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White Rabbit: A Psychedelic Reader
This mind-expanding volume examines the literature on drugs and drug users in a comprehensive anthology that allows adventurous readers to experience the full range of both medicinal and recreational pharmacopoeia, from opium to ecstasy, as captured by some of the world's most imaginative writers. Unique and provocative, it makes for an addictive read.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
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About the author
John Miller
45 booksJohn Miller has edited a number of intriguing anthologies for Chronicle Books, including Lust and White Rabbit. He runs Big Fish Books, a packaging company in San Francisco.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 10, 2016
I'll get this out of the way first: presenting this anthology as a "psychedelic reader" is somewhat misleading. Only a portion of the writings are actually about psychedelics, many instead centering around opiates and cocaine. Some of these are only tangentially related, such as the selections from "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray." There are a few others about absinthe or speed, a Phillip K. Dick story about sci-fi drugs in Mars colonies, and a chapter from "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland," which (debatably I guess) contains no drug references whatever, though I suppose I can understand its inclusion given the story's place in the head world. Since the promise of psychedelia was what drew my attention to this book, the lack thereof was disappointing.
That said, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read that I blew through in three days, and some of the pieces are fantastic. There are inclusions from obvious classics such as "The Doors of Perception" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," as well as some lesser known authors who I now feel the need to explore further. In terms of both time and place, a large range of cultural contexts are covered. It runs the gamut from at least the 19th century to the 80s, settings from Europe to Africa to the Middle East. In this way, the main effect of the book is to showcase the numerous roles psychoactive chemicals have had to different people throughout history, and perhaps it should have been marketed this way. The emotional range is also impressive, with bleak tales of addiction and ecstatic accounts of trips on various substances. All of the pieces offered something, even if just an interesting cross-cultural exposure.
The primary drawback, aside from the misleading title, is a lack of focus. The progression of stories didn't seem especially thoughtful, and they could be read in almost any order with essentially the same effect. Some go on for pages and pages, while others are scarcely a paragraph. Though I enjoyed the passages from Dickens and Wilde, there didn't seem like much reason to include them except to show that drugs make appearances in "classic" literature. These and other similar pieces are good in their own right, but not especially enlightening in the context of a book on psychedelics.
These complaints weren't enough to deter me from finishing it, and I would still recommend this book for those interested the subject. At the least, I would definitely recommend a few standout contributions. Here are my favorites:
Nelson Algren - The Man With the Golden Arm:
An excerpt from the novel of the same name, which depicts a junky's withdrawals and fix with brutal and expressive realism.
Jim Hogshire - The Electric Cough Syrup Acid Test:
An account of a bizarre trip on DXM, the active ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicine. The descriptions are both entertaining and strikingly accurate. I haven't encountered much literature on this over-stigmatized substance aside from sensational headlines about teen abuse, but this one does it justice.
Laurie Colwin - The Achieve of, the Mastery of the Thing:
The story of a woman with a secret passion for cannabis in a pre-60s society. The writing is witty and candid, believable enough that I'm still not sure if it was autobiographical or not. The ending is honestly heart-warming.
Aldous Huxley - The Doors of Perception:
Just read this whole book. It's short and entirely worth it.
Tom Wolfe - Psycho-delic:
From the EKAT. Same for this one, save for the "short" part.
Terence McKenna - Kathmandu Interlude:
Account of a transcendent rooftop LSD/DMT/hashish trip. His excitement is contagious and I enjoyed reading something distinctly personal from the author of "Food of the Gods."
Hunter S. Thompson - When the Going Gets Weird, the Weird Turn Pro:
This is from "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas," which I don't think I need to introduce.
Carrie Fisher - Postcards From the Edge:
Begins with a cocaine addict's vigorous resolution to quit, which transitions gradually and convincingly into a relapse, pill popping, and finally mainlining heroin. Conversational, funny, and tragic.
That said, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read that I blew through in three days, and some of the pieces are fantastic. There are inclusions from obvious classics such as "The Doors of Perception" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," as well as some lesser known authors who I now feel the need to explore further. In terms of both time and place, a large range of cultural contexts are covered. It runs the gamut from at least the 19th century to the 80s, settings from Europe to Africa to the Middle East. In this way, the main effect of the book is to showcase the numerous roles psychoactive chemicals have had to different people throughout history, and perhaps it should have been marketed this way. The emotional range is also impressive, with bleak tales of addiction and ecstatic accounts of trips on various substances. All of the pieces offered something, even if just an interesting cross-cultural exposure.
The primary drawback, aside from the misleading title, is a lack of focus. The progression of stories didn't seem especially thoughtful, and they could be read in almost any order with essentially the same effect. Some go on for pages and pages, while others are scarcely a paragraph. Though I enjoyed the passages from Dickens and Wilde, there didn't seem like much reason to include them except to show that drugs make appearances in "classic" literature. These and other similar pieces are good in their own right, but not especially enlightening in the context of a book on psychedelics.
These complaints weren't enough to deter me from finishing it, and I would still recommend this book for those interested the subject. At the least, I would definitely recommend a few standout contributions. Here are my favorites:
Nelson Algren - The Man With the Golden Arm:
An excerpt from the novel of the same name, which depicts a junky's withdrawals and fix with brutal and expressive realism.
Jim Hogshire - The Electric Cough Syrup Acid Test:
An account of a bizarre trip on DXM, the active ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicine. The descriptions are both entertaining and strikingly accurate. I haven't encountered much literature on this over-stigmatized substance aside from sensational headlines about teen abuse, but this one does it justice.
Laurie Colwin - The Achieve of, the Mastery of the Thing:
The story of a woman with a secret passion for cannabis in a pre-60s society. The writing is witty and candid, believable enough that I'm still not sure if it was autobiographical or not. The ending is honestly heart-warming.
Aldous Huxley - The Doors of Perception:
Just read this whole book. It's short and entirely worth it.
Tom Wolfe - Psycho-delic:
From the EKAT. Same for this one, save for the "short" part.
Terence McKenna - Kathmandu Interlude:
Account of a transcendent rooftop LSD/DMT/hashish trip. His excitement is contagious and I enjoyed reading something distinctly personal from the author of "Food of the Gods."
Hunter S. Thompson - When the Going Gets Weird, the Weird Turn Pro:
This is from "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas," which I don't think I need to introduce.
Carrie Fisher - Postcards From the Edge:
Begins with a cocaine addict's vigorous resolution to quit, which transitions gradually and convincingly into a relapse, pill popping, and finally mainlining heroin. Conversational, funny, and tragic.
August 30, 2013
If you are looking for an author discussing psychedelics but not quite sure who this books is just for you. It is full of short exerts from many different writers. I find that the book had a good balance of different psychedelics and different experiences. It was a good read and gave me greater insight into authors to peruse from here.
April 26, 2010
I read this in high school and thought it was very scandalous at the time. It really wasn't all that scandalous, however, it was a great introduction to the works of Freud, Leary, and Burroughs.
July 26, 2011
This book got me into a lot of trouble as a teenager (yes, I got busted smoking nutmeg). A fascinating read for those of us psychecurious kids who didn't have the internet telling us how to get high.
July 30, 2011
including both fiction and nonfiction, this is a fantastic collection of writing about drugs.
September 21, 2018
Anthologies are tricky because some stories are lacking and others are exemplary.
On one hand, this was an appetizer for great writers regarding psychedelic or drug themes. On the other, some authors were grossly unfitting and I failed to see the connection for their stories to be featured.
On one hand, this was an appetizer for great writers regarding psychedelic or drug themes. On the other, some authors were grossly unfitting and I failed to see the connection for their stories to be featured.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews