A Review of the book Dreamland By Sam Quinones

The opioid epidemic has been getting a lot of attention lately and, I suppose it was timely that I came across Sam Quinones’ book, Dreamland, that examines this issue that is and has been plaguing this nation for decades. What is fascinating about the book, that got my attention and drew me in is that he covers the issue from every angle. From victims, to law enforcement, to the dealers, both in the US and the ones in Mexico, to the pharmaceutical companies that push their product, to the doctors that prescribe it. This book looks at a lot of different angles to the problem and makes clear that there is no easy solution to the issue. Some of the descriptions of families who have lost a loved one to the crisis are tough reading, and I mean that in a way that will generate an emotional response to the crisis as it stands.
Sam Quinones’ writing and research are phenomenal and immensely detailed. There were a lot of interviews conducted for the book and they help bring the crisis to light and add dimension to it. Although the book covers many places in both the United States and Mexico, the place that the spotlight is most heavily focused on is a faded city called Portsmouth in Ohio and the book shows how the opioid crisis directly paralleled the downfall of this once thriving smaller city.
Dreamland is a powerful, complex book that will educate the reader on the crisis as it’s been for decades. Well worth a read.