Empire of Pain

by Patrick Radden Keefe
Empire of Pain cover
Good Books rating 4.42
Investigative Journalism
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  • ID: 2834
  • Added: 2025-10-16
  • Updated: 2025-10-16
  • ISBN: 9781529063080
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan
  • Published: 2021-04-20
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 3

Empire of Pain delves into the shocking story of the Sackler family, whose fortune was built on the backs of addicts through the marketing of OxyContin. This narrative nonfiction masterpiece reveals how their philanthropy masked a darker reality, contributing to an international epidemic of drug addiction. Award-winning journalist Patrick Radden Keefe meticulously documents the family's rise and the devastating impact of their actions, offering a jaw-dropping account of 21st-century greed and its consequences. The book has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction and being named one of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year.

Reviews
The Pump Don’t Work · 2022-06-30
unsettling 4.00

The book is designed to make the reader's skin crawl and blood boil, unless they are related to a Sackler. It is a biography of a family that reveals shocking truths.

The reviewer describes the book as a biography of a family that is designed to make the reader's skin crawl and blood boil. They highlight the shocking truths revealed about the Sackler family and their role in the opioid crisis. The reviewer praises the book for its ability to evoke strong emotions and its thorough exploration of the family's actions. The narrative is described as gripping and unsettling, making it a powerful read.

Quick quotes

    Empire of Pain is the biography of a family, designed to make the reader's skin crawl and blood boil, unless the reader is somehow related to a Sackler.

    It tells the story of three generations of the Sackler family and their roles in the stories of Valium, OxyContin and the opioid crisis.

    The book chronicles the Sacklers and their role in the opioid crisis. It's a lot to take in.

The Guardian · 2021-11-28
compelling 4.50

The book is a gripping tale of capitalism at its most innovative and ruthless, told with a masterful grasp of the material. It is a chilling and mesmerizing read that is damning in its use of the family's own words.

The reviewer found the book to be a gripping tale of capitalism at its most innovative and ruthless. They praised the author's masterful grasp of the material, making it a chilling and mesmerizing read. The use of the family's own words makes the narrative particularly damning. The reviewer highlights the book's ability to hold the reader's attention with its detailed and compelling account of the Sackler family's involvement in the opioid crisis.

Quick quotes

    Empire of Pain is a gripping tale of capitalism at its most innovative and ruthless that Keefe tells with a masterful grasp of the material.

    It is a chilling and mesmerizing read, 'substantially built on the family's own words'.

    Which is what makes it so damning.

Financial Times · 2021-11-28
masterful 4.75

The book is a masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing that exhaustively documents a jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality.

The reviewer describes the book as a masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing. They highlight the exhaustive documentation of a jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality. The reviewer is impressed by the depth and detail of the research, making the book a powerful and engaging read. The narrative is praised for its ability to capture the complexity and impact of the Sackler family's actions.

Quick quotes

    In this masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, Patrick Radden Keefe exhaustively documents the jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality.

    Empire of Pain is a gripping tale of capitalism at its most innovative and ruthless that Keefe tells with a masterful grasp of the material.

    It is a chilling and mesmerizing read, 'substantially built on the family's own words'.

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