Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Summary
Overview of Empire of Pain
"Empire of Pain" exposes the Sackler dynasty behind America's devastating opioid crisis. Obama's favorite book of 2021 reveals how one family's greed killed thousands. "So many 'they did what?' moments" - this expose inspired Netflix's "Painkiller" and changed pharmaceutical accountability forever.
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Key takeaways
When Philanthropy Becomes a Blood-Soaked Shield
$600 million. That's what Purdue Pharma paid in 2007 for misleading doctors and patients about OxyContin. The fine made headlines as one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in history. Behind closed doors, though, the Sackler family-Purdue's owners-were laughing. They'd paid themselves more than that in a single year. "It's nothing to us," one executive remarked. This moment reveals everything about how one family transformed American medicine into a profit machine fueled by addiction, all while plastering their name across museum wings and university buildings. Their strategy was breathtakingly simple: sell pills that hook patients, blame the victims when they get addicted, and use charitable donations to scrub away the bloodstains. For decades, it worked flawlessly. The Sacklers became synonymous with culture and healing even as their drug claimed hundreds of thousands of lives-more American casualties than the entire Vietnam War.
Three Brothers and the Art of Selling Sickness
The Valium Empire: Perfecting the Playbook
Family Fractures and the Birth of a Killer
The Blizzard of Prescriptions: Marketing Addiction as Medicine
When the Bodies Started Piling Up
The Reckoning: When Monuments Crumble
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
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"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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