“An engrossing account” of the history of LSD, the psychedelic 1960s, and the clandestine mind games of the CIA (William Burroughs). Beginning with the discovery of LSD in 1943, this “monumental social history of psychedelia” tracks the most potent drug known to science—from its use by the government during the paranoia of the Cold War to its spill-over into a revolutionary antiestablishment recreation during the Vietnam War—setting the stage for one of the great ideological battles of the decade (The Village Voice). In the intervening years, the CIA launched a massive covert research program in the hope that LSD would serve as an espionage weapon; psychiatric pioneers came to believe that acid would shed light on the perplexing problems of mental illness; and a new generation of writers and artists in countercultural transition sought to break the “mind-forged manacles” of a new generation in rebellion—among them, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, the Beatles, Allen Ginsberg, William Mellon Hitchcock, and Abbie Hoffman. Painting an indelible portrait of an unforgettable era and using startling information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Acid Dreams also exposes one of the most bizarre, shocking, and often tragic episodes in American history. “An important historical synthesis of the spread and effects of a drug that served as a central metaphor for an era.” —John Sayles “Marvelously detailed . . . loaded with startling revelations.” —Los Angeles Daily News
This edition includes a P.S. section with additional insights from Barbara Kingsolver, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more. "Animals dream about the things they do in the day time just like people do.
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Contrary to popular belief, LSD is much more connected to Britain than it is to the USA. This engaging book looks at the use of LSD in British society, from...
Acid Hype offers the untold tale of LSD's wild journey from Brylcreem and Ivory soap to incense and peppermints.
Only a few discoveries of the 20th century have had such crucial and meaningful influences on science, society and culture as LSD.
Allen Ginsberg protesting in front of the New York Women's House of Detention, Ianuary 10, 1965 (Courtesy of Benedict I. Fernandez) “scrounge lounge,” as Sanders described his storefront, which still had “Strictly Kosher” on its window.
14 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 18 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 21 21 21 21 A few weeks after: Fred Turner, From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism (Chicago: ...
We got there before the Pranksters, and when their bus pulled up, Neal Cassady got outside and directed the bus right over a stop sign. He must have drunk as much Kool Aid as I did. We watched him because just watching him, ...
Dreams of Steel is Book 5 in Glen Cook's fantasy masterpiece, The Chronicles of the Black Company.
From Kim Edwards, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Memory Keeper's Daughter, an arresting novel of one family's secret history Imbued with all the lyricism, compassion, and suspense of her bestselling novel, The Memory ...