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Latest Read: Dreamland

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones. Sam is a freelance journalist today and was previously a reporter for the Los Angeles Times from 2004 to 2014. In 2021 he published The Least of Us, a National Book Critics Circle Award best nonfiction nominee.

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

This is a storyline that is certainly as powerful as the four previous books that I have chosen to read in order to understand the ongoing opioid crisis. Dreamland begins in Portsmouth Ohio, the book title from this community’s large historic public pool. This opening chapter certainly allowed me to remember a similar environment in northwest Ohio in my youth. However Sam then traces the explosion of black tar heroin in Columbus Ohio and Huntington West Virginia like delivery pizzas.

In fact, Sam’s story of young men who escaped poverty in Nayarit Mexico seems not uncommon. When presented with a choice of a colonial-era life that would take young men decades to acquire enough money to build a house versus selling black tar heroin for a year in the US, the choice is rather simple. By saving money the young men certainly returned with status symbols: Levi 501 jeans. This also permitted the men to quickly build lavish homes around Xalisco Nayarit.

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Latest Read: Fentanyl, Inc.

Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic by Ben Westhoff. Ben is an investigative journalist, speaker, and filmmaker. focused on drugs, culture, and poverty.

Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic by Ben Westhoff

In addition, Ben is published in The New York Times, the Library of Congress, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Daily Beast, New York, Forbes, and Vice among others.

This is the third book of five that I chose to read to understand the crisis. Since publication, Ben is advising government officials including from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Senate and House members, the staff of America’s embassy in Beijing, and the State Department. As a result, Ben is a featured speaker today at conferences around the country regarding the opioid crisis.

Just when you begin to understand the early days of the opioid crisis, you soon discovery Fentanyl has killed more Americans annually than any other drug in history.

Yet, compared to everyday opioids (including heroine) fentanyl is a synthetic drug — first developed in a European chemistry lab in the late 1950s. While this may surprise many, rogue chemists are playing with molecules creating designer strains in huge amounts. In fact, China is the leading supplier of synthetic fentanyl.

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Latest Read: Dopesick

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company Who Addicted America by Beth Macy. Beth holds a master’s degree from Hollins University. She was a reporter for The Roanoke Times from 1989 to 2014 writing extensively about the opioid crisis in Appalachia.

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy

Beth has written op-eds for The New York Times. She was awarded the 2010 Nieman Fellowship for Journalism by Harvard University. In addition, Dopesick was shortlisted for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.

Additionally, by June 2020 Hulu broadcast a limited series (eight episodes) based upon the book starring Michael Keaton. This is the second book of five that I chose to read to understand the crisis.

Beth has taken time to interview parents of children who died from opioids. In fact, this book moves from the local drug dealer in Virginia in 2012 to the Sackler family and beyond. However, Beth also begins by sharing how a single batch of opioids in Huntington West Virginia would cause 26 overdoses in a single day. This was due to Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid imported from China via the internet. In fact, Carfentanil is 100 times more powerful than Fentanyl, which is roughly 50 times more powerful than heroin.

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Latest Read: Empire of Pain

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
by Patrick Radden Keefe. Patrick is a writer and an investigative journalist. He is published in The New Yorker, Slate, and The New York Times Magazine. Patrick is a staff writer at The New Yorker.

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

Empire of Pain is certainly an unbelievable and immense work. This brings full circle the Sacklers, Purdue Pharma, and the opioid crisis.

This is the first book of five that I chose to read to understand the crisis. As a result, this serves as the best way to cross over to additional valuable books addressing the opioid crisis.

In fact, the Sacklers via Purdue Pharma, led to millions into addiction. Hundreds of thousands were killed by OxyContin.

In fact, Patrick’s effort is overwhelming to begin with and this makes it the best choice in my opinion. Accordingly, this book is difficult to put down as the stories gain momentum as the crisis is beginning.

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An Opioid Quintet

My dive into five insightful books which certainly provide a foundational understanding regarding our ongoing (and horrific) opioid crisis. They are all extremely compelling to read and will certainly make a very strong impression if you have been somewhat standing on the sideline regarding this crisis.

Above all, as a sign of the modern world we live in today the ability to order opioids from a trusted dealer via the internet on mobile devices with delivery scheduled just like ordering pizza is a glaring example of the difficulties America faces to control this crisis.

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy
Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic by Ben Westhoff
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones
American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts by Chris McGreal

Each author in their unique writing are certainly providing greater insights into our opioid crisis. This is necessary since any collection of online news articles cannot dive deep enough in order for readers to understand the bigger picture.

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