In locales ranging from big pharma labs to Appalachia, Beth Macy investigates the forces that led America's doctors and patients to embrace a medical culture where overtreatment with painkillers became the norm. A finalist for the Kirkus Prize and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the book shows how and why the unemployed use prescription meds to numb the pain of joblessness and pay their bills, while privileged teens trade pills in cul-de-sacs. Through compelling and humane portraits of families and first responders, Macy also finds reason to hope in the people ensnared by addiction who are finding the strength to build a better future for themselves and their communities.