NOTES FROM THE ROAD
June 2020
With the coronavirus pandemic upending lives and plans across the globe, I turned to reporting on the outbreak. My stories have appeared in Time, Reuters, and now Vanity Fair, where I am a contributor. I have detailed the crisis besetting our drug supply, a dangerous lowering of standards at the FDA, and the ongoing battle between science and politics at the top of our government.
My biggest story at Vanity Fair exposed the Trump Administration’s master plan to flood New York City and New Jersey with hydroxychloroquine, despite regulations restricting its use and opposition from top government scientists. I had the pleasure of speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and joining Chris Hayes on All In, and Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe to discuss some of my findings.
On June 23rd, Bottle of Lies came out in a paperback version. This edition includes a new postscript and has the New York Times’ “100 Most Notable Books of 2019” token gracing its cover, along with the words New York Times Bestseller. You can order your copy here.
As well, my TEDMED talk, “A Dose of Reality about Generic Drugs,” which chronicles my decade-long investigative journey leading to Bottle of Lies, has posted and you can watch it here.
March 2020
In early March, I traveled to Boston to tape my TEDMED talk on the investigative journey behind Bottle of Lies. What a remarkable months-long process: chiseling out a talk; memorizing the words; re-learning the meaning of those words; learning how to share those words with an audience (while coming to understand my own limits in doing so). It was a singular experience. I learned so much, not just about public speaking, but about myself. I also met some very special people along the way, including TEDMED's Chief Operating Officer Shirley Bergin and Chief Storytelling Officer Marcus Webb, who helped forge the talk and coach me through it. On-site, I got to rehearse with the eerily smart speaking coach Peter Botting. The talk was delivered live before a whip-smart scientific and medical audience. The video should be posted in several months, and I look forward to sharing it.
At the TEDMED conference, I also joined consumer advocate Ralph Nader and vaccine expert Heidi Larson on a panel about trust in medicine, moderated by the Chief Executive Officer of United States Pharmacopeia, Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D. Though the event was a whirlwind, and over too soon, it was an honor to join the list of trailblazers who have spoken from the TEDMED stage.
February 2020
My book tour in India last month began before I arrived—with disconcerting articles in the Indian press stating that the Modi government planned to take action against Bottle of Lies. Despite concerns about security and legal jeopardy, the book tour was on. So glad I went. At each stop, I met inquisitive, enthusiastic and well-informed readers, with legitimate questions about the safety of their own medicine.
My first stop was at The Quorum Club for a discussion moderated by Madhu Trehan, founder of News Laundry. You can watch our discussion here.
At the office of Juggernaut Books, editor-in-chief Chiki Sarkar, commissioning editor Parth Mehotra and publicist Disha Naik had arranged for me to meet some of India’s finest journalists: Sukumar Ranganathan, editor of the Hindustan Times, Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today and Siddarth Varadarajan, founding editor of The Wire.
That evening in Delhi, NDTV host Sarah Jacob moderated a discussion for an audience of students, industry representatives and the curious public.
The next morning, I autographed a stack of books at Bahrisons Booksellers, a cornerstone of literary New Delhi for over 60 years, and enjoyed a cup of chai with the owner, Rajni Malhotra.
My next destination was also my biggest —and last— event of the tour: the Jaipur Literature Festival. There, New York Times journalist Jeffrey Gettleman moderated a lively discussion before a packed house.
During my last few hours in India, I had one last book signing—at the WH Smith bookstore in the departures terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, in New Delhi. There, I discovered Bottle of Lies was their #1 bestseller, and had one more chance to connect with readers before ending a great tour.
On February 10th, I had the pleasure to visit the Rutgers School of Public Health in New Brunswick, New Jersey, as part of the school’s 21PHirst seminar series. The visit included meetings, a luncheon, a Bottle of Lies presentation and book signing for students and faculty.