The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth
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- Create Date：2021-10-28 00:18:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sam Quinones
- ISBN：1635574358
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Summary
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dreamland， a searing follow-up that explores the terrifying next stages of the opioid epidemic and the quiet yet ardent stories of community repair。
Sam Quinones traveled from Mexico to main streets across the U。S。 to create Dreamland， a groundbreaking portrait of the opioid epidemic that awakened the nation。 As the nation struggled to put back the pieces， Quinones was among the first to see the dangers that lay ahead: synthetic drugs and a new generation of kingpins whose product could be made in Magic Bullet blenders。 In fentanyl， traffickers landed a painkiller a hundred times more powerful than morphine。 They laced it into cocaine， meth， and counterfeit pills to cause tens of thousands of deaths—at the same time as Mexican traffickers made methamphetamine cheaper and more potent than ever， creating， Sam argues， swaths of mental illness and a surge in homelessness across the United States。
Quinones hit the road to investigate these new threats， discovering how addiction is exacerbated by consumer-product corporations。 “In a time when drug traffickers act like corporations and corporations like traffickers，” he writes， “our best defense， perhaps our only defense， lies in bolstering community。” Amid a landscape of despair， Quinones found hope in those embracing the forgotten and ignored， illuminating the striking truth that we are only as strong as our most vulnerable。
Weaving analysis of the drug trade into stories of humble communities， The Least of Us delivers an unexpected and awe-inspiring response to the call that shocked the nation in Sam Quinones’s award-winning Dreamland。
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dreamland， a searing follow-up that explores the terrifying next stages of the opioid epidemic and the quiet yet ardent stories of community repair。
Sam Quinones traveled from Mexico to main streets across the U。S。 to create Dreamland， a groundbreaking portrait of the opioid epidemic that awakened the nation。 As the nation struggled to put back the pieces， Quinones was among the first to see the dangers that lay ahead: synthetic drugs and a new generation of kingpins whose product could be made in Magic Bullet blenders。 In fentanyl， traffickers landed a painkiller a hundred times more powerful than morphine。 They laced it into cocaine， meth， and counterfeit pills to cause tens of thousands of deaths—at the same time as Mexican traffickers made methamphetamine cheaper and more potent than ever， creating， Sam argues， swaths of mental illness and a surge in homelessness across the United States。
Quinones hit the road to investigate these new threats， discovering how addiction is exacerbated by consumer-product corporations。 “In a time when drug traffickers act like corporations and corporations like traffickers，” he writes， “our best defense， perhaps our only defense， lies in bolstering community。” Amid a landscape of despair， Quinones found hope in those embracing the forgotten and ignored， illuminating the striking truth that we are only as strong as our most vulnerable。
Weaving analysis of the drug trade into stories of humble communities， The Least of Us delivers an unexpected and awe-inspiring response to the call that shocked the nation in Sam Quinones’s award-winning Dreamland。
Reviews
Bookends
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There has been a crack epidemic for decades， I guess that does not shock the nation！ 🤬🤬🤬
Sheila Tully
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Rarely do magazines or books scoop the MSM but The Least of Us does just that--Quinones explains the rise in homelessness and mental illness。 This is journalism at its finest。 What is more remarkable is that he manages to tell this dark story with such poignancy and hope。 Incredible reporting， sublime writing。
Caroline Gerardo
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Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients， applied in a patch on the skin。 Innocent enough: just stick-on grandmother’s arm for 72 hours， and Medicare pays for it。Fentanyl is also diverted for recreational abuse， theft， burglary。。。 Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase potency or disguised as heroin。 Illegal fentanyl is manufactured in Mexico。 Sam takes us on a journey through the logistics across the North American landscape and ride right into the Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients， applied in a patch on the skin。 Innocent enough: just stick-on grandmother’s arm for 72 hours， and Medicare pays for it。Fentanyl is also diverted for recreational abuse， theft， burglary。。。 Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase potency or disguised as heroin。 Illegal fentanyl is manufactured in Mexico。 Sam takes us on a journey through the logistics across the North American landscape and ride right into the Little League field where your boys practice。 This is not an expose the USPS where someone throws away sorting machines in the night。 It is written with a crisp prose and tense anxiety。 There is no happy ending。What I learned from this is to ask at the CVS counter for Narcan。 For a few minutes of my time， I might save someone’s life， I don’t know someone who secretly uses， but I’m ready。（FYI Narcan/Naloxone is a medicine that can treat a fentanyl overdose when given right away。 It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of opioid drugs。）Treatment is no easy fix。 Drugs like sublocade may help you or a loved one layered with years of counseling and love。 I received the book as an ARC。 I highly recommend this as a factual account， as non-fiction， and also a thriller。 Six stars 。。。more
Ami
，
This is a story that strikes at the heart of American society。 Sam Quinones provides some hope and shows how communities and caring people have embraced the task of finding a solution one step at a time in each individual community。 This fentanyl crisis impacts all of us。 Sam's book， The Least of Us， shows us both a terrible past and a hopeful path forward to the future of innovative ways to overcome this crisis。 This is a story that strikes at the heart of American society。 Sam Quinones provides some hope and shows how communities and caring people have embraced the task of finding a solution one step at a time in each individual community。 This fentanyl crisis impacts all of us。 Sam's book， The Least of Us， shows us both a terrible past and a hopeful path forward to the future of innovative ways to overcome this crisis。 。。。more
Scott Schluter
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Very interesting book。 I wasn't sure when I picked it up if I would be interested in the content， but it grabbed me and pulled me in。 I'll be seeking out Dreamland now， and some of Mr Quinones other books， I like his writing。 This was an advanced copy so there were many typos - mostly spacing missing between words， hopefully they catch all of them （there are so many） for the final print。 Very interesting book。 I wasn't sure when I picked it up if I would be interested in the content， but it grabbed me and pulled me in。 I'll be seeking out Dreamland now， and some of Mr Quinones other books， I like his writing。 This was an advanced copy so there were many typos - mostly spacing missing between words， hopefully they catch all of them （there are so many） for the final print。 。。。more
fer_reads
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** I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway。 ** What a roller coaster of emotions this was！ I don’t think I’ve ever read a nonfiction book that has made me feel sad， afraid， shocked， furious， intrigued， and hopeful the way that this book has done。 Going into this book， I thought I was going to read some personal accounts of what Fentanyl and Meth addiction looks like today in America。 However， I got so much more than that。 Not only did this book pull at my heartstrings， it also contained some e ** I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway。 ** What a roller coaster of emotions this was！ I don’t think I’ve ever read a nonfiction book that has made me feel sad， afraid， shocked， furious， intrigued， and hopeful the way that this book has done。 Going into this book， I thought I was going to read some personal accounts of what Fentanyl and Meth addiction looks like today in America。 However， I got so much more than that。 Not only did this book pull at my heartstrings， it also contained some educational information。 This book discussed how prescribed pain pills （along with greed） helped boost the opioid epidemic， the neuroscience behind addiction， how incredibly accesible these illicit drugs were， and what is being done to help addicts rehabilitate。 This book has accounts from a wide range of people directly affected by this epidemic， including; doctors， law enforcement， dealers， former addicts， and kind-hearted， selfless people who want to help those afflicted by this epidemic。 Definitely a heavy topic but a must-read！（Because I did receive an advance reading copy， I found an abundant amount of editing errors。 Almost all of these being a missed space in between two separate words。 A bit annoying， but not too distracting。）5 ⭐️ 。。。more
MountainShelby
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Goodreads Giveaway。 I wasn't sure what to expect， but this book turned out to offer an important education in a subject matter I'm （fortunately） not directly impacted by。。。sort of。 As someone who struggles with "soft addictions" of sugar + fat， compulsive online news watching， and FOMO on the latest barage of Netflix bingefests。。。I greatly appreciated the author's inclusion of those issues， while understandably subordinating them to the bigger issues of cheap synthetic drugs， their widespread us Goodreads Giveaway。 I wasn't sure what to expect， but this book turned out to offer an important education in a subject matter I'm （fortunately） not directly impacted by。。。sort of。 As someone who struggles with "soft addictions" of sugar + fat， compulsive online news watching， and FOMO on the latest barage of Netflix bingefests。。。I greatly appreciated the author's inclusion of those issues， while understandably subordinating them to the bigger issues of cheap synthetic drugs， their widespread use， horrific addictive powers， and frightening consequences。 This quote sums up the book and my reading experience: "In a time when drug traffickers act like corporations and corporations like drug traffickers， the forces looking to manipulate our brains for profit are frightening to behold。 So many more synthetic blasts compete for our brain receptors--from chicken nuggets and soda to cellphones and social media apps， methamphetamine and fentanyl" （page 360）。 The Least of Us is an important book， well worth the time and emotional energy it takes to read。 The writing is clear， straightforward， free of chemical formulas， technical jargon， lengthy footnotes， and academic digressions。 I would have preferred a single narrative rather than many different tales， but in the end this approach highlighted the widespread nature of the problem。 I highly recommend this book and am thankful for its receipt through Goodreads。 。。。more
Kerry
，
I think "True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth" is a perfect book if you are interested in how Fentanyl and Meth became so prevalent in the US。 There are many interesting and scary stories of how people became addicted to drugs， especially these。 I think "True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth" is a perfect book if you are interested in how Fentanyl and Meth became so prevalent in the US。 There are many interesting and scary stories of how people became addicted to drugs， especially these。 。。。more
Maureen
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Apparently I forgot how repetitious Quinones’ writing is- I had the same issue with Dreamland- I believe that this habitual repetition makes his books overly long without saying anything new。 Nevertheless， I would have likely given this book 5 stars simply for how much I learned reading it。 The drop to 4 stars is because he quotes Ben Sasse （really？ If ever there was an empty suit of a politician it would be Sasse）， and the author expounds the merits of Cross-Fit ad nauseum。 I know exactly zero Apparently I forgot how repetitious Quinones’ writing is- I had the same issue with Dreamland- I believe that this habitual repetition makes his books overly long without saying anything new。 Nevertheless， I would have likely given this book 5 stars simply for how much I learned reading it。 The drop to 4 stars is because he quotes Ben Sasse （really？ If ever there was an empty suit of a politician it would be Sasse）， and the author expounds the merits of Cross-Fit ad nauseum。 I know exactly zero people who have done Cross-Fit and come away without injury- injuries severe enough to require pain pill therapy。 A bit ironic， or just myopic？ 。。。more
B。
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I received an ARC of this one from the publisher。 I wasn't a big fan of all of the personal anecdotes interwoven throughout the book。 It felt like the author was trying to make it about them instead of focusing on the issue。 I also wasn't thrilled with the overly familiar tone of the book。 While the topic is a worthwhile one， this author is not for me。 I received an ARC of this one from the publisher。 I wasn't a big fan of all of the personal anecdotes interwoven throughout the book。 It felt like the author was trying to make it about them instead of focusing on the issue。 I also wasn't thrilled with the overly familiar tone of the book。 While the topic is a worthwhile one， this author is not for me。 。。。more
Holly
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This review comes a good two months before the publication date because I received an eBook Advanced Reader Copy。 Sam Quinones is an amazing journalist and storyteller。 On November 8， 2017 I was able to see him up close at my old high school， which was the venue for his speech that evening。 Fentanyl was creeping in already， especially in a border county to Cook County/Chicago。 There is no room for mistake anymore， as Quinones thoroughly details。 But this is a book review， eh？ This book is great This review comes a good two months before the publication date because I received an eBook Advanced Reader Copy。 Sam Quinones is an amazing journalist and storyteller。 On November 8， 2017 I was able to see him up close at my old high school， which was the venue for his speech that evening。 Fentanyl was creeping in already， especially in a border county to Cook County/Chicago。 There is no room for mistake anymore， as Quinones thoroughly details。 But this is a book review， eh？ This book is great even though it's about some rough topics。 I really enjoyed how Quinones ended his chapters; the writing was very well done。 I am a professional librarian who is also way into harm reduction on the side。 I have read many， many books about this general topic。 The specific topic of fentanyl is a little more sparse， though if you're seeking more check out Fentanyl， Inc。 by Ben Westhoff （he goes undercover in a Chinese lab， it's WILD）。 Quinones discusses China but he is more focused on Mexico。 He also brings up some tough questions regarding the myriad & patchwork， trial & error solutions to the opioid epidemic。 A lot of it is make-it-up-as-you-go and that is important to consider， especially as it continues to move into different directions。 You don't have to read Dreamland to read this book， however this book does call back to Dreamland periodically。 They compliment one another。 。。。more
Julie
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A huge fan of Dreamland， Quinones other book on this subject。 This one kind of missed the mark for me。 Maybe because I read Dreamland which was incredible and then also read Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe， which covered a lot of this。 There wasn't much I was surprised by。 However I did really like the way he wove in personal anecdotes， as well as anecdotes of hope and inspiration。 A huge fan of Dreamland， Quinones other book on this subject。 This one kind of missed the mark for me。 Maybe because I read Dreamland which was incredible and then also read Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe， which covered a lot of this。 There wasn't much I was surprised by。 However I did really like the way he wove in personal anecdotes， as well as anecdotes of hope and inspiration。 。。。more
Debbie
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Quinones does a great job of explaining how many in our society succumbed to fentanyl and meth - often accidentally and too often fatally。 There are many to blame for the opioid epidemic - from pharmaceutical companies， to physicians， to government， to drug cartels and street dealers。 It is a scary story that strikes at the heart of American society。 However， Quinones also gives us hope and shows how communities and individuals have embraced the task of finding a solution one neighborhood， one c Quinones does a great job of explaining how many in our society succumbed to fentanyl and meth - often accidentally and too often fatally。 There are many to blame for the opioid epidemic - from pharmaceutical companies， to physicians， to government， to drug cartels and street dealers。 It is a scary story that strikes at the heart of American society。 However， Quinones also gives us hope and shows how communities and individuals have embraced the task of finding a solution one neighborhood， one community at a time。 The Least of Us shows us both a terrible past and a hopeful road to the future of innovative ways to overcome this crisis。 A must read for anyone who cares about the least of our brothers and sisters and wants to be part of building a better future for all of us。 。。。more
Rosemary
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