4 out of 4 stars
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The Zyprexa Papers by Jim Gottstein is a book that portrays the heroism and patriotism of a courageous individual. Jim Gottstein is a lawyer in Alaska, USA. Dr. Egilman called him one day and informed him that he had documents revealing that Zyprexa, a drug used to treat mental disorders in the early 2000s, had deadly metabolic side effects that the manufacturer company had failed to inform doctors and the public about. At the same time, Jim Gottstein discovered that the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, API, had been "drug forcing" their patients—making them take drugs against their will. He met with Mr. Bill Bigley, a patient at API at the time. Mr. Bill Bigley told him he was undergoing similar treatment. This led to a series of visits to courtrooms and a lot of sleepless nights for Jim. Eventually, he realized he couldn't represent himself in the fight against Lilly, so he hired someone else. Did he succeed? Find out in this captivating book.
The Zyprexa Papers by Jim Gottstein is a gem of a book. A captivating and magical read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish because its content is something I can relate to. When I was a kid, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and she was forced to take all kinds of drugs that did not help her; they actually made it worse. This book was written in the first-person narrative. Due to this, you could see the ordeals of the author from a personal standpoint.
One of the people I love most in this book is Dr. Egilman. Although Jim started the fight against "drug forcing" and eventually invalidated the deadly deal made by the pharmaceutical company, this prevented them from producing the deadly Zyprexa; I believe the real hero here is Dr. Egilman. He played a very vital role in all of these, and I think the role he played was essential to the success of their endeavors.
This is a book that intends to expose the ills of pharmaceuticals. Most pharmaceutical ventures have forgotten that their main aim of doing business or producing drugs should be humanitarian. Instead, they neglect this and become money-minded. In my opinion, that is unethical.
I also appreciated how the author depicted the contributions of experts, whether from law firms or the medical field, as well as victims of "drug forcing" and those who have suffered at the hands of medical health personnel. Those experiences shed light on this book, and I think everyone reading it will love it.
This is a fantastic book, and I had a fantastic time reading it. There was absolutely nothing I disliked about this book. Although there were some errors, they won't affect the rating. Therefore, I will give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to people who still believe in humanity.
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The Zyprexa Papers
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