Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFascinating. . . . thoroughly reported. . . . American Pain offers a window into America’s drug-addiction epidemic. * The Washington Post *
(Starred Review). . . . [An] exhilarating blow-by-blow account. . . . Journalism professor Temple dissects the . . . criminal operation and documents the rise and fall of American Pain with precision and authority in this highly readable true crime account. * Publishers Weekly *
“John Temple’s American Pain takes you on a hysterically funny, yet equally tragic, tour of Florida’s pill mill industry as the painkiller epidemic was reaching a fever pitch. He adeptly navigates the personal, political, and historical impacts of oxycodone, illustrating how the prescription opioid broke through all socioeconomic barriers to become the drug of choice for the super-rich and the super-poor. American Pain is a must-read for anyone trying to understand this government-sanctioned drug and the destructive power of Big Pharma.” —Melisa Wallack, Oscar-nominated co-writer of Dallas Buyers Club
“American Pain made me angrier with every page. Why? Because John Temple has so adeptly reported this story of how a handful of criminals and shady doctors in Florida profited from the poverty and addiction of the Appalachian South. Right from the riveting opening chapter, American Pain is rife with tension, conflict, and good journalism. Temple sets up a collision course between the George twins and their buddy Derik against a lone FBI agent, who suddenly realizes she doesn’t exactly have the law on her side. Every chapter is worth it.” —James Higdon, national bestselling author of The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate’s Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History
Temple has written a. . . .macro look at how Mexican heroin has supplanted prescription painkillers as the opiate of choice. This title relates a hugely profitable Florida pain clinic that started in 2008 and collapsed in 2010 after a lengthy undercover federal investigation. It benefits greatly from the author’s interviews with the principals, Derik Nolan and Chris George, who had no medical background but saw a better opportunity than construction work or selling steroids. Using trial testimony, media reports, and interviews with many of the players, Temple reconstructed in a chronological fashion the day-to-day operations of the clinic. As a former news reporter, the author does an exquisite job of weaving a simple narrative of greed and addiction into a cautionary tale. . . .VERDICT Highly recommended for general and true crime audiences. * Library Journal *
“John Temple’s American Pain is as addicting a read as the little pills he writes about. Temple details the brazen operations of some of America’s largest pill mills and how they thrived in plain sight for years before the government took action. Forget back-alley deals, smuggled contraband and elusive kingpins, today’s war on drugs pits the government against much more formidable foes: pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and ambitious businessmen eager to facilitate prescriptions for patients’ pain, whether real or imagined.” —Jason Ryan, author of Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs
" In his masterful nonfiction book American Pain, John Temple lays bare the perfect storm of lax regulation, aggressive marketing, greed, and addiction that created an opioid epidemic. .. .Temple’s writing is propulsive, and does justice to the many legal and ethical gray areas of the story. The fates of George, Nolan, their staff, and the doctors involved with American Pain are all satisfyingly recounted, along with the lasting impact of one of the overdose deaths directly attributable to them. An example of what can happen when individuals, companies, and politicians place their own interests before simple ethical considerations, American Pain is a cautionary tale of the finest sort." * Foreword Reviews *
