Raising Lazarus

Hope, Justice, and the Future of America's Overdose Crisis

By: Beth Macy

Narrated by: Beth Macy

A “deeply reported, deeply moving” (Patrick Radden Keefe) account of everyday heroes fighting on the front lines of the overdose crisis, from the New York Times bestselling author of Dopesick (inspiration for the Peabody Award-winning Hulu limited series) and Factory Man.

Nearly a decade into the second wave of America's overdose crisis, pharmaceutical companies have yet to answer for the harms they created. As pending court battles against opioid makers, distributors, and retailers drag on, addiction rates have soared to record-breaking levels during the COVID pandemic, illustrating the critical need for leadership, urgency, and change. Meanwhile, there is scant consensus between law enforcement and medical leaders, nor an understanding of how to truly scale the programs that are out there, working at the ragged edge of capacity and actually saving lives.

Distilling this massive, unprecedented national health crisis down to its character-driven emotional core as only she can, Beth Macy takes us into the country’s hardest hit places to witness the devastating personal costs that one-third of America's families are now being forced to shoulder. Here we meet the ordinary people fighting for the least of us with the fewest resources, from harm reductionists risking arrest to bring lifesaving care to the homeless and addicted to the activists and bereaved families pushing to hold Purdue and the Sackler family accountable. These heroes come from all walks of life; what they have in common is an up-close and personal understanding of addiction that refuses to stigmatize—and therefore abandon—people who use drugs, as big pharma execs and many politicians are all too ready to do.

Like the treatment innovators she profiles, Beth Macy meets the opioid crisis where it is—not where we think it should be or wish it was. Bearing witness with clear eyes, intrepid curiosity, and unfailing empathy, she brings us the crucial next installment in the story of the defining disaster of our era, one that touches every single one of us, whether directly or indirectly. A complex story of public health, big pharma, dark money, politics, race, and class that is by turns harrowing and heartening, infuriating and inspiring, Raising Lazarus is a must-hear for all Americans.

©2022 Beth Macy (P)2022 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“When the Covid epidemic seized the headlines, America's overdose epidemic did not go away; in fact, it intensified. Beth Macy is one of the great chroniclers of how we got here and where we are headed. RAISING LAZARUS is a necessary companion to the urgent story she told in DOPESICK, a deeply reported, deeply moving, boots on the ground picture of what the crisis of addiction is doing to our country, and of the activists and ordinary people who are working to fight it. In that respect, this is a surprisingly hopeful book, the tale of a catastrophic crisis, but also of profound compassion and the resilience of the human spirit.”—Patrick Radden Keefe, bestselling author of Empire of Pain

"As if we needed one more reminder of Beth Macy's phenomenal narrative journalism, RAISING LAZARUS takes us to the front lines of the fight for the nation's health. Macy finds unfamiliar heroes in places most of us would lack the will or imagination to explore. It is Macy's commitment to defamiliarizing the opioid epidemic that has, strangely and thankfully, helped so many Americans understand that none of our families are alone in this brutally pervasive fight for our lives."—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

"Macy brings her empathetic reporter's craft to the oft-ignored problem solvers on the ground---those who, as Macy writes, didn't wait around for justice. Macy didn't either. Unlike so many laws, court decisions, and news stories, Raising Lazarus does right by the victims of the opioid crisis."—Sarah Smarsh, New York Times bestselling author of Heartland

Must-read - Excellent!

This is required reading for those joining my film production. My team and I are producing a film based on a true story about a magician who overcomes OUD after twenty years. What an excellent book this is. I have gained invaluable insight about the problem, and how we can make a positive impact. Thank you, Beth!

thoughtful and thorough!

Beth Macy is a thorough journalist whose passion for meeting the needs of people who use drugs comes through clearly. Thank you for this book and for Dopesick and Finding Tess!
Macy's narration of the Audible book is fantastic!

Thought provoking

Excellent. Moved along through lots of content. Challenged my mindset. Definitely recommend to anyone who cares about those in their community.

Amazing

God bless everyone in this book. It is amazing what a few caring people can do to change a life.

Wonderful Book!

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Substance Use Disorder or Opioid Use Disorder. This book gives incredible information from both sides of the fence. Thank you Beth Macy for all of your hard work to bring this truth to the public world!!!

The truth about the crisis. Great read

We need to listen to Beth. Thank God for her and the people who care and do the hard work

Uncomfortable Truth—the best kind!

I’ve been a fan of Beth Macy’s for several years. This falls right in line with the type of human storytelling--truth-telling, really—that she brought to all of us in Dopesick and Finding Tess. This truth is compelling, and if we are ever going to break the stranglehold that substance use and abuse have on our communities and our families, we’re going to have to think and to act differently than we do right now.

I work in healthcare. This truth is uncomfortable for me, but inherently good. We need it, because our patients need us to be better and to do better.

Raising Lazarus

Another great book by Beth Macy (Dopesick). She gets to the heart on this one too.

Amazing!

I’m from Surry County and lost my mom to OD in 2019. This book is spot on! Always praying, always hoping, always believing for change. Thanks for your dedication to creating awareness and fighting for change.

Disappointing

I am a fan of Beth Macy’s journalism. Her evidence and conclusions indicate a lot of hard work and serious thought. That said, this particular audiobook was disappointing. I didn’t like her voice tone, which was consistently angry or annoyed. (This is not how she sounds “live”, in person. She is primarily informative, though occasionally impassioned or outraged.) The substance of the book jumped around a lot, in time and in place, and didn’t seem organized. It was kind of hard to follow that way, since there are so many names and places to keep track of. This is not the best medium to become familiar with Beth Macy.