Empire of Pain

Patrick Radden Keefe’s last book, Say Nothing, was my favorite book of last year so I was a little pumped when he announced he was releasing a new book only about a year later. It is a radically different subject, moving from The Troubles in Ireland to a rich family in New York.

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Empire of Pain is the story of the family behind OxyContin - how they came into their riches and what they’ve done to protect their name at all costs. Imagine an unauthorized family biography. They don’t want their name associated with the opioid health crisis, though it’s out there now.

Since it’s nonfiction, and I’ve already reviewed one of Radden Keefe’s other books, the most I can say is it lives up to the hype I had set for it (and that’s saying a lot since Say Nothing was my number 1 read last year). Definitely recommend reading it. You may not like it, but you will learn something that you need to know.