Author of Dopesick, the New York Times bestselling book that inspired the Hulu limited series

New York Times Bestselling author of Dopesick and Factory Man

In her characteristic narrative style, Beth Macy pulls the massive national health crisis that is opioid addiction down to its compelling, character-driven, emotional core to illustrate the personal cost American families have been forced to shoulder. In this deeply reported and urgent followup to Dopesick, Macy exposes the swathes of America--especially rural America--that have been left to fend for themselves.

Nearly a decade into the second wave of America's opioid epidemic, pharmaceutical companies are finally being forced to answer for the crisis they created. As bestsellers such as Empire of Pain have brought to life, the pending multi-district litigation against opioid makers, distributors, and retailers could result in tens of millions of dollars to help treat the disease of addiction and provide communities across America with resources to help those struggling with addiction. And yet there is no consensus on the best treatment available to help addicted people, nor an understanding of how to scale the programs that have proven successful.

Macy examines--as she did with Factory Man--what happens when political forces beyond the control of individuals come to define generations of Americans. She exposes the stories of activists and relatives of victims of overdose who are working to hold Purdue and the Sackler family accountable, harm reductionists who risk arrest to deliver care while politicians hoping to score reelction points continue to stigmatize the addicted, and rural communities that are far from overcoming deaths of despair.

This complex story of public health, big pharma, dark money, politics, race, and class will take the story of Dopesick into the present day, showing that the increase in the number of overdose deaths during the COVID pandemic illustrates the tremendous need across America to change the conditions that make addiction so prevalent and that prevent those seeking treatment from beginning new lives.

In an age of increasing deaths from overdose, Raising Lazarus exposes the conflicting forces of the opioid epidemic and the individuals working to save American lives.