American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts

Review A searing book. -- James McConnachie ― Sunday Times Great reporting and compelling story telling . . . Those who want to understand the issue of narcotics and addiction have to read it. -- Ioan Grillo A detailed and compelling account . . . reads like a white-collar The Wire. -- Andrew Anthony ― Observer Staggering . . . Zola-esque in its dark twists and turns. -- Ed Vulliamy ― Literary Revire One of the truly essential reporters of our times . . . A riveting and urgent reckoning of colossal corruption that has taken such a staggering toll on twenty-first century American life. -- Philip Gourevitch A riveting read . . . a detailed picture of this crisis and its history. ― Scotsman Product Description LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019 A devastating portrait of America’s opioid painkiller epidemic – the deadliest drug crisis in US history. One hundred and fifty Americans are killed each day by the opioid epidemic. But, as Chris McGreal reveals it was an avoidable tragedy driven by bad science, corporate greed and a corrupted medical system. He tells the stories of the families devastated by painkillers they thought would heal, and the physicians and scientists who took on the drug companies behind the epidemic. American Overdose is a powerful account of the terrible human cost of the crisis, and a stark warning of the consequences of running a health care system as a business, not a service. Book Description A devastating portrait of America’s opioid painkiller epidemic – the deadliest drug crisis in US history. About the Author Chris McGreal is a reporter for the Guardian. A former correspondent in Johannesburg, Jerusalem and Washington DC, he now writes from across the United States. He has won awards for his reporting of the Rwandan genocide, Israel/Palestine, and on the impact of economic recession in America. He received the James Cameron prize for 'work as a journalist that has combined moral vision and professional integrity'. He was awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism for reporting that 'penetrated the established version of events and told an unpalatable truth'.