Book Selection
I have read Beth Macy's Dopesick and I am 80% of the way through Dreamland. I am wondering if anyone else has read both books at this point and what your thoughts are regarding the selection of either of these titles. I found them both equally technical. I do read a lot of nonfiction so I am used to this type of informational writing. I am glad that I read Dopesick first. It is mostly focused on the history of Oxycontin and only mentions Heroin (without the history of it's rise included) as a consequence of the rise of Oxycontin addition, but it doesn't tell how it became so prevalent in our area. I believe that Dopesick is maybe slightly more accessible to readers that are not versed in Nonfiction, but I believe that Dreamland covers more of the issue because it simultaneously covers the rise of both Oxycontin and Heroin and gives a more well rounded picture of how these two drugs worked together to bring on the Opioid Epidemic. I also think that, geographically speaking, Dreamland might be more relatable based on the fact that it covers Ohio River areas similar to our own. Dopesick mainly covers eastern and southeastern WV and Western Virginia and Maryland. I would be happy to use either of these books and I feel that I have learned so much about addiction and treatment and also about making cautious and informed medical decisions. What are your thoughts on these titles?
I personally enjoyed Dreamland a little more. It was a little more "big picture" in terms of explaining how cartel heroin found headway in the US. Dopesick felt more fragmented (lots of jumping around from story to story, which made it tough for me to follow), but also kind of narrow. One other thing to possibly keep in mind is that lots of people on Goodreads are annoyed by the author's narration on the audiobook version ("I don't know what it was about the author's voice but it made me fall asleep several times.", "Listened to this as an audiobook, and I hate to say it but that was a mistake. Beth Macy reads her own work, and, while she is a good writer and a great journalist, she is not much of a performer.").