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 - Acid Dreams ReviewThis was a great book. It was an easy read and a fast read, while at the same time being very informative and interesting. It was everything I was hoping it would be and I would refer it to anyone whom was interested in the topic or anyone whom just wants to be more informed in general. There is a lot of great information is in this book. (I myself am a college student and I would say that this is a great book for my peers but also those who are a bit older.) Rating:  - A Well Done History of LSDI can't give this book 5 stars because it doesn't shed any light on a subject that has been well documented by the likes of Ken Kesey, Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, and Jay Stephens, among others. What it does exceptionally well, something those authors fail at, is that it brings many things together in a tight narrative which merges elements of the Leary following, Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the New Left, countless other interesting personalities of the time, as well as the CIA, a somewhat surprising player in this scene. Another admirable trait is the objective, non-judgmental stance by the authors regarding LSD and those who used it. The authors freely point out the eye-opening potential of the explosive drug while not being afraid to say this is often a transitory and illusory effect. They laud the potential of medicinal use, while starkly pointing out that the Haight-Ashbury scene morphed into a white trash slum at the end of the 1960s. Given these opposite, and accurate, assessments of the drug, it's easy to see the book as a balanced look at the subject matter. The crowning achievement is the ability of the authors to put ideas and history forward to speak on its own. CIA involvement is not touted as some nefarious and astounding mind-control conspiracy of the late 60s that much of America's youth was being exposed to. Instead, the authors frame it in the context of global espionage and what the CIA was willing to overlook in an attempt to pursue their aims. Much of what is written here just makes sense. And the details of how the CIA went about it are no less explosive knowing that. I immensely enjoy books that take this perspective, because they do not come off as for or against anything. They choose to tell it like it is, supporting their objectivity with well considered thoughts and ideas on both sides of the fence, presenting it so the reader can take or leave what they desire. From my perspective, the authors rarely (if ever) bend the truth to make an ill-documented point. They don't stress nefarious CIA involvement to sell more books. Because fact is intriguing enough, merely telling the story keeps you riveted. As I said in the beginning, the only downside is the lack of information I hadn't already read before. That's not to say the book is entirely devoid of anything new, as it does contain elements here and there. Regardless, the book stands as a well written social history of LSD as it pertained to both the CIA and the culture of the time. Fascinating, well-written, and well-researched, this book is certainly worth the time if the subject matter is of interest to you. Rating: - entertaining, informative, and insightfulI extremely enjoyed reading this book, and have recommended this book to many of my friends, regardless of whether or not they are interested in drugs. the story is absorbing and entertaining, packed with interesting characters and scenarios. it would have even made excellent fiction! it is made much stronger, though, by the authours thorough and penetrating research... the book begun taking shape when the CIA declassified documents relating to drug experiments, which the authours appear to have pored over and distilled into an intriguing portrayal of the CIA's bizzare antics and ambitions. The CIA related bits drew me in above all else, perhaps because it is the most sensational aspect of the book, but the real value of Acid Dreams lay in it's insightful view of the transition LSD use has made throughout it's short history and the implications of how these transitions have been influenced by the interests of powerful institutions and individuals. Tracing the history of LSD from the paranoia-inducing experiments of the CIA, through the utopian ideals of academic elites, into the media explosion involving Timothy Leary (who the book portrays as a complete jackass), and into the mass populace. Interestingly, the portrayal in this book suggests Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters were a more true embodiment of LSD in the hands of the average man, instead of Leary and his cohorts, who had stuffy ideals of spiritual illumination and psychological introspection influenced by a behaviourist approach (e.g. walking around with clipboards in their hands, charting out the effects of their trips). One of the main thrusts behind the book is that LSD does not have an "inherent" or "universal" effect, but instead it will affect users based on the circumstances in which it is used (similar to Leary's concept of set and setting). A more interesting thrust of the book is the suggestion that LSD was released to the public as a means of social control, by diffusing radical political groups by making them confused and erratic. I gave the book a 4 out of 5, because it is so thorough and wide reaching that parts of the book might inevitably be unappealing to certain readers. I found I had been drawn in by certain aspects, but bored by others. Fortunately, the enticement to boredom ratio was 80:1, which are good odds. I recommend this book for everybody I know personally (and people I don't know, judging by this review) because it is a wonderful blend of entertainment, information and insight, truly captivating. Better and stranger than most fiction, this book has an amazing cast of characters, ranging from a handful of double agent spies, acid cartels led by magically minded individuals in pursuit of mankind's mass enlightenment, radical students arranging the prison break of acid gurus, and much more. Rating: - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS AVAILABLE ON THE SUBJECTORIGINALLY PURCHASED THIS BOOK IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF ITS RELEASE _ I HAD RECENTLY COMPLETED MY SENIOR THESIS ON LSD< WHICH INVOLVED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH> I CAN"T THINK OF ANY BOOK< ARTICLE< REPORT>> OR OTHER SOURCE I FOUND ON THE SUBJECT< THAT TRACKED LSD"S HISTORY AND TIMELINE< AS EXTENSIVELY AS MR> LEE HAS DONE IN ACID DREAMS> LEES" STYLE OF PRESENTATION INCLUDES VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES< SUCH AS LSD"S IMPACT ON AMERICAN AND WORLD CULTURE IN THE DECADES FOLLOWING THE OSS (CIA PREDESSESOR) ERA IN THE NINETEEN FIFTIES> MY HAT IS OFF TO MARTIN A LEE FOR THE DEPTH OF HIS RESEARCH< BELIEVE ME< HE REALLY DID HIS HOMEWORK ON THIS ONE> HOW DO I KNOW? HE DID SOME BOOKSTORE APPEARANCES< AND I MET HIM AT CODYS BOOKS IN BERKELEY< CALIFORNIA< AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE BOOK WITH HIM ONE ON ONE FOLLOWING HIS PROMOTION AT THE STORE> I WOULD BE INCLINED TO READ ANY OTHER BOOK BY MARTIN A LEE SIMPLY BASED ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THIS VALUABLE HISTORICAL RESOURCE> I WOULD RECOMMEND A COMPANION BOOK THAT IS AN EQUIVALENTLY IMPORTANT HISTORY< THE HISTORY OF MARIJUANA JACK HERRERS" THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES Rating: - Kick Ass Book, entertaining and Historicalthis book is great. i honestly burst out laughing a few times from teh ridiculous stuff the CIA did in the 50s and 60s. its a good book that has lots of really cool facts and not only does it have facts, its got the sources so you can look up the real documents that all the facts came from. only down side is that at times it gets a little borring, but all you have to do is skipa page and you are back to the crazy CIA stories... i give it a B+
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