it. 2, an experience of community and a sense of purpose are substantial protections from a myriad of ills, including addiction, and a lack of those things stands as a substantial risk factor.
This is obviously not a light read. As a chronic book non-finisher, I considered stopping about halfway through, as Dreamland is dense and at times feels repetitive. I’m so glad I kept going, though, as I now feel I have a decent understanding of a monumental source of pain in thousands of Americans’ daily lives, as well as an understanding of the roots of criminal justice reforms and public policies still being discussed today.