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Milk of Paradise

A History of Opium

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Milk of Paradise

By: Lucy Inglis
Narrated by: Colleen Prendergast
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About this listen

Poppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: humankind has been in thrall to the ‘Milk of Paradise’ for millennia. The latex of papaver somniferum is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain - and hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable; easy to extract, transport and refine; and subject to an insatiable global demand.

No other substance in the world is as simple to produce or as profitable. It is the basis of a gargantuan industry built upon a shady underworld, but ultimately it is a farm-gate material that lives many lives before it reaches the branded blister packet, the intravenous drip or the scorched and filthy spoon. Many of us will end our lives dependent on it.

In Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today’s synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine and, above all, money. And, as this ambitious, wide-ranging and compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history, and it speaks to us of who we are.

©2018 Lucy Inglis (P)2018 Audible, Ltd History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry World War Pharmacology Africa Imperialism Military Middle Ages Iran Latin American Middle East China Ancient History Imperial Japan Pirate
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Along with Martin Booths earlier book "Opium", "Milk of Paradise" is a must read for the lifelong learner polymath and ardent researcher of mankinds history of opiate use and supply and the legacy of what I call "Weapons of social Dystopia" natural or synthetic. Like all prejudices across humanity all there will ever be is tolerance not segregation. Tom O'Rourke 1953.......? dependant

Insightful

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really enjoyed this book...if you are interested in the history of opiates i would also recommend Dreamland by Sam Quinones. both excellent histories though from quite different viewpoints.

Excellent story

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I've got about halfway through, and I'm finding it just about interesting enough to keep on listening. However, the author jumps about in time confusingly, writing about the 1720s one moment, and then jumping back several decades earlier the next. I'm finding it hard to keep track of where I am both geographically and historically.

The narrator doesn't help. She hasn't taken the trouble to find out how to pronounce any words that aren't standard English. Arden isn't how anybody should pronounce Aden (though this is corrected later in the narration). Mallorca is pronounced malorca, and often plain old polysyllabic English words get garbled. She pronounces the Chinese Qing dynasty as King dynasty, which is momentarily confusing. I'm happy to make allowances for automated voices, but constant mispronunciations like this show disrespect to the author, the content, and the listener.

I read the Economist every week, and something I appreciate enormously is that the writers never assume that their readers automatically know who or what they're talking about. For example, instead of just introducing the Pearl River without explaining where that is, or what it is, as Lucy Inglis does, if this were the Economist, she would add a brief explanation. Not to do so puts readers at a disadvantage, and may make them feel ignorant.

Listen to the Silk Roads by Frankopan instead!

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Goes off track quite a bit and I can’t helping thinking that the author lacks any real empathy with addicts.

Useful if a little purposeless

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Fascinating, entertaining and engaging history of the world! If that seems excessive, the author cleverly navigates from earliest trade routes and exploration, through empires and colonies up to modern times. With key military events and medical developments (often related), and cause and effect of government encouragement and prohibition and the business interests, legal and ‘criminal’ that have been created.

Whistlestop tour of a missing piece of recorded history

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