Wow, I don't think I've ever gotten through an audiobook of this length this quickly. Even after engaging with PRK's writing for a solid 18 hours of my life, I find myself dying to know more. This book, which tells the story of the opioid crisis through the lens of the Sackler family, is perfect for a modern reader who is already aware of their role peddling OxyContin. Going into this book, I already knew that the family was implicated in the death of thousands of Americans through starting the opioid crisis, but I wasn't sure exactly how. Furthermore, living in Boston, so close to the many prestigious institutions the Sacklers donated to, it isn't uncommon for me to stumble across a building that still proudly displays their name. I thoroughly enjoyed the level of depth PRK goes into in this book and his narration on the audiobook is excellent. It was fascinating to not only follow along as the Sacklers took the steps that would ultimately snowball into the opioid crisis, but get a view into their minds as they did so. What PRK's book reveals so clearly is that there was not an ounce of remorse or acknowledgement of wrong doing by any of the Sacklers, across three generations (nearly a century!), ever. Going into this book, I had assumed, incorrectly, that the trials surrouding the Sacklers involvement were already done and this book would simply be a re-telling. But as I neared the books end, I was shocked to hear that much of the litigation was still ongoing even as recently as 2021 when the book was published. After reading the book, I followed up on the case and saw that it was ruled on by the Supreme Court this summer in 2024! In a 5-4 decision, the justices shot down the Sacklers' settlement, which included a hefty payment, some 6 billion dollars, for managing the opoid crisis, but also prevented the Sacklers from ever being sued again for their involvement in Purdue Pharma. I am so curious to see how this develops as the Sacklers have to go back into bankruptcy court and work out the details again. I hope PRK will write an update from his view, whether in the form of an article or an updated afterword to the book, because I am so curious as to what's going on behind the scenes. Furthermore, as someone working close to the pharma industry, this book has given me a lot to ponder about the inherent maligned incentives in the industry. I have been musing about what sorts of policies or other measures can be taken to prevent such blatant and horrible corruption from ever happening again. The opioid crisis is a huge failure of the institutions that many Americans used to trust, like the FDA. I am excited to read more about this subject soon!

Larson's Devil in the White City weaves together two stories: that of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and of prolific serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes. I was surprised to find while reading I vastly preferred the former! Though I was intrigued by Holmes (more so by how a sociopathic killer was unimaginable to the people of 1890s), I was much more interested in the World's Fair and kind of found myself wishing the story focused exclusively on that. Some might find Larson's writing to be overly flowery and detailed, but I thoroughly enjoyed the tangents he took the reader on. To me, it felt immersive. It was very fun to imagine living in a time over a hundred years ago when things that are so common today - electric lights, ferris wheels, skyscrapers - were cutting edge innovations. There was a certain charm and vigor to 1890s Chicago that I found thrilling and inspiring. After reading this book, I spent way too long browsing at photos of the exposition. It was just as beautiful as it was described in the book. I totally understand all the claims of reverie and wonder Larson described in his book. I wish I could've gone!