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Hi there, readers!
This newsletter, along with the overall theme of good vs. evil, was drafted early in the week, before Vladimir Putin unilaterally decided to attack a friendly nation. Itโs hard to know how the average person should react. . . .
In some stories, whether real or made up, those on the side of good and those on the side of evil are somewhat blurred. This is especially true in modern books, where highlighting complex characters with complicated motives is the norm.
This weekโs news is not blurred. Thereโs not a grey zone. The right and the wrong are rather obvious. Perhaps, for now, thatโs all we can do: clearly call out the dark actors in Eastern Europe. Thankfully, political leaders around the world are actively doing that, and thereโs actually some hope that this colossal mistake will be the end of Putinโs power.
As Iโve said before, books have power in dark times. Whether to escape, entertain, or inform, lean into the pages.
As with the Ukrainian situation, the good and the evil in the books featured today are quite clearly identifiable. Stephen Kingโs The Stand is a classic epic that isnโt horror at all (as is assumed, given the author), but rather falls into the apocalyptic and fantasy genres. And in Patrick Radden Keefeโs Empire of Pain, one of the real-life villains of the modern worldโnot named Putinโis exposed in spectacular fashion.
Up first, a newsletter recommendation.
A Fellow Substacker to Follow: Mohnishโs Discovery Magazine
Mohnish doesnโt publish all that frequently (monthly-ish), but when he does, I always pay attention. His recommendations are so earnest and passionate that you canโt help but want to read or watch whatever heโs reading or watching.
From his about page:
โI try to maximize for one thing: If I died todayโgot hit by a bus, fell off the side of a cliff, whateverโwould I regret if I hadnโt seen it? Would I regret if I hadnโt read this book?
Thatโs what this list is about. Finding (and discovering) the best stuff before I fall off the side of a cliff.โ
Go subscribe. Itโs totally free. And I can vouch that Mohnish is a great guy.
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Published: 2021 | Pages: 442
A few years back I read Dopesick and was pretty floored by the realities of the American opioid crisis. Not only was the problem more widespread than I, or anyone, initially realized, there was basically a single villainous family at the heart of it: the Sacklers. Author Beth Macy gets somewhat into that familyโs story, but really focuses on the victims and the doctors/lawyers fighting against the tidal wave of pills and addiction. (Side note: the Hulu show of the same name is excellent.)
In Patrick Radden Keefeโs latest masterpiece, he delves into the Sackler family specifically: their entrepreneurial origins, their surprising entrance into the medical and pharmaceutical world, their slow takeover of the opioid industry, and their diabolical pursuit of wealthโcold hard cashโat the cost of millions of lives and families around the world.
The early family history is interesting enough, but the real drama comes with the most recent generations of Sacklers. It reads like a great Shakespearean drama, rife with familial infighting, backstabbing, oath-breaking, and conniving.
Radden Keefe researched and told this story at great personal risk; the Sacklers are notorious for litigating the pants right off anyone who comes after them. That fact alone makes the reporting and storytelling all the more powerful and meaningful. Heโs doing some serious journalism in this book.
And his case is clear: the Sacklers knew exactly how destructive and addictive their drugs were (and are), sold them in higher and higher doses using purposefully deceptive tactics, and didnโt give two shits about any of the consequences.
As a privately held company, the family lined their own pockets with hundreds of millions of dollars, and acquired all the trappings youโd expect: islands, mansions, servants, private airplanes, and most despicably, political power.
Empire of Pain is an urgent plea for justice and, along with Dopesick, will someday be known as a foundational piece of reporting on Americaโs opioid era. I canโt recommend this one highly enough.
One last note here: I actually listened to the audiobook, excellently narrated by Radden Keefe himself. His voice and narration are pitch-perfect; definitely go that route if youโre an audiobook person.
The Stand by Stephen King
โAlthough it has never been my favorite novel, it is the one people who like my books seem to like the most.โ โKing, in the preface to The Stand
My latest Stephen King review is published over at StephenKingReader.com. I gotta say, 1970s Stephen King kicked off his publishing career with a real bang. Carrie, โSalemโs Lot, The Shining, and newly reviewed, The Stand, are all counted among his best works.
The story here is a classic tale of good versus evil on the most epic termsโKing calls it โa long tale of dark Christianityโโusing a pandemic as the foundation for that plot. A government-created super flu, nicknamed Captain Trips, has accidentally escaped the lab. It spreads incredibly quickly and easily, eventually killing over 99% of the population. From there, it morphs from an apocalyptic story to being more in the realm of fantasy.
Obviously, it carries a bit more meaning being read in the midst of an actual pandemic.
For being one of the longest books youโll ever come across, The Stand is incredibly readable and very rarely boring. The characters are easy to root for, the story is gripping and surprisingly believable, and the world-building is nearly incomparable.
All around, The Stand is not only a great book, but a dynamic, memorable reading experience too. Itโll stay with me for a looong time coming.
Check out the full review, including the interesting writing and publishing history:
Thanks so much for the time and inbox spaceโI deeply appreciate it.
Let me know what youโre reading this week!
-Jeremy
๐ What to Read Next (No. 214): The Forces of Good and the Forces of Evil
The Stand! It's been a few years since I've read that book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. He does a great job with a huge cast of characters without any of them feeling like they wasting space on the page.