Empire of Pain is a non-fiction book which explores the Sackler family origins and the introduction of oxycodone to the world on a mass commercial scale. It reads almost as a modern day Greek tragedy, with all the necessary human frailties of greed, pride, entitlement and denial. While the Sackler family is not solely responsible for the opioid crisis, they lit the match and it could not have taken place without them. The truly disheartening piece of the story for me is that so many public institutions and structures designed to protect citizens failed, and succumbed to greed and self-interest.

The reader is left with an unsettled feeling at the conclusion, knowing that the Sacklers walked away from the mess with billions in their offshore bank accounts and no remorse whatsoever for the trail of loss and destruction they helped to create. A sobering and important read.