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Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Hardcover – April 21, 2015
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Winner of the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction
Named on Slate's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 25 Years, Amazon's Best Books of the Year 2015--Michael Botticelli, U.S. Drug Czar (Politico) Favorite Book of the Year--Angus Deaton, Nobel Prize Economics (Bloomberg/WSJ) Best Books of 2015--Matt Bevin, Governor of Kentucky (WSJ) Books of the Year--Slate.com’s 10 Best Books of 2015--Entertainment Weekly’s 10 Best Books of 2015 --Buzzfeed’s 19 Best Nonfiction Books of 2015--The Daily Beast’s Best Big Idea Books of 2015--Seattle Times’ Best Books of 2015--Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2015--St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Best Books of 2015--The Guardian’s The Best Book We Read All Year--Audible’s Best Books of 2015--Texas Observer’s Five Books We Loved in 2015--Chicago Public Library’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2015
From a small town in Mexico to the boardrooms of Big Pharma to main streets nationwide, an explosive and shocking account of addiction 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.
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBloomsbury Press
- Publication dateApril 21, 2015
- Dimensions6.33 x 1.32 x 9.48 inches
- ISBN-101620402505
- ISBN-13978-1620402504
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of April 2015: The rise of OxyContin addiction and subsequent heroin use has been much in the news lately as we try to make sense of what is happening in suburban and small town America. Sam Quinones’ Dreamland takes a multifaceted approach to the subject, profiling people from all walks of life, ranging from citizens of impoverished Mexican ranchos to young affluent white athletes, all cogs in the wheel of the latest drug epidemic. Unlike the crack cocaine phenomenon of the 1980s, today’s widespread opiate addiction has roots in the prescription pads of certified physicians and the marketing machine of Big Pharma. When the addict, forced by availability and economics, transitions to heroin he is met by a new breed of entrepreneurial drug dealers who are only too happy to take calls and make deliveries. The changing landscape of small town America, along with science, opportunity, shame, and of course greed, all play a role here and to see the puzzle come together, one comprehensible piece at a time, is as fascinating as it is unsettling.-- Seira Wilson
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Press; First Edition (April 21, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1620402505
- ISBN-13 : 978-1620402504
- Item Weight : 1.42 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.33 x 1.32 x 9.48 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #653,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #392 in Sociological Study of Medicine
- #1,590 in Criminology (Books)
- #6,494 in True Crime (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Sam Quinones is a journalist, former LA Times reporter, author and storyteller.
His new book of narrative nonfiction - DREAMLAND: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic - was published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Press. It has received rave reviews from Salon.com, Christian Science Monitor, Kirkus Reviews, and a bunch of Amazon.com readers.
DREAMLAND recounts twin tales of drug marketing:
A pharmaceutical corporation flogs its legal new opiate painkiller as nonaddictive; immigrants from a small town in Nayarit, Mexico devise a method for retailing black-tar heroin like pizza and take that system nationwide riding a wave of pill addiction.
The result is our current scourge of opiate - pain pills and heroin - addiction.
A reporter for almost 30 years, Quinones lived and worked as a freelance writer in Mexico from 1994 to 2004. He spent time with gang members and governors, taco vendors and Los Tigres del Norte. He wrote about soap operas, and he lived briefly in a drug-rehabilitation clinic in Zamora, while hanging out with a street gang. He did the same with a colony of transvestites in Mazatlan, with the merchants in the Mexico City neighborhood of Tepito, and with the relegated PRI congressmen known as the Bronx. He hung out with the promoters of Tijuana's opera scene and with the makers of plaster statues of Mickey Mouse and Spiderman in that city's Colonia Libertad.
His previous two acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction about Mexico and Mexican immigration made him, according to the SF Chronicle Book Review, "the most original writer on Mexico and the border."
His first book -- True Tales From Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino and the Bronx (Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2001) -- is a collection of nonfiction stories about contemporary Mexico.
His second -- Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration (UNM Press, 2007) -- was called "genuinely original work, what great fiction and nonfiction aspire to be, these are the stories that stop time and remind us how great reading is." (S.F. Chronicle).
In 1998, he received a Alicia Patterson Fellowship, and Columbia University's Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 2008, for a career of excellence in reporting about Latin America.
He returned to the United States in 2004 to take a job with the LA Times, where for 10 years he wrote stories about immigrants, street gangs, drug trafficking, and marijuana growers in Northern California.
Contact him at www.samquinones.com
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book very informative, thoroughly researched, and excellent. They describe it as an intriguing read that reads like a story. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written, elevating, and talented. They also describe the book as disturbing, troubling, heartbreaking, and depressing. Opinions are mixed on the storytelling, with some finding it compelling and fantastic, while others say it's repetitive and doesn't have an organized storyline.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book very informative, fascinating, and well-researched. They say it provides a comprehensive overview of the recent plague of addiction. Readers also mention the subject is worthy and the book is fully engrossing.
"...This timeline, which provides plenty of insight into what went on in between those four events, sets the stage for the book's narrative and..." Read more
"...An incredible journey and comprehensive telling by perhaps one of our best living journalists of what went wrong leading to the opiate-heroin-drug-..." Read more
"...Welcome to American addiction.What a wonderful, informative and depressing book...." Read more
"A well-researched and excellently written immersion into the subculture of opiate abuse that swept through the U.S. in the 2000s and early 2010s---..." Read more
Customers find the book well worth the time spent reading. They appreciate that it reads like a story. Readers also mention the reporting and concept are amazing.
"...The level of detail that is crammed into each page is truly impressive, but never overwhelming. Simply put—I enjoyed every single word...." Read more
"This will probably be one of the best books that I have read this year...." Read more
"...happened to be the perfect gateway drug a lot cheaper and better quality (high potency) than the white powder; OxyContin traveled west and black tar..." Read more
"...Welcome to American addiction.What a wonderful, informative and depressing book...." Read more
Customers find the writing quality of the book very well-written, readable, and elevating. They say the author is a talented storyteller. Readers also mention the book helps organize the confusion they've faced over the years. Additionally, they appreciate the fascinating cultural stories of poor rural Mexicans who took advantage of the opioid epidemic.
"...for any future books and articles by Quinones, as his writing is an absolute joy to read." Read more
"A well-researched and excellently written immersion into the subculture of opiate abuse that swept through the U.S. in the 2000s and early 2010s---..." Read more
"Overall this is a very powerful book that provides a balanced, well-researched history of the opioid epidemic in the US...." Read more
"...Easy to read, switched back and forth between different aspects of the story each chapter: People, the drug network, Big Pharma.,..." Read more
Customers find the book disturbing, troubling, and heartbreaking. They say it reveals a heartbreaking truth about America. Readers also mention the book is thought-provoking, with moments of hypnotically lyrical prose.
"...What a wonderful, informative and depressing book...." Read more
"...the topic, this was the best overview and also is based on well-researched intimate experience...." Read more
"...moments of hypnotically lyrical, elevating prose to rival anything by Dostoevsky or Lampedusa...." Read more
"This is the most compelling, gripping and harrowing account on how opiates came to dominate all levels of society in The United States...." Read more
Customers find the book's pace quick and enjoyable. They also mention it's a timely read with an excellent timeline of how the epidemic unfolded.
"...The book opens with a ridiculously thorough timeline that begins with the distillation of morphine in 1804, moves on to the invention of the..." Read more
"...It is enjoyable with a good pace. Anyone who works with or knows people on pain medication should read this book...." Read more
"...This book is an excellent timeline of how the epidemic unfolded...." Read more
"...Only reason I gave it 4 stars is that it felt a little long-winded toward the end, easily could’ve been 50 pages shorter without losing any vital..." Read more
Customers find the storytelling compelling, fantastic, and interesting. They appreciate the personal stories and tie-ins that make reading enjoyable. However, some readers feel the approach becomes tedious and repetitive. They also mention the book jumps around storylines and timelines.
"...The story is compelling and unfolds beautifully, in a masterful manner that constantly tempts the reader to read the next chapter...." Read more
"...Besides being a great read because of his fantastic narrative style and passion for getting to the bottom of it, Quinones brings together a complete..." Read more
"...First of all - it jumps around the storylines and timelines, a lot...." Read more
"...Dreamland would be great as a work of fiction — intense, edgy, adrenalin-inducing — if it were only that. Unfortunately, it’s for real...." Read more
Customers find the book a little long. They say it's repetitive and could have been considerably shortened. Readers also mention that the chapters are short and random. Additionally, they mention the paperback version has tiny, almost unreadable text size.
"...how the heroin epidemic evolved.. My issues are that the book could have been shorter; the author retells some scenarios several times without..." Read more
"...These short chapters feel very disjointed with the greater narrative Sam tries to paint, and made me confused as to how/why each chapter built off..." Read more
"...The book gets very repetitive and is unnecessarily long. It could have been shortened to about half its length...." Read more
"...lacked a good editor, as it is very repetitive and could have been considerably shortened...." Read more
Customers find the book content redundant, not very interesting, and a waste of time and energy. They say it has poor treatment of a great subject. Readers also mention the topics are repetitive and completely lose interest.
"...Simply put—I enjoyed every single word. The topic isn't necessarily the most popular (for the average reader), so I'm not sure that I would..." Read more
"...for me, it was hard to care and that's just unfortunate and unacceptable for a book on this topic." Read more
"...South Shore Ky. I grit my teeth as I contemplate this miserable, incompetent, ridiculous creep!..." Read more
"...Definitely worth reading, just unbearably boring when you see the same information for the 5th time." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2018
In "Dreamland", Quinones magnificently blends together two seemingly-independent narratives: the overly generous prescription of pain medications during the 1990s (including Purdue Pharma's ambitious campaign to aggressively market and sell OxyContin) and the unforeseen—and unprecedented—arrival of cheap, consistent, high quality black tar heroin from one small county in Mexico. According to Quinones, these developments joined forces in a dangerous synergy that ultimately resulted in America's modern-day opiate epidemic.
The book opens with a ridiculously thorough timeline that begins with the distillation of morphine in 1804, moves on to the invention of the hypodermic syringe in 1853 (did you know that the inventor's wife was the first to die of injected drug overdose?), glances at the release of OxyContin in 1996, and ends with the FDA's 2014 approval of Targiniq ER, which combined timed-release oxycodone with naloxone. This timeline, which provides plenty of insight into what went on in between those four events, sets the stage for the book's narrative and successfully primes the reader for the information that follows.
And the actual book doesn't disappoint, either—as the dust-jacket blurb states, it introduces "a memorable cast of characters—pharma pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, and parents, and Quinones shows how these tales fit together." Sure enough, about midway through "Dreamland", the reader begins to see the sophisticated web that was woven by several groups of people who were simply following the capitalist dream (operating in their own best interest in an attempt to make as much money as possible), and the once-hidden connections between the people and places involved become as clear as crystal.
When it comes down to it, "Dreamland" is the best book that I've read so far this year. The story is compelling and unfolds beautifully, in a masterful manner that constantly tempts the reader to read the next chapter. The level of detail that is crammed into each page is truly impressive, but never overwhelming. Simply put—I enjoyed every single word. The topic isn't necessarily the most popular (for the average reader), so I'm not sure that I would recommend this book to someone unless they're already interested in America's opiate epidemic. However, if you are at all intrigued by the topic, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book to you. It will likely take a while to read, because it is packed so densely, but it will be worth your investment of money, time, and energy. And I will keep an eye out for any future books and articles by Quinones, as his writing is an absolute joy to read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2017
I came upon this book delving into trying to understand what has been going on in this country (starting with Hillbilly Elegy), and why despite reading broadly than most, I was so taken aback by the Nov'16 election outcome. The factors are myriad - and that journey continues - but what became obvious to me was that the opiate crisis particularly in places like Portsmouth Ohio or the Appalachia created much of the senseless destruction that contributed to it. It's only when that crisis reached "us" with the death of people like Philip Hoffman Seymour in 2014 did we even begin to pay attention. But it was too late. Given the garbage heap of non-essentials that the media shoves at us they largely missed the urgency of this story. Death due to drug overdoses exceeded those from car crashes as early as 2007!!! YES you read that right - 2007 - nearly a decade before we paid attention. How broadly was that publicized, and how deeply investigated? Thankfully for us there are journalists out there like Sam Quinones who researched it for 5 years and then wrote this tome.
Besides being a great read because of his fantastic narrative style and passion for getting to the bottom of it, Quinones brings together a complete picture of all that played here. The opiate-heroin crisis resulted from a PERFECT STORM of varied factors coming together -
-- the drastic swing in the pain management pendulum with a change towards prescribing opiates starting in the '90's willy-nilly to one and all under the misguided - and to some extent deliberate - notion that they are not addictive when prescribed for pain "pain soaks up the euphoria"! There was no "data" or "study", instead a small paragraph in a letter to an editor of a medical journal that set this off. No one asked questions or asked to see the source! The man who wrote the paragraph had no intention nor data to support what was inferred.
-- unethical companies like Purdue Pharma taking advantage of this new fad, pushing their drug(s) esp. OxyContin on anyone with ANY pain creating drug addicts who would never have gotten there. Purdue knew the "data" was faulty and that new addicts were being created everyday yet they pushed it hard until the end,
-- unethical, often "quack" pill doctors who appeared at mushrooming "pain clinics" everywhere to provide willing Rx for OxyContin; they only took $250 in cash per visit!
-- unlimited and unchecked Medicaid card, SSI, disability benefits that funded the pills; a medicaid card enabled you to get pills with a $3 copay that you could resell for thousands of dollars. One reason for the millions who are not employed nor looking for work...
-- the appearance of black tar heroin from Mexico for which OxyContin happened to be the perfect gateway drug a lot cheaper and better quality (high potency) than the white powder; OxyContin traveled west and black tar heroin traveled east and the invasion was complete!
-- a new business model for selling heroin via near unbreakable Mexican drug dealing cells where the heroin is delivered like pizza to customers along with great service by salaried drivers!
Yes that's how crazy it got -- and we are only now beginning to understand and unravel let along address! Read on for an amazing book and incredible journey of learning.


