Empire of Pain
The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
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4.7 • 98 Ratings
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
**Patrick Radden Keefe's new instant No.1 bestseller, London Falling, is on sale now**
The shocking story of three generations of the Sackler family and their roles in the stories of Valium, OxyContin and the opioid crisis. The inspiration behind the Netflix series Painkiller, starring Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick.
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
The Sunday Times Bestseller
A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week'
One of The Telegraph's 20 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time
Shortlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year
Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction
'There are so many "they did what?" moments in this book, when your jaw practically hits the page' – Sunday Times
'A page-turner with a villainous family to rival the Roys in Succession' – Esquire
‘You feel almost guilty for enjoying it so much’ – The Times
By the beginning of the twenty-first century the Sackler family had become one of the richest in America, their name adorning the walls of institutions like Harvard and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The source of the family fortune had long been vague, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and ruthlessly marketing OxyContin – a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis which, to date, has killed over half a million people.
In this searing investigation, Patrick Radden Keefe tells the story of the Sackler family’s extraordinary rise and reveals a shocking story of greed and corruption at the heart of modern America.
Merging gripping storytelling with fearless investigative journalism, Patrick Radden Keefe is undeniably one of the great nonfiction writers of our time.
'I gobbled up Empire of Pain . . . a masterclass in compelling narrative nonfiction.' – Elizabeth Day, The Guardian
'[Keefe is] a gifted storyteller who excels at capturing personalities' – The Washington Post
'This book will make your blood boil' – John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood
Customer Reviews
A must read
Absolutely fascinating. I am an avid reader of fiction but made a New Year’s resolution to read at least one non fiction book a month, a genre I had previously not paid much attention to…I started with this after watching Dopesick and was blown away by how compelling the story of the Sackler family is. The story is shocking even to those already familiar with the OxyContin scandal and all the more poignant for the devastating impact that is still being felt today in its aftermath. I have since read several other books by this author and would highly recommend them all.