Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
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- Create Date：2022-06-12 07:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Patrick Radden Keefe
- ISBN：1529063108
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Summary
Winner of the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
Shortlisted for the 2021 Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2021
The gripping and shocking story of three generations of the Sackler family and their roles in the stories of Valium， OxyContin and the opioid crisis。
‘Jaw-dropping 。 。 。 Beggars belief’ Sunday Times
‘You feel almost guilty for enjoying it so much’ The Times
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 in the arts and the 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 – an international epidemic of drug addiction which has killed nearly half a million people。
In this masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing， award-winning journalist and host of the Wind of Change podcast Patrick Radden Keefe exhaustively documents the jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality。 Empire of Pain is the story of a dynasty: a parable of twenty-first-century greed。
Shortlisted for the 2021 Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2021
The gripping and shocking story of three generations of the Sackler family and their roles in the stories of Valium， OxyContin and the opioid crisis。
‘Jaw-dropping 。 。 。 Beggars belief’ Sunday Times
‘You feel almost guilty for enjoying it so much’ The Times
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 in the arts and the 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 – an international epidemic of drug addiction which has killed nearly half a million people。
In this masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing， award-winning journalist and host of the Wind of Change podcast Patrick Radden Keefe exhaustively documents the jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality。 Empire of Pain is the story of a dynasty: a parable of twenty-first-century greed。
Reviews
Braydan Martin
，
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Raafter
，
another take on the greed and genius of the Sackler family。 The start of my journey into the apparently corrupt pharma industry and the deceptions played on we hapless users and our invisible insurance companies。。 all in the interest of money， not health。
Philippa
，
This is a compelling and harrowing read。 One of the best researched books I have read。
Amanda Cifuentes
，
4。5 stars because this was compelling， well-researched， and comprehensive- however it was super long and I wouldn’t read it again。 Would recommend to ANYONE。
Kal Watts
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3。5。 Interesting but super long。
Greta Stahl
，
Brilliant and infuriating。 I found this to be a fascinating read about one enormous example of greed and corruption that is really also a modern example of how these things seep into all American institutions。 The book made me so angry I frequently wanted to throw it across the room。 I wish every American would read it so we could use that collective anger to make real change happen。
Cristina MG
，
Para aprender de nuestros errores y no volver a cometerlos。Conocer el nacimiento de la publicidad médica nos permite comprender un poco mejor el panorama actual y creo que esto nos dará herramientas en el futuro para que una catástrofe como la crisis de los opioides de Estados Unidos no vuelva a repetirse en ninguna parte del mundo。 Lo recomiendo a todos los que sean visitados por representantes farmacéuticos （y para los que no， también）。 A parte de la reflexión ética del libro， cuando empecé tu Para aprender de nuestros errores y no volver a cometerlos。Conocer el nacimiento de la publicidad médica nos permite comprender un poco mejor el panorama actual y creo que esto nos dará herramientas en el futuro para que una catástrofe como la crisis de los opioides de Estados Unidos no vuelva a repetirse en ninguna parte del mundo。 Lo recomiendo a todos los que sean visitados por representantes farmacéuticos （y para los que no， también）。 A parte de la reflexión ética del libro， cuando empecé tuve miedo de que consistiera en una biografía aburrida， pero la verdad es que esa familia de aburrida ha tenido poco。 Es impresionante la cantidad de facetas que han desarrollado las personas de esa familia y lo mucho que importa el dinero en temas jurídicos。 Un libro que te hace llevarte las manos a la cabeza en cada capítulo， acordaos bien de la página por la que vais。 。。。more
Tgpainter
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Interesting story about the Sackler family and what led to the creation of OxyContin。 Although the story was interesting， the book was way TOO LONG！ I lost interest midway through。 ☹️
Cody Lasko
，
Radden Keefe has to be one of the very best non-fiction writers in the world。 His investigative journalism is simply astonishing。 With his most recent account of the Sackler Dynasty it’s abundantly clear just how excellent his work is。 This is not an easy read。 Not because of anything to do with his writing - it’s exceptional and captivating， standing with any other writer out there - but because of the subject matter。 This book tells the tale of an American family that exploited the well-being Radden Keefe has to be one of the very best non-fiction writers in the world。 His investigative journalism is simply astonishing。 With his most recent account of the Sackler Dynasty it’s abundantly clear just how excellent his work is。 This is not an easy read。 Not because of anything to do with his writing - it’s exceptional and captivating， standing with any other writer out there - but because of the subject matter。 This book tells the tale of an American family that exploited the well-being of millions， twisted the FDA to their whims， sheltered their riches in various double-handed ways， and essentially got away with creating the current opioid epidemic。 While it may not be an easy read it is a damn important one。 It’s important to know who these people are， and even more important to recognize the nightmare they helped unleash upon so many。 If you’re looking for a phenomenal non-fiction read then you can do no better than Patrick Radden Keefe。 His work is the absolute pick of the litter and this most recent book has cemented such status for him。 It’s truly exceptional。 。。。more
Manasvini
，
5 stars， 10/10， the best non-fiction book I've ever read and surely in my top 10。 I was trying to think of a singular line or phrase， to sum up the book but failed to do so and realized that this story of generational entitlement and crookedness only makes sense in the context of their entire lives。 At that moment， I thought that the first generation was frustrating， shady， and corrupt but as the book progresses， what I thought was the height of scandal seemed to get impossibly worse and worse。 5 stars， 10/10， the best non-fiction book I've ever read and surely in my top 10。 I was trying to think of a singular line or phrase， to sum up the book but failed to do so and realized that this story of generational entitlement and crookedness only makes sense in the context of their entire lives。 At that moment， I thought that the first generation was frustrating， shady， and corrupt but as the book progresses， what I thought was the height of scandal seemed to get impossibly worse and worse。 Also signified by the increasing frequency with which curses seem to slip into the writing at the height of tension。 One thing， I do commend the older generation of Sackler's for is the drive to work to seek more to satiate their greed while the younger generations hope to satisfy their need for more through entitlement。 This book offers both a source of hope and hopelessness at the state of big pharmaceutical industries。 It does a remarkable job of showing to the average person， data and facts that were， for so long， out of reach and puts into perspective just how much of society was touched by the epidemic。Apart from becoming an inspiration and a pillar of investigative journalism， this book is also a remarkable piece of literature。 The stark parallels drawn between Arthur Sackler and Valium and Richard Sackler and Oxycontin made for a stunning and theatrical composition。 The inclusion of familial and generational drama in the book made it an even better read because of their marital dramatics was one part I could be the one pointing and laughing at them for。 In the end， the slow and not even full service of justice that still relieved us is a testament to the lack of justice that rich， white "philanthropists" need to face。 。。。more
Coley
，
I am normally not a fan of nonfiction， but this was good。 I was only slightly familiar with OxyContin and the Purdue scheme to push the pills， but this book put it all into perspective！ I am now watching Dopeaick on Hulu， which is based off of the Sick Sacklers （as I’d like to refer to them） A must read if you’re interested in the biggest opioid epidemic in history
Jenny
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Amazing how people can persuade themselves they’re not evil while they rake in billions。 I had read the New Yorker article。 The focus on the family dynamics made this interesting。
Bhargavi
，
Everyone should definitely read Empire of Pain if you want to be enraged， education， and engrossed。 Empire of Pain is an unrelenting look at the role the Sackler family has played in the growing opioid crisis in America。 While the book is rife with facts and research， with separate sections detailing the Sackler's descent into power and wealth， it doesn't fail to pull emotion out of the reader as well。 The writing is phenomenal， yes， but the emotion that resonated with me the most while reading Everyone should definitely read Empire of Pain if you want to be enraged， education， and engrossed。 Empire of Pain is an unrelenting look at the role the Sackler family has played in the growing opioid crisis in America。 While the book is rife with facts and research， with separate sections detailing the Sackler's descent into power and wealth， it doesn't fail to pull emotion out of the reader as well。 The writing is phenomenal， yes， but the emotion that resonated with me the most while reading this book was rage。 If you want a light non-fiction read， or want something that will be easy， this is not the book for you。 Keefe takes the reader through the heartbreaking history of the opioid crisis， and the blatant， cruel， and malicious actions on the part of the Sackler family。 It's not enough to say they were compliant in creating the crisis， because without them， the crisis wouldn't have been possible to the level it was。 While I believe everyone needs to read this book to be properly aware of their role in the worst epidemic the United States has seen in recent decades， I caution all readers that it did make me angry， rightfully so， many times over the course of the book。 Despite the Sackler family's abhorrant actions， however， Keefe never turns them into larger than life or cartoonishly evil characters。 His writing is so comprehensive and detailed that we can see how incrementally the Sacklers built the empire that would allow them to take control of the opioid marketplace to such a massive degree with their release of OxyContin in the 1990s。 Keefe's book starts decades prior， and slowly but effectively weaves the path the Sackler's built， making sure to spend time on famous places that bear the Sackler name， such as the Met。 While such comprehensive writing may seem boring， Keefe masterfully treads the line between informative and inundation， allowing the reader to comprehend how each of the actions taken by the Sackler family fits into a larger plan。 Keefe's writing is nonfiction that reads like fiction， repeatedly harkening back to themes and concepts he touches on numerous times throughout his novel。 Using this narrative approach， Keefe allows the reader to put together the pieces of understanding the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid crisis without spelling it out to readers， making for a much more grim and satisfying understanding。 The book jumps between the actions of individual Sackler family members （including the actions of their wives and children） and the repercussions their company has on the American public and their workers， with many employees at Purdue Pharma appearing to drive the point him。 Through this cast of characters， Keefe shows not only how the Sacklers created a cult of personality within their company， amplifying the corporate culture that would allow them to manufacture and sell OxyContin to Americans the way they did， but he also shows how every decision regarding OxyContin was made by the Sacklers to benefit them。 By expanding the scope of his investigation beyond the opioid crisis and the Sackler role primarily in pharma， and taking a more holistic approach， Keefe does something not yet done: he shows how only the Sacklers， really， could have created this crisis。 The reader slowly comes to understand how monumental the role of the Sacklers was in creating the crisis， and thus， his book has done his job。 Along with heartbreaking stories of addicts who have lost their lives to the drug， the family they leave behind， and the "legacy" of the Sackler family， Keefe's book is a testament to the recent public reckoning that has been recurring in regards to the opioid crisis， and reminds us that the real villains are often hiding in plain sight。 。。。more
Allison
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Very duplicative of the show Dopesick and news shows on the subject so it was less revealing to me， but well done nonetheless Listened via Libby
Maggie
，
4。5。 Both fascinating and disgusting。
Amanda Conley
，
Really good read。Book 1 was hard to get through but I enjoyed 2 and 3。 Not my usual genre but I am glad I read it。
Hannah Peacock
，
A history of the Sackler family that shaped how modern medicine became a business and drove the opioid epidemic。
Marcy
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4。5 - This Is a fascinating story of how a family empire changed the world through ambition， philanthropy， crime， corporate corruption， power and greed。 My father was a compound pharmacist and owned a neighborhood drug store in Queens，NY， in the 1950’s through the 1970’s， close to Creedmoor hospital， where this story begins。 This made the first half of the book exceptionally interesting since I spent many hours working there， and had watched how “mother’s little helper” took hold。 Loved the fami 4。5 - This Is a fascinating story of how a family empire changed the world through ambition， philanthropy， crime， corporate corruption， power and greed。 My father was a compound pharmacist and owned a neighborhood drug store in Queens，NY， in the 1950’s through the 1970’s， close to Creedmoor hospital， where this story begins。 This made the first half of the book exceptionally interesting since I spent many hours working there， and had watched how “mother’s little helper” took hold。 Loved the family history。 Got bogged down the last third with too much legal minutiae for me。 。。。more
Jamie
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Far from a feel-good story， but very well written and extremely detailed book about Perdue， the Sacklers and the opioid endemic。
Ava
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This book was amazing。 It has given me so much insight into the opioid crisis。 Patrick Radden Keefe is one of my favorite authors and I absolutely loved Say Nothing。 Before reading this book I knew relatively nothing about the Sacklers but now I could consider myself an expert。 Keefe has a way of telling stories that keeps you so entertained and immersed in the book。 Even if you don't like non fiction I think you would like this book。 It is incredible。 At times I was furious at what I was readin This book was amazing。 It has given me so much insight into the opioid crisis。 Patrick Radden Keefe is one of my favorite authors and I absolutely loved Say Nothing。 Before reading this book I knew relatively nothing about the Sacklers but now I could consider myself an expert。 Keefe has a way of telling stories that keeps you so entertained and immersed in the book。 Even if you don't like non fiction I think you would like this book。 It is incredible。 At times I was furious at what I was reading， other times I wanted to cry。 It is an incredibly emotional story and will fill you with rage。 A necessary read for every person。 After reading this you will realize just how much the Sacklers have changed everyone's every day life in the US。 “The risks may be formidable， but the high is sublime”pg（200） This quote describes the temptation of Oxycontin perfectly。 。。。more
Jana
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This well-reported book is completely horrifying。 It took me a few weeks to get through it because it's dense and lengthy， but also because it was hard to digest the never-ending greed and criminal behavior from multiple generations of this family。 This book is depressing， but so important。 This well-reported book is completely horrifying。 It took me a few weeks to get through it because it's dense and lengthy， but also because it was hard to digest the never-ending greed and criminal behavior from multiple generations of this family。 This book is depressing， but so important。 。。。more
Doomslag
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 To finish reading this book for me feels like having a full read of an investigation report compiled by a determined storyteller with a rigorous effort。 While it gives me a glimpse of how and why the opioid crisis happened in the first place， it elaborates how greedy and impenetrable the Sackler Dynasty is， a three-generation family that has been the mastermind of marketing Oxycontin， the opioid painkiller twice stronger than morphine。 The Sacklers may not be just renowned for their philanthropy To finish reading this book for me feels like having a full read of an investigation report compiled by a determined storyteller with a rigorous effort。 While it gives me a glimpse of how and why the opioid crisis happened in the first place， it elaborates how greedy and impenetrable the Sackler Dynasty is， a three-generation family that has been the mastermind of marketing Oxycontin， the opioid painkiller twice stronger than morphine。 The Sacklers may not be just renowned for their philanthropy， but the founder of Purdue Pharma as well， the manufacturer of Oxycontin。 Written by Patrick Radden Keefe， The New Yorker reporter， and initially set as a project in 2016， the book didn’t cease to intrigue me about the secretive information of the Sacklers and their stances in denial towards every sue that has been filed against them and Purdue。 Keefe was convinced that “Purdue had created a generation of people who were addicted to opioids， through the careful and relentless cultivation of demand for the drug” and not a single day goes by without I am musing on the family who got affected by that drug disorder and subsequently got addicted。 Simply a five-star stuff。 。。。more
Artoo Espina
，
A deeply unsettling account of the Sackler family's pharmaceutical enterprise and how its relentless pursuit of sales led to the devastating opioid epidemic in America。 First of all， this was an impressive display of journalistic storytelling by Patrick Keefe。 To unearth something with such a deeply shrouded history， waylaid by various unforthcoming sources， all in defiance against the powers that be - to take all of that and orchestrate it into a package that is quite clear and compelling to re A deeply unsettling account of the Sackler family's pharmaceutical enterprise and how its relentless pursuit of sales led to the devastating opioid epidemic in America。 First of all， this was an impressive display of journalistic storytelling by Patrick Keefe。 To unearth something with such a deeply shrouded history， waylaid by various unforthcoming sources， all in defiance against the powers that be - to take all of that and orchestrate it into a package that is quite clear and compelling to read - that's pretty amazing。 I picked up this book on a whim and did not expect how much it would shake my view of the pharmaceutical industry， the justice system， and capitalism in general。 It has somehow added another tragic layer to the "war on drugs" that has claimed thousands of lives in my country， as drug addicts are demonized to further some political agenda。 In the end， I'm left with this feeling of frustration knowing that such depravity， such lack of moral responsibility and empathy， can escape accountability in this world。 。。。more
Dawn
，
AudioAmazing and well done
Angie Rojas
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Excelente historia que narra de forma espectacular el emporio de la familia Sackler， la forma en la que se enriquecieron con la oxicodona。 Súper recomendable。👌
Elissa
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People with money do bad things to make more money without a care or any consequence。 Boo。 Very hard to finish。
Carrie Smith
，
I really enjoy Patrick Radden Keefe's reporting and writing style， and I thought that this was incredibly engrossing considering how much information was packed into it。 The subject matter is pretty depressing and infuriating， and it differs from his other books in that it doesn't really deal with any morally gray issues - it's pretty clear that the Sacklers knowingly harmed thousands （millions！） for their own profit。 So this was less of an exploration of a moral issue and more of a 400pg litany I really enjoy Patrick Radden Keefe's reporting and writing style， and I thought that this was incredibly engrossing considering how much information was packed into it。 The subject matter is pretty depressing and infuriating， and it differs from his other books in that it doesn't really deal with any morally gray issues - it's pretty clear that the Sacklers knowingly harmed thousands （millions！） for their own profit。 So this was less of an exploration of a moral issue and more of a 400pg litany of the Sacklers' wrongs。 （Which I still enjoyed！） But it didn't make me think so much as it made me angry， and I was pretty ready to be done by the end。 。。。more
Linda Jo
，
Ugh， hard story and really makes you hate the Sackler's， too much focus on money and not the well being of the humans。 Ugh， hard story and really makes you hate the Sackler's， too much focus on money and not the well being of the humans。 。。。more
Ed Carhart
，
Very well written and researched， but many of the stories were redundant and not always central to the story。
Angie Mcafee
，