Magic Pill

The bestselling author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus offers a revelatory look at the new drugs transforming weight loss as we know it—from his personal experience on Ozempic to our ability to heal our society’s dysfunctional relationship with food, weight, and our bodies.

In January 2023, Johann Hari started to inject himself once a week with Ozempic, one of the new drugs that produces significant weight loss. He wasn’t alone—some predictions suggest that in a few years, a quarter of the U.S. population will be taking these drugs. While around 80 percent of diets fail, someone taking one of the new drugs will lose up to a quarter of their body weight in six months. To the drugs’ defenders, here is a moment of liberation from a condition that massively increases your chances of diabetes, cancer, and an early death. 

Still, Hari was wildly conflicted. Can these drugs really be as good as they sound? Are they a magic solution—or a magic trick? Finding the answer to this high-stakes question led him on a journey from Iceland to Minneapolis to Tokyo, and to interview the leading experts in the world on these questions. He found that along with the drug’s massive benefits come twelve significant potential risks. 

He also found that these drugs radically challenge what we think we know about shame, willpower, and healing. What do they reveal about the nature of obesity itself? What psychological issues begin to emerge when our eating patterns are suddenly disrupted? Are the drugs a liberation or a further symptom of our deeply dysfunctional relationship with food? 

These drugs are about to change our world, for better and for worse. Everybody needs to understand how they work—scientifically, emotionally, and culturally. Magic Pill is an essential guide to the revolution that has already begun, and which one leading expert argues will be as transformative as the invention of the smartphone.

“Compelling, thoughtful and fascinating, a revealing and inspiring meditation on weight loss, addiction, and the new drugs that may change the way we think about and treat obesity.”—Maia Szalavitz, author of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog

“Magic Pill may be the most revolutionary, honest and important book you read about weight loss, the body and food. As is always the case with a Johann Hari book, what appears to be a story about the drug, Ozempic turns out to be a portal into the deepest investigation and revelation on how to live a healthy life.”—V (Formerly Eve Ensler), The Vagina Monologues, Reckoning

“A deep-dive into Ozempic couldn’t be more timely—and necessary—to get the full scope of how and why everyone is suddenly skinny!”—Andy Cohen

“Hari is excellent on the booming ultra-processed food industry and the science of addiction that drives it. . . . Magic Pill is a wonderfully accessible exploration of one of the most complex problems of our age. Hari highlights the risks of the new drugs, but also their benefits.”—The Telegraph (UK)

“A fast paced and fascinating dive into an extremely sensitive topic, written by a charismatic and compulsively readable author.”—Dan Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 10% Happier

“Magic Pill is a fascinating exploration of weight-loss pharmaceuticals that will redefine our approach to obesity. From his own journey with Ozempic, to a global investigation spanning Iceland to Tokyo, Hari delves into the transformative potential—and concerns—surrounding these drugs.”—Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators

“With the intense interest in the new miracle weight-loss drugs, we need a balanced look at their promise and peril. Entertaining and highly-readable, Johann Hari’s Magic Pill delivers the information people need to help make a medical decision that might change their future.”—Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Entertaining without trivializing and deeply informative without being prescriptive, this book leaves us with much to ponder, both on the individual and social levels.”—Gabor Maté, MD, bestselling author of The Myth of Normal

“In Magic Pill, Johann Hari gives us a crash course on the new weight-loss drugs that will soon be transforming bodies, minds, and societies on a massive scale. Magic Pill will help you think more clearly about eating, dieting, health, and mental health, even if you never touch Ozempic.”—Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind

“Informative, lively . . . A terrific read for anyone curious about or considering using these remarkable medications.”—Booklist (starred review)

“[A] levelheaded analysis. . . . One of the first books about the Ozempic age, this sets a high bar for those to follow.”—Publishers Weekly

Johann Hari is a writer and journalist. He has written for The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, and other newspapers. His TED Talks have been viewed over 70 million times, and his work has been praised by a broad range of people, from Oprah Winfrey to Noam Chomsky to Joe Rogan. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream, Lost Connections, and Stolen Focus.

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