Wonder Drug

Reviews

“A story with real heroes—and real villains. Wonder Drug will leave you grateful for strong-minded scientists and epidemiology nerds—people who actually take the time to look at the data—and for dedicated pediatricians, parents who won’t take no for an answer and curious, persistent, investigative journalists like Vanderbes who can follow even long-buried and carefully hidden stories that need to be told.”—The Washington Post

“What really took place in the U.S. in the early 1960s was much more harrowing than we remember, as Jennifer Vanderbes makes clear in her riveting new book . . . Vanderbes tells her story with verve, power, and empathy, adding weight by interpolating the stories of victims throughout, and coming back to them at length toward the book’s conclusion.”—Harvard Public Health Magazine

“Jennifer Vanderbes’s deft and thorough Wonder Drug maps the thalidomide tragedy. The action shifts from one country to the next in the manner of a John le Carré thriller. Coming hot on the heels of a documentary, it is hoped the U.S. government will own up to its errors and ensure recognition and adequate support for the survivors—the group estimate they number around 100—whose bodies were literally test beds for modern drug safety.”—The Globe and Mail

“Wonder Drug is both a first-rate medical thriller and the searing account of a forgotten American tragedy. Drawing on six years of groundbreaking research and guided by a keen eye for the indelible detail and an unwavering moral conviction, Jennifer Vanderbes has produced a shocking saga of pharmaceutical malpractice.”—Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Pain

“Wonder Drug is a tale of scientific detective work, corporate corruption on a grand scale, and human resilience in the face of repudiation and tragedy. This is narrative nonfiction at its most compelling.”—Margot Lee Shetterly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures

“A devastating and hard-to-put-down exposé of the thalidomide tragedy . . . Wonder Drug is not only a page-turner but also a much-needed call for accountability and justice—an essential addition to ourunderstanding of medical history.”—Meghan O’Rourke, New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Kingdom

“Jennifer Vanderbes’s Wonder Drug is an utterly engrossing, thrilling, and horrifying look at both a shocking episode in the history of Big Pharma and the intersection of medicine, profit, and government bureaucracy.”—Phil Klay, National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment
 
“Vanderbes’s thorough investigative work and her lucid prose bring to life a little-known American tragedy. Wonder Drug is a compelling read and reminds us why regulatory scrutiny of new drugs matters.”—Abraham Verghese, New York Times bestselling author of Cutting for Stone

“A powerful and deeply reported book . . . Vanderbes’s dogged investigation has finally exposed the true scale of this public health catastrophe, giving us an important story that honors unsung victims and heroes while blowing the lid off decades of cover-up.”—Charles Graeber, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Nurse

“A deeply researched and chilling must-read. Journalist and novelist Vanderbes profiles one of the most notorious drugs in history: thalidomide.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
“This is a medical must read. Show, don’t tell journalism at its best.”—Booklist, starred review

“Riveting. Suspenseful. A significant work about a horrifying example of widespread pharmaceutical negligence.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Expand reviews