The Sackler family dynasty was really created by three brothers- Arthur, Mortimer, and Raymond. All were doctors, all faced incredible hardships due to anti-Semitism and financial insecurity from the Great Depression. All three worked at the Creedmor Psychiatric Center in New York, where they began to advocate for drug therapies and different treatments. The brothers bought Purdue Pharma, a drug company, with Arthur taking over the marketing. They began pushing Valium, and later OxyContin. As their fortune grew, so did their shenanagins. They began collecting art, estates, and expensive things. They traded up wives and mistresses regularly. There were all manner of mini scandals and rows, which greatly interested me, as I secretly love dirty historical gossip.

The family began donating great sums of money and items to various medical, educational, and art institutions. Charity wasn't necessarily the goal behind this...it was more to get their name out there and leave a mark that people would remember. They were seen as great philanthropists, while simultaneously having their fingers in the pies of opioid crisis. There are a lot of lawsuits against members of the family for their push to use opiates and contributing the opioid crisis we are facing today- upwards of 1,000 lawsuits! There are other civil lawsuits pending against members of the family. Recently, there has been a massive push to remove the Sackler name from all of these places, and it has been successful in a few locations so far. Many places have vowed to stop accepting any gifts from members of the Sackler family. This family is still in the news, especially since the release of this book, and I searched up several articles about the current litigations and what the family were up to. I am curious to see how this plays out in the coming years.

Talk about a dramatic book! People who think that nonfiction books are boring are reading the wrong kinds of nonfiction books. This book was recommended to be on the "based on your recent purchases" list on Audible, so I picked it up with my credits for this month. I was not disappointed at all. There is also a documentary available on Hulu, called Dope Sick, that is about this family. I plan to watch that as soon as possible as a companion to this book.