‘The information uncovered by Westhoff, an investigative reporter, will no doubt prove useful to lawmakers, addiction counsellors, and anyone else who is dealing with opioid addiction ... But where the book really shines is in Westhoff’s ability to get inside the lives of his characters, from addicts like Henke and Schwandt, to the scientists who initially developed opioids, to the Chinese chemists who are manufacturing fentanyl knockoffs — and profiting hugely off the global rise of opioid addiction ... a feat of reporting, to be sure. And while the many details Westhoff uncovered are likely to leave some readers enraged, Fentanyl, Inc. is an important book that arrives at a key juncture in the opioid crisis.’
Arlene Weintraub, The New York Journal of Books
‘Drawing material from official reports, drug databases, scores of interviews, and years of personal research, Westhoff presents an unflinching, illuminating portrait of a festering crisis involving a drug industry that thrives as effectively as it kills. Highly sobering, exemplary reportage delivered through richly detailed scenarios and diversified perspectives.’ STARRED REVIEW
Kirkus Reviews
‘Westhoff explores the many-tentacled world of illicit opioids, from the streets of East St. Louis to Chinese pharmaceutical companies, from music festivals deep in the Michigan woods to sanctioned ‘shooting up rooms’ in Barcelona, in this frank, insightful, and occasionally searing exposé ... Offers a truly multifaceted view of the landscape of fentanyl use and abuse. The disparate narrative strands he weaves together — including tragic stories of drug users, straightforward analysis of the history of opioid use, tension-filled episodes of drug runs and supplier meet-ups, and the humane and hopeful work of the ‘harm reduction’ movement—all come together to provide a more complex understanding of the rise of, and response to, the opioid epidemic. Westhoff’s well-reported and researched work will likely open eyes, slow knee-jerk responses, and start much needed conversations.’
Publishers Weekly
‘Will assist policymakers, activists, and general readers in understanding better how to respond to the drug crisis that is only more intractable now.’
Library Journal
‘Westhoff looks at the new wave of synthetic drugs that are taking the opioid epidemic to a whole new deadly level. He managed to go undercover into one of the many labs in China where these drugs are being manufactured, and the results of his research there and elsewhere are terrifying … Anyone who is interested in learning more about the opioid crisis, or has read Dopesick, is going to want to check this out.’
Omnivoracious, the Amazon Book Review
‘Timely and agonising … [Westhoff’s] book is the product of a four-year deep-dive into the world of designer drugs, and it’s an impressive work of investigative journalism. He interviewed 160 people and visited laboratories all over the world; he even infiltrated a pair of Chinese drug operations.’
USA Today
‘Groundbreaking.’
Eleanor Halls, The Telegraph
‘It’s a sucker-punch of a read … Westhoff exposes, with cinematic scope and reams of data, a new epidemic.’
Harriet Alexander, The Daily Telegraph
‘Excellent’
Mary Wakefield, The Spectator
‘A fascinating look into how China is playing a major role in the spread of fentanyl across the US. The book connects the dots between the pharmaceutical companies and their role in the opioid crisis with the Chinese labs manufacturing the illicit fentanyl and manoeuvring it through Mexico to get it into the US. Highly recommend it!’
Yahoo Finance
‘So many substance abuse books are a mix of hysterical in tone and a disappointing ‘paint by numbers’ in their execution, but [Fentanyl, Inc.] really stands out for its research, journalism, and overall analysis ... It is also a great book on China, and how China and the Chinese chemicals industry works, backed up by extensive original investigation ... Definitely recommended.’
Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
‘An information-packed work of reporting that traces the rise of designer drugs, including synthetic and/or more dangerous versions of weed, acid, and heroin, the last of which gives the book its title. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s chemically similar to morphine and heroin, is the top cause of fatal drug overdoses in the United States. The most illuminating parts of the book are those that reveal the business practices of Chinese labs that supply illicit fentanyl to U.S. dealers. These labs are a source of death and destabilisation for our country, American officials say, while Chinese leaders contend that it’s on us to deal with Americans’ appetite for the stuff.’
Francie Diep, Pacific Standard
‘A detailed and far-ranging investigation into the production, marketing, and usage of fentanyl reveals an intertwined business network that spans continents and kills thousands.’
Shelf Awareness
‘An eye-opening work of journalism, informed on the legal and pharmaceutical aspects without losing sight of the human cost.’
Alastair Mabbott, The Herald
‘Extensively reported and vividly written … Westhoff elevates his impressive examination of the opioid epidemic by reporting on the US government’s failed war on drugs and the promise of innovative ‘harm reduction’ policies that recognise that ‘Just Say No’ is a losing proposition.’
National Book Review
‘A fascinating book.’
Seán Moncrieff, The Moncrieff Show
‘A really fascinating book on a terrifying subject.’
Joe Rogan
‘A necessary and sobering look at the opioid crisis and how it is not as simple as it appears on the surface. Well-researched and user-friendly for all readers. An important book.’
Debra Ginsberg, Bay Books
‘A history lesson on American drug use and drug laws, a crash course in chemistry and neuroscience, a multifaceted portrait of addiction, and a look at how harm reduction programs can atone for the failures of the War on Drugs … A finely woven and accessible analysis of the connection between university chemistry professors, dark web sales, drug cartels, law enforcement, and the dealers and addicts dependent on it … Westhoff is a skilled and empathetic biographer, and this gift serves the composite of the dealers, users, and bereaved of Fentanyl, Inc.… It’s in this focus on the human cost of the crisis, of empathy over criminalisation, that this accomplished book feels most urgently important.’
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
‘Excellent … Readable and alternately engaging and chilling in its account of the development, deployment, and devastating consequences of NPS … Politicians, police, and the public continue to debate how to handle the use of psychoactive substances in our culture and legal system. Westhoff’sFentanyl, Inc. should be required reading for anyone who wishes to contribute to a knowledgeable discussion.’
Winnipeg Free Press
‘The way [Fentanyl, Inc.] looked at every aspect of the novel psychoactive substance trade was unique. From chemists manipulating chemical structures of precursors to fentanyl before countries can ban them, to the dealers, end users and those who want to change the way addiction is treated, Westhoff details it all ... this book is an eyeopener to anyone who reads it of just how coordinated and advanced the illicit drug trade is in aiming to get new highs to market at any cost.’
Sam Still Reading
‘In this gripping investigation, Westhoff recounts the deadly consequences of synthetically made drugs and how this phenomenon is beginning spread internationally.’
Happy Mag
‘The most frightening book of the year, and it’s mandatory reading … Epic … This is a story about people, and Fentanyl, Inc. features a roster of villains and victims who stray far from movie archetypes.’
Dig Boston
‘[E]pic ... like Breaking Bad, sure — meets Night of the Living Dead meets New Jack City, Gummo, Kids and Gremlins, with a cast from a lot of the places on President Donald Trump’s ‘shithole’ list ... Westhoff includes ample relevant history.’
Chris Faraone, Little Village
‘Fentanyl, Inc. is a wake-up call to us all. Shocking and unnerving.’
Judith Baragwanath, Noted
‘Setting Fentanyl, Inc. apart from most other books that focus on the supply-side of illegal drugs, Westhoff smartly avoids pro-drug-war narratives that push for an intensified law-and-order response to the proliferation of more potent synthetic drugs … The War on Drugs and misguided law enforcement efforts have not stemmed the spread of fentanyl, but instead have contributed to its takeover, Westhoff carefully explains.’
Filter
Praise for Original Gangstas
‘I trust Ben Westhoff. I trust him to report a story and I trust him to tell a story, and that's exactly what he's done here in Original Gangstas. He's taken what's always felt like an almost impossibly knotted string of storylines and plot points in gangsta rap, the most turbulent version of the most popular music on the planet, and turned them into an airtight and unflinching book. Original Gangstas is as resolute as the people and ideas it sets out to profile, and that is no small feat.’
Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author of The Rap Year Book
Praise for Original Gangstas
‘A provocative, multifaceted portrait of essential rap pioneers who ushered the hip-hop music scene to greatness … As raw, authoritative, and unflinching as the music his narrative chronicles, Westhoff comprehensively uncovers the factual roots of the gangsta rap movement and admirably credits those whose footprints paved the way for the younger rappers emerging today … An elaborately detailed, darkly surprising, definitive history of the LA gangsta rap era.’ STARRED REVIEW
Kirkus
Praise for Dirty South
‘Packed with lively reporting and colourful social history … doesn't shy away from the bigger questions. Westhoff grapples with Southern rap's troubling racial politics and takes on the critics.’
Rolling Stone
