It’s no secret that the United States has a major Opioid addiction problem. In the new book by Charlotte Bismuth, Bad Medicine, the case of Dr. Stan Li’s corrupt pain management clinic in Queens comes tumbling out across the pages. In 2019, a post-it note from a whistleblower sparked an investigation into a pain management clinic where more than 70 patients a day were receiving prescriptions for cash. These were items like oxycodone, methadone, and even Xanax. The prescriptions were often in large amounts, and sometimes combinations that made no sense for pain management. Prosecutor Charlotte Bismuth was placed on the case, giving it her all even as she faced her own personal traumas. Dr. Li’s patients were dying at an alarming rate, and family members and medical professionals had been begging Dr. Li for their individual patients, discussing recent overdoses, near misses, and even a murder.
Bismuth was there, and that’s what makes this book even harder to read. She had her hands on every piece of heartbreaking evidence and had to sit in the court room as family members discussed losing their sons, daughters, and spouses to overdoses of pain medications. The book is written almost cinematically, moving back and forth between the trial and the action of what happened. Bismuth makes herself a character by describing her struggles with depression following her divorce and the frustrating balance of visitations and being a single mom. Bad Medicine is a hard book to read, because the tragedies in this book feel so personal. Parents go into detail about how their children wasted away and died, avoiding food and care for the siren song of opioids. One extremely traumatized woman discusses her overdoses and mental health struggles, even as a defense attorney tries to tear her down on the stand. Bismuth shows empathy and makes sure to create that connection with the reader. For readers who are interested in the opioid epidemic, the book is full of facts and figures.
Bad Medicine comes to bookstores January 9th from Atria Books.
