Every book Mariana van Zeller recommended on podcasts

Mariana van Zeller appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience in October 2025 to discuss her investigative reporting and documentary work. During her appearance on the podcast, she mentioned American Pain by John Temple while talking about a documentary project that her husband created concerning the rise and fall of a pair of twin brothers. Mariana van Zeller explained that the brothers initially started out by selling steroids, but after receiving advice from someone pointing out the potential for much higher profits, they transitioned into selling oxycodone, leading to the creation of massive pill mills. She referenced American Pain to illustrate the vast scale of the prescription opioid epidemic and the criminal enterprises built around it, connecting the literary and documentary accounts of the twin brothers' operations. Her discussion of the book and the associated documentary shed light on the mechanics of the illicit pill mill industry and the broader societal impacts of the opioid crisis, providing listeners with context on how small-scale illicit steroid sales escalated into a devastating network of prescription drug distribution across the United States.