Jeneen’s Reviews > Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty > Status Update

HAHA the only thing missing was incest. Well not anymore.

I have a question for the author: if someone is smart but has bad judgement what does that make them? Doesn’t it make them? I don’t know? Not smart? Bro didn’t get into NYU’s medical school, got his job because of who his dad was, and no one liked working with him. I think that makes him not smart tbh. But that might be a hot take. Not too sure why I’m still reading this book except for to hate on it. :)

Author loves talking about how they hired immigrants and refugees but like, more specifically Jewish people. Last I checked, Jewish people are not the only immigrants and refugees, so say what they did. They hired Jewish people. They’re major zionists tho it’s confirmed, bros parents donated money to establish a “jewish homeland” in Palestine. Isn’t it crazy when terrible people do terrible things.

“It was a strange paradox: the sacklers had put their name everywhere. But when a member of the family died young, they did not commemorate him in any public fashion.”

Yeah it’s almost like bro jumped out a window and died, and almost like there’s a stigma around mental health and suicide and almost like they did not want people to know what happened. Almost. Idk tho.

It’s very odd that this guy’s motivation is attributed to a “fear of being forgotten” and wanting his name everywhere but then “he no longer feared seeing his own name in print.” ??? Almost like it’s not that. It’s almost like he’s shady and wants to make a ton of money and always control the narrative. But idk author gives misogyny and bias vibes but that’s just me.

Some of the writing in here is genuinely atrocious. Bro uses big words but has a vendetta against grammar. “Ilene was born in 1946, Kathe in 1948, and Robert in 1951. But in the mid-60s, at around the time he marked his 15 birthday, Mortimer had fallen in love with a young woman…”
??? Does this not make it seem like Mortimer is the one who turned 15? Am I crazy and bad at English?

Also negative points for the use of the word émigré, just because you are a white person that doesn’t mean you’re not an immigrant. Expat, émigré, I don’t wanna hear it. Say it with me folks IMMIGRANT. Just like those “aliens” republicans and racists hate so much. Whether it was 1930 or 500 BCE.

I haven’t read a ton of non-fiction but so far this book is not great. It’s ridiculous. The storytelling is just not there AT ALL. He tries to drop these moments of like oh you think this but actually BAM but it’s never that surprising it just seems like the author doesn’t know how to paint the picture. And like these random back and forths are getting on my nerves