Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America - Softcover

Beth Macy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1788549422 ISBN 13: 9781788549424

Publisher: Apollo, 2019

Synopsis

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR.

'A shocking investigation ... [Dopesick] is essential' The Times.
'Shifting effortlessly between the socio-political and the personal, Macy weaves a complex tale that unfolds with all the pace of a thriller' Observer.
'Dopesick is a deep – and deeply needed – look into the troubled soul of America' Tom Hanks.
'Dopesick goes to the heart of one of the most urgent problems of our time' The Tablet.

Beth Macy reveals the disturbing truth behind America's opioid crisis and explains how a nation has become enslaved to prescription drugs.

This powerful and moving story explains how a large corporation, Purdue, encouraged small town doctors to prescribe OxyContin to a country already awash in painkillers. The drug's dangerously addictive nature was hidden, whilst many used it as an escape, to numb the pain of of joblessness and the need to pay the bills. Macy tries to answer a grieving mother's question – why her only son died – and comes away with a harrowing tale of greed and need.

About this title

Review:

'A shocking investigation ... [Dopesick] is essential. The urgency of its message is compounded by the fact that as I write this, the latest figures show the number of deaths in England and Wales due to the synthetic opioid fentanyl rose by 29 per cent in 2017' The Times.

'Essential reading ... Macy follows one specific drug through the range of problems it has caused, the people it has hurt, the difficulties in fighting it and the glimmers of hope that remain' Janet Maslin, New York Times.

'Beth Macy seeks the very hearts of the people who are running the long marathons of struggle and survival – of Life. Dopesick is another deep – and deeply needed – look into the troubled soul of America' Tom Hanks.

'An urgent, eye-opening look at a problem that promises to grow much worse in the face of inaction and indifference' Kirkus.

'Macy potently mixes statistics and hard data with tragic stories of individual sufferers, as well as those who love and attempt to treat them ... Forceful and comprehensive' Publishers Weekly.

'A crucial and many-faceted look at a still-unfolding national crisis ... A timely and necessary read' Booklist.

'Beth Macy's powerful work of reportage ... Dopesick goes to the heart of one of the most urgent problems of our time' The Tablet.

'Essential to understanding not just the epidemic of opioid addiction and death, but also how America and Big Pharma work ... Macy's narrative is a mosaic of suffering and bereavement' Literary Review.

'A gripping, heartbreaking and enraging tale of ruined lives and the corporate greed that led to a nationwide epidemic of painkiller addiction' The Oldie.

'Macy's reportage shows how unscrupulous drug companies helped to hook America on painkillers. Drugs are the leading cause of death for the under-fifties, above guns and car accidents; Macy puts human faces on to the grim statistics' The Times, Books of the Year.

Book Description:

An unforgettable portrait of the devastating opioid crisis in America from a New York Times bestselling author and journalist who has lived through it.

About this edition

• Publisher: Apollo
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1788549422
• ISBN 13: 9781788549424
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384