Dreamland

Dreamland by Sam Quinones won the National Book Critics Circle Award for its exploration of America's opioid epidemic. It's one of those amazing nonfiction books that you tear through, carried on by the momentum of the fascinating subject matter. I am reminded of my experiences reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall or Evicted by Matthew Desmond. None of those books would be "literary" in an artistic sense, but the writing in all is clear, strong, and passionate. Dreamland traces the convergence of two unhappy trends: the loosening of restrictions on opioid prescribing and the efficient trafficking of black tar heroin. Quinones spent about half his adult life in Mexico, so he has a unique perspective on the cultural and economic forces at work. He also strikes me as empathetic, big-hearted, and intelligent.

When I was in college, I would sometimes take evening walks with friends and enjoy a cigarette (or two). As a moody English major, it seemed to fit. Cigarettes, it turns out, are hard to shake. I spent the first few years of my career sneaking a drag (or two), finding opportunities to smoke. Only the sheer force of peer pressure--my wife and all my friends did not smoke--led me to quit. We make funny choices when we're young. Had I been injured, during that time in American history, and prescribed a powerful pain killer, well . . . there, but for the grace of God . . .