Beth Macy Explained

Beth Macy (born) is an American journalist and non-fiction writer. She is the author of four published books, including national bestsellers Factory Man (2014) and Dopesick (2018).

Early life

The daughter of a factory worker, Sarah Macy Slack, and a housepainter father, Macy grew up in Urbana, Ohio.^{[1] [2]} She was the first in her family to attend college, receiving a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University in 1986. She earned a master's degree in creative writing from Hollins University in 1993.

Career

Macy was a reporter for The Roanoke Times from 1989 to 2014. She writes essays and op-eds for The New York Times as well as magazines, radio and online journals. In 2010, she was awarded the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism by Harvard University.^[3]

Her 2018 book, Dopesick, was shortlisted for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.^[4]

Television adaptation

In June 2020, Hulu gave a limited series order for a new original production consisting of eight episodes based on Macy's book, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America. The series was developed by Danny Strong with Michael Keaton starring.

Awards

In 2022, Macy and Danny Strong won the USC Scripter Award for an episodic series, for the Dopesick episode, "The people vs Purdue Pharma". During her acceptance speech, Macy talked about America's struggle with opioid addiction.^[5]

Works

• Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local—and Helped Save an American Town (2014, Little Brown & Co.,,)
• Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South (2016, Little, Brown & Co.,,)^[6]
• Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America (2018, Little, Brown & Co.,,)^{[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}
• Finding Tess: A Mother's Search for Answers in a Dopesick America (2019, Audible Original Audiobook, ASIN B07T2NSXHY)
• Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America's Overdose Crisis (2022, Little Brown & Co.,,)

Notes and References

1. Book: Macy . Beth . Factory Man . Little, Brown and Company . 9780316231435.
2. Web site: My Life & Work . Intreprid Paper Girl . April 2012 . 29 December 2022.
3. Web site: Nieman Fellows: Class of 2010 . . August 15, 2018 . 2010.
4. Web site: ALA Unveils 2019 Carnegie Medals Shortlist . . October 24, 2018 . November 20, 2018.
5. Web site: 26 February 2022. 'The Lost Daughter' and 'Dopesick' Win USC Scripter Awards. Variety. 25 May 2022.
6. News: Review: An Account of Black Albino Brothers in Beth Macy's 'Truevine'. The New York Times. August 22, 2018. 2016-10-16. Maslin. Janet.
7. News: The Worst Drug Crisis in American History. 2018-07-31. The New York Times. August 9, 2018. en.
8. News: "Dopesick": Author reveals impact of painkillers on the opioid epidemic. CBS News. August 9, 2018. en.
9. News: 'Dopesick' is a page-turning look at the nation's opioid crisis and big Pharma. USA Today. 2018-08-09. en.
10. News: 'Dopesick' brings the opioid epidemic to heart-breaking life. August 8, 2018. The Christian Science Monitor. August 9, 2018. 0882-7729.
11. News: Shooting up. The Boston Globe. August 9, 2018.