Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

 

Summary (from the publisher): The highly anticipated portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, by the prize-winning, bestselling author of Say Nothing.

The Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions: Harvard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oxford, the Louvre. They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations to the arts and sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis.

Empire of Pain is a masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, exhaustively documented and ferociously compelling.

Review: In this compelling work of narrative reporting, author Patrick Radden Keefe exposes the greed and relentless pill pushing that helped earn millions for one family and simultaneously cause the addiction and death of millions of others. The Sackler name is etched on plaques at numerous universities and well known art museums in recognition of their generous monetary gifts yet the family was always private and nearly secretive about the source of their wealth. But over time, their names have grown to prominence for the lawsuits that have grown in number due to their reckless promotion of a habit forming drug. The Sackler family immigrated to America in 1904 and three sons were born. Each was encouraged to become a doctor. The oldest had a great entrepreneurial spirit and zeal for business that helped push the family into pharmaceuticals. The family's company, Purdue Pharma, was responsible for the creation and aggressive marketing of OxyContin, which spurred a mass opioid epidemic throughout America. 

The shocking unethical practices of so many members of this family made this an absorbing and astounding read. In their relentless pursuit of ever more wealth and profit, the family ruthlessly pushed OxyContin prescriptions while knowingly ignoring a multitude of bad outcomes, deaths, signs of addiction, and more. When faced with the tidal wave of addiction and deaths blamed on opioid use, the family refused to accept any responsibility, continued to push the drug as long as possible, and hid behind the security screen of the company. 

A dark all American story of a self made fortune with devastating fallout. I enjoyed the early chapters as the family began its meteoric rise but it became increasingly difficult to listen to the litany of deaths and the family's seeming indifference. This was well researched, well written, and timely and raises a lot of questions about healthcare, culpability, and how to handle philanthropy when it has a dark origin. Well worth the read. 

Stars: 4