Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Everybody’s got their limits, nobody’s found mine

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Mayhem in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

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I don’t think I have anything to say about this book that hasn’t already been said before a hundred times, but I still have to review it, because it was fantastic. Say Nothing is the story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the period from the 70s up until the present day. It’s centered around the disappearance of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten who was abducted by the IRA in 1972. It also covers several key players who were involved in […]

“Outrage is conditioned not by the nature of the atrocity but by the affiliation of the victim and the perpetrator”

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

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After having read two of his books in (relatively) quick succession I can say with full confidence that Patrick Radden Keefe is an excellent writer and a dogged journalist. He was starting with topics that I wanted to read about, even if they were difficult, but he was able to draw me in in ways I wasn’t expecting and achieved more than I had anticipated. Say Nothing Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland takes on the bitter conflict in […]

Philanthropy is not the same as charity, or, how the Sacklers gaslighted a nation

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

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Living in the UK, there are certain things about the USA which are very alien to me – non-socialized medicine,  for example. I was also unaware of the opioid crisis in the States which has led to thousands of deaths from overdoses and the misery of addiction. Much of this can be laid firmly at the door of Purdue Pharmaceutical, inventor and manufacturer of a proprietary version of oxycodone (an opioid narcotic used for pain relief, which is more powerful than morphine), OxyContin. Other drug […]

Let Them Eat Pills

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

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Would you like to know something interesting that I have in common with James Comey? We both had the embarrassing misapprehension when we first heard of Purdue Pharma that it was linked to Perdue Farms, as in chicken.  This speaks to the success of the Sackler family campaign to keep their name, and their business interests, largely out of the public eye for a long time. This excellent book by Patrick Radden Keefe (author of Say Nothing, another empathetic and informative book) exposes the Sackler family […]

Giving Money Away Doesn’t Remove Guilt

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

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Best for: Those interested in how corporations and the government have failed us. Those who enjoy a little bit of schadenfreude (though, in my opinion, not nearly enough). In a nutshell: The Sackler family, obsessed with their reputation and ‘good name,’ help 400,000 people to their deaths via the opioid epidemic. Why I chose it: I loved the author’s book ‘Say Nothing’ about The Troubles in Northern Ireland and searched for other work. Saw this was being released in April so ordered it right away. […]

What Do We Lose In a Fight?

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

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Best for: Anyone who appreciates excellent investigative reporting, people who are intrigued by true crime, anyone who is interested in the Troubles. In a nutshell: Investigative journalist Keefe uses the disappearance of widow and mother of 10 Jean McConville in the early 70s to explore the Troubles, focusing primarily on the Republican fight. Worth quoting: N/A (Audio book) Why I chose it: I find the Troubles to be an absolutely fascinating part of history. And they are being discussed a bit more often now, as […]



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