'An impressive feat of journalism, monumental in scope and urgent in its implications.' - Jennifer Latson, The Boston GlobeĪ New York Times Bestseller Winner of the 2019 Library of Virginia People's Choice Award in Nonfiction LA Times Book Prize for Science & Technology WinnerĪmerican Society of Addiction Medicine Annual Media Award WinnerĢ019 Library of Virginia People's Choice Award for Nonfiction finalistĢ019 Ohioana Book Award in nonfiction finalistĨ00-CEO-READ 2018 Business Book Awards Longlist But even in the midst of twin crises in drug abuse and healthcare, Macy finds reason to hope and ample signs of the spirit and tenacity that are helping the countless ordinary people ensnared by addiction build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities. In these politically fragmented times, Beth Macy shows that one thing uniting Americans across geographic, partisan, and class lines is opioid drug abuse. Through unsparing, compelling, and unforgettably humane portraits of families and first responders determined to ameliorate this epidemic, each facet of the crisis comes into focus. In some of the same communities featured in her bestselling book Factory Man, the unemployed use painkillers both to numb the pain of joblessness and pay their bills, while privileged teens trade pills in cul-de-sacs, and even high school standouts fall prey to prostitution, jail, and death. From the introduction of Ox圜ontin in 1996, Macy investigates the powerful forces that led America's doctors and patients to embrace a medical culture where overtreatment with painkillers became the norm. From the labs and marketing departments of big pharma to local doctor's offices wealthy suburbs to distressed small communities in Central Appalachia from distant cities to once-idyllic farm towns the spread of opioid addiction follows a tortuous trajectory that illustrates how this crisis has persisted for so long and become so firmly entrenched.īeginning with a single dealer who lands in a small Virginia town and sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose statistics, Macy sets out to answer a grieving mother's question-why her only son died-and comes away with a gripping, unputdownable story of greed and need. In this extraordinary work, Beth Macy takes us into the epicenter of a national drama that has unfolded over two decades. Journalist Beth Macy's definitive account of America's opioid epidemic 'masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference' ( New York Times) - from the boardroom to the courtroom and into the living rooms of Americans. A Hulu limited series inspired by the New York Times bestselling book by Beth Macy.

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