My New Book: Raising Lazarus

Raising Lazarus is 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-read for all Americans.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Interviews and original essays with the Los Angeles TimesNew York TimesBookPageOprah Daily, and more.

Reviews and features in the San Francisco ChronicleKirkus Reviews (starred review), BookPage (starred review), and more.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR RAISING LAZARUS:

“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

“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

Raising Lazarus confirms Beth Macy’s status as America’s nonfiction laureate of the opioid crisis. This book is a force of inspiration that will make you believe not in miracles but in work – the sheer innovative, determined, empathic work of ordinary Americans. They are shifting the rightful place of shame from drug users to drugmakers.”—Evan Osnos, New York Times bestselling author of Wildland

“Beth Macy has done it again. Her clear-sighted, deeply humane reporting takes readers to the front lines of the opioid crisis, where a grassroots network of brave activists work to defy stigma, save lives and hold power to account in the long shadow of the Sackler dynasty. This is potent, essential storytelling and a much-needed reminder of our common humanity that points, ultimately, towards hope.”—Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

“Beth Macy is America’s indispensable guide to the opioid epidemic. She brings great humanity and unparalleled storytelling to her work. Through her, the horrors of opioids are better known but, as this update makes clear, the suffering goes on. We owe her a great debt.”—Anne Case and Angus Deaton, New York Times bestselling authors of Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism

“Through brilliant prose and journalistic genius, Beth Macy once again opens our hearts and takes us inside the battle to end America’s overdose crisis. RAISING LAZARUS is a coming home story for many of us on the frontlines—a masterfully written, well researched, honest, and hopeful account like no other. Macy’s storytelling is unmatched and translates our experiences into a literary masterpiece—offering a prescriptive path forward to curb this national health crisis.”
 —Ryan Hampton, person in recovery from addiction, national advocate, and author of Unsettled and American Fix




  • RAISING LAZARUS
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  • Tom Hanks on “Factory Man”:

    Factory Man is “Great summer reading. I give it 42 stars. No, I give it 142 stars. Yeah, it’s THAT good.”
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  • The New York Times on “Factory Man”:

    This is Ms. Macy’s first book, but it’s in a class with other runaway debuts like Laura Hillenbrand’s “Seabiscuit” and Katherine Boo’s “Behind the Beautiful Forevers”: These nonfiction narratives are more stirring and dramatic than most novels. And Ms. Macy writes so vigorously that she hooks you instantly. You won’t be putting this book down. — Janet Maslin
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