Superb Nonfiction

I highly recommend Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones

It can be found on Amazon here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epidemic/dp/1620402521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521683414&sr=8-1&keywords=dream+land

There are some real shockers in this interesting work by Mr. Quinones. How did it all start? How did the epidemic take on such tragic proportions? You will find solid reporting here in an engaging text, no hyperbole or yellow journalism. Superb.

The following is from the link above:

"From a small town in Mexico to the boardrooms of Big Pharma, an explosive and shocking account of addiction and black tar heroin in the heartland of America.

In 1929, in the blue-collar city of Portsmouth, Ohio, a company built a swimming pool the size of a football field; named Dreamland, it became the vital center of the community. Now, addiction has devastated Portsmouth, as it has hundreds of small rural towns and suburbs across America--addiction like no other the country has ever faced. How that happened is the riveting story of Dreamland.

With a great reporter’s narrative skill and the storytelling ability of a novelist, acclaimed journalist Sam Quinones weaves together two classic tales of capitalism run amok whose unintentional collision has been catastrophic. The unfettered prescribing of pain medications during the 1990s reached its peak in Purdue Pharma’s campaign to market OxyContin, its new, expensive--extremely addictive--miracle painkiller. Meanwhile, a massive influx of black tar heroin--cheap, potent, and originating from one small county on Mexico’s west coast, independent of any drug cartel--assaulted small town and mid-sized cities across the country, driven by a brilliant, almost unbeatable marketing and distribution system. Together these phenomena continue to lay waste to communities from Tennessee to Oregon, Indiana to New Mexico.

Introducing a memorable cast of characters--pharma pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, and parents--Quinones shows how these tales fit together. Dreamland is a revelatory account of the corrosive threat facing America and its heartland.

Please note that my links to Amazon are in no way suggesting you use that service to order the book. This is not an ad for Amazon. It is merely a suggestion if you are looking for a good book. That is up to the individual reader. i just want to provide a link where you can read more about the book and purchase it either in a bookstore or online.