The pull of power and money can be so strong that the most important thing - a good name - becomes collateral damage. While I sadly lost interest in his prior work, Say Nothing, about The Troubles in Northern Ireland, I flew through Empire of Pain in two days.įor those with HBO, the two-part documentary series “The Crime of the Century” makes an excellent companion piece for this book, as does the fictional drama “Succession.” Both further showcase how greed is so intoxicating that right is indistinguishable from wrong. The marvel of PRK’s reportage though is that a book that could be so dry is utterly fascinating. I personally know at least three people who have died from opioid overdoses, and I bet you do too. The 21st century Sacklers pushed their wonder drug Ox圜ontin so hard and so recklessly that millions have become addicted and died. Two generations later, that good name is being removed from museums and educational institutions. Though the Great Depression hit him hard, he told his sons, “What I have given you is the most important thing a father can give… a good name.” It begins back in 1904 when Isaac Sackler immigrated to America, had three sons, and encouraged them to dream big and become doctors. Their story is one of philanthropy and philandering, of pioneering and pilfering, and of grandeur and greed. Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe chronicles three generations of the Sackler family, the people behind Purdue Pharma, also known as the makers of Ox圜ontin, better known as the creators of the current opioid epidemic.

My guess is if you read it, it will end up on yours too.

Empire of Pain will easily make my list of the best books I read in 2021.

Empire of pain audio book