Sherman's book is incredibly timely, important, and absolutely unique. She offers readers an often overlooked history of the opioid crisis, and makes crucial connections between the regulation of pharmaceutical drugs, the moral and social panics around the opioid "epidemic" the branding of painkillers as a "right to be free from pain," and the histories of physicians and medications, giving us in the process a beautifully written and urgent framework for critically analyzing the different dimensions of drug use, and over-use, in US society. Her important critique of the structures of constraint, control and exclusion that characterize what we now call the opioid epidemic is essential reading for not only academics but also the public at large. An absolute must-read!"
Sarah Banet-Weiser, Professor, Annenberg School for Communication
Melina Sherman is a communication scholar and lead health researcher at Knology in New York City. Her research interests center on the relationship between health, culture, and media. Her work has appeared in a number of communication and social science journals, including Public Culture, Communication, Culture & Critique, and the International Journal of Communication.
