The best books on America's opioid crisis
Four must reads by the most knowledgable authors on the topic
Much has been written about America’s opioid crisis, and while many of these books are thoughtful and engrossing, it’s tough to know where to begin if you’re interested in learning more.
Here I’ve compiled the four books I consider must reads on this subject. Each of them centers on something a bit different, covering a range of areas from the history of the drug crisis to personal accounts of the ravages wrought by opioids.
I hope you’ll find something in here that resonates.
Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opioid Epidemic
by Sam Quinones
Topics: History, Colombian cartels
Sam Quinones provides the ultimate history of America’s opioid epidemic, revealing in fascinating detail how the nation got to where it is today.
I have long considered this the best comprehensive history on the drug crisis in the United States. Journalist Sam Quinones chronicles the last many years, beginning in Mexico and traveling to the areas of the U.S. hardest hit by opiate addiction. This is that rare nonfiction book that reads like a novel. Quinones writes of history, but also of personalities, compiling anecdotes and details to bring a fact based narrative to life. He intersperses facts and figures so seamlessly that you likely won’t realize how much you’ve absorbed until later. It’s a combination tale of a small town in Mexico, the birth of modern pharmaceutical advertising and sales, and the deeply human aspects of addiction.
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America
by Beth Macy
Topics: Appalachia, oxycontin
Dopesick’s focus is on OxyContin specifically, and the pharmaceutical giant responsible for much of America’s addiction.
Beth Macy travels into the heart of the United States to chronicle the impact that the rampant prescribing of opioids wrought on impoverished mining towns and wealthy suburbs alike. We are taken back to the introduction of OxyContin, deep behind the scenes of its production, and through the surge in prescribing that lead to millions of pills flowing through the streets of America. Macy’s is a first and foremost a story about people, one that portrays the grief of those who have lost loved ones to addiction and proves that none of us are immune when power is not held to account.
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction
by David Sheff
Topics: Family, recovery
A father recounts the wrenching experience of traveling through his son’s addiction.
“What happened to my beautiful boy?” a father asks, wrought with grief and wondering how his perfect family has been all but destroyed by addiction. This is an intense read and an exhausting one, particularly for anyone who has dealt with the monumental ups and downs of a loved one with addiction. We become privy to the early morning phone calls, the disappearances, the near misses. Ultimately, we cling to the hope that is shot through throughout the story, that a dear son will make it out of the hellish purgatory of addiction.
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
by Patrick Radden Keefe
Topics: Sacklers, Purdue Pharma, business
The ultimate account of the Sacklers, the family behind Purdue Pharma and OxyContin.
If you haven’t read anything by Patrick Radden Keefe, start now. He provides here the first real in depth look at the family behind so much of America’s heartache and what he produces is truly unbelievable. We are driven to the brink of losing faith in humanity only to pulled back by those fighting for justice. The sheer breadth of corruption presented here is staggering. From government officials to executives to doctors, the range of complicity defies comprehension. All for, at its core, money, greed and power.