Episode 129 Notes and Links to Sam Quinones’ Work
On Episode 129 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Sam Quinones, and the two discuss, among other topics, growing up in a house that exalted reading, Sam’s freelance writing training, his time living and writing in México, his love of storytelling in its myriad forms, and his insights gleaned from his reporting for his amazing recent books on the opiate and meth and fentanyl epidemics.
Sam Quinones is a journalist, storyteller, former LA Times reporter, and author of three acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, including The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, released in 2021, and his 2015 release, Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic.
Sam Quinones' Website
Buy Sam’s Books
Sam on C-SPAN BookTV’s In Depth
REVIEWS: The Least of Us in Christianity Today & Plough Quarterly
Sam on CBS Saturday Morning
At about 1:30, Sam discusses his upbringing as the son of two teachers, and how his parents fostered his love of reading
At about 4:20, Pete and Sam discuss The Godfather and its themes, in connection to Sam’s father having taught Shakespeare by making parallels between these seemingly-disparate works, as well as parallels between Appalachia and Sicily and México
At about 9:15, Sam explains migration patterns from small Appalachian towns
At about 10:00, Sam talks about his high school years and early adulthood and how they were without formal journalism training but rich on experience and story ideas
At about 12:30, Sam recounts the tale of his first formal interview and its transformative power on him
At about 13:40, Sam gives background on his time covering the punk rock scene and how freelance writing connects to the punk rock ethos
At about 15:30, Sam discusses his time covering crime in Stockton, CA
At about 17:00, Sam talks about is ten-year stint in Mexico
At about 18:00, Sam references writers who have inspired him, including Calvin Trillin, Edna Buchanan, and Alma Guillermoprieto, and Elaine Shannon
At about 22:10, Sam and Pete talk about the community of writers, with people like Gustavo Arellano who aspire to, and concentrate on, “human stories”
At about 31:40, Pete highlights the greatness of True Tales from Another México and its diverse and interesting stories
At about 33:00, Sam gives background on the beginnings of the Mexican Drug War
At about 36:00, Sam talks about the “scariest moment of [his] life” in researching and dealing with the Mennonite drug traffickers of Mexico
At about 37:40, Sam traces the story of Chalino Sánchez that is featured in True Tales from Another México
At about 41:00, Sam draws parallels between the “punk rock” and “DIY” ethos that brought together music movements of the 70s/80s/90s
At about 42:40, Pete and Sam recount the themes and details of a few pieces from the collection
At about 43:45, Sam expounds upon the incredible lasting power of the PRI and its connections to his writing
At about 45:45, Pete discusses some “rabbit holes” that Sam’s writing has led him down, and Sam expounds upon the story of the lynching in Hidalgo
At about 48:50, Sam connects the theme of “impunity” to Mexican immigrant stories, especially the impunity of political figures
At about 50:40, Pete talks about the theme of rural living and immigration/migration
At about 52:35, Sam uses “La Jaula de Oro” by Los Tigres del Norte as an example of a mindset regarding immigration flows from Mexico
At about 53:40, Pete gives his personal connection to some of the stories regarding Michoacán
At about 54:10, Tocumbo and La Michoacana are mentioned as a happy story of innovation, and Sam mentions a cool future book idea
At about 55:30, Sam talks about the seeds/genesis for Dreamland
At about 59:40, Sam talks about free market and its connection to the opioid epidemic, and how Dreamland became a book about “deeper roots of community that we have destroyed”
At about 1:01:00, Sam gives background on the book’s title and talks about the hidden opiate epidemic in past years
At about 1:03:15, Sam details an incredibly influential letter and incomplete science that provided fodder for Purdue Pharma and its quest to ramp up pill production and promotion
At about 1:09:15, Sam responds to Pete’s question about his experiences with the feedback, community changes, and speaking appearances that came with the publication of Dreamland
At about 1:10:10, Sam highlights the high incidences of communities rising up and building grassroots support for change with the opiate epidemic
At about 1:15:00, Pete starts at the end of The Least of Us with Portsmouth’s recovery and asks Sam why he ends the book that way
At about 1:18:55, Pete and Sam highlight ideas of isolation and alienation that dovetails with drugs and other solitary addictions
At about 1:21:15, Pete recaps Sam’s thesis as laid out on Page Nine of the book and compliments Sam’s craft in writing about neuroscience, history, etc., in the book
At about 1:22:25, Sam talks about the brain chemistry and “reward pathways” that have exacerbated addiction
At about 1:25:10, Sam gives background on the ways in which fentanyl can be successful, talking about his own heart surgery
At about 1:27:55, Sam provides details on the specific links between the rise in P2P meth and the growing homelessness crisis in the country
At about 1:33:10, Pete emphasizes the strength of Starla and Bella and Angie Odom and Rob Burd and Mike McKissick and some amazing personal stories from the book
At about 1:38:05, Sam replies to Pete’s question about whether or not he is hopeful after the past epidemics
At about 1:41:25, Sam gives contact info and book purchasing info
At about 1:42:25, Sam discusses exciting future projects
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Please tune in for Episode 130 with Dan Grunfeld, a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Conference basketball selection at Stanford, Dan played professionally for eight seasons in top leagues around the world, including in Germany, Spain, and Israel. Dan’s writing has been published more than 40 times in media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and NBC News, and we will talk about and the amazing family stories behind his recent publication, By The Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, A Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream.
The episode will air on July 2.
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