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Jesus Weed
In 1973, aged 17, Gerald Taylor left his New Zealand home and didn't return for four years. The story of what happened in between is "Jesus Weed" - a tale of travel, lapsed Catholicism, chess, and the strongest marijuana mankind has ever known. A good-looking, adventurous young lad, Gerald is driven by a lust for adventure, a lust for women and a lust for life. Launching himself onto the hippie trail, he travels to Thailand where he comes into contact with Jesus Weed for the first time. This is enough for him to come up with his own personal mission statement, dedicating himself 'The study and use of marijuana in all its myriad forms. How to grow and refine the sacred herb and, wherever possible, get shit-faced in the pot-growing strongholds of the planet.' From there his adventures spiral out of control. By hustling at chess and dealing in the best weed, he encounters some of the world's most exotic citizens. Whether he's seduced by Mud wrestlers in San Francisco, trained as an invisible assassin by an Irish druid, kidnapped and held as a sex slave in Mexico or being taught the finer points of resin production by Afghan shepherds, in each new place his adventures are madder than the last. "Jesus Weed" is a riot from beginning to end.
208 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2006
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 6, 2011
Well - where do I start?! : )
I read this firstly because the author is my mad, crazy, amazing and talented Uncle. To say I learnt a thing or two about my family and life in general would be an understatement!
It took a while to get into the cadence of the writer's sentences. The structure was all over the place at times, but I think this adds to the charm and honesty of the story, and once I got used to this, it was reminiscent of sitting around a camp-fire, being told a really good story.
Not sure if I'm brave enough to read more by Gerald, but I know if I do, I'm in for a rip-roaring read full of wit, fun and hysterical candour.
Love your work Uncle Gerald! xx
I read this firstly because the author is my mad, crazy, amazing and talented Uncle. To say I learnt a thing or two about my family and life in general would be an understatement!
It took a while to get into the cadence of the writer's sentences. The structure was all over the place at times, but I think this adds to the charm and honesty of the story, and once I got used to this, it was reminiscent of sitting around a camp-fire, being told a really good story.
Not sure if I'm brave enough to read more by Gerald, but I know if I do, I'm in for a rip-roaring read full of wit, fun and hysterical candour.
Love your work Uncle Gerald! xx
January 27, 2009
Read this just after Cat's Cradle--literally right after. I finished CC around 1pm, and Jesus Weed around 11:30pm. Wasn't reading the whole time, don't worry--there's not THAT much going on here.
It's the (true?) story of a dude who chases a high all of his life... and does some "interesting" things along the way. Definitely made an interesting read after CC; both kind of had that whole "everything is interconnected" vibe to them. I liked this more, I think, because it wasn't laboring to make a point.
I can't say this book made me want to go chase a high, but I will admit it set me a-wondering about what it would be like to simply pack up and walk off somewhere, without a plan or a care in the world. Sounds... liberating, I'll grant him that.
It's the (true?) story of a dude who chases a high all of his life... and does some "interesting" things along the way. Definitely made an interesting read after CC; both kind of had that whole "everything is interconnected" vibe to them. I liked this more, I think, because it wasn't laboring to make a point.
I can't say this book made me want to go chase a high, but I will admit it set me a-wondering about what it would be like to simply pack up and walk off somewhere, without a plan or a care in the world. Sounds... liberating, I'll grant him that.
December 16, 2008
Quick, witty read. A little disjointed (heh) at times, and the narrator has his own unique brand of arrogance, but overall enjoyable ride.
May 21, 2009
Like no other book I've ever read. I picked it up at a hostel in krabi, thailand and read it over the course of a day when I was sick. An interesting journey of a young man traveling around the world and the places his weed smoking takes him.
November 12, 2015
A shocking and revealing account of a young man's sex life, his narrow escapes and the cruel fate that tripped him up in his journey. Interspersed with excellent humour, its uniquely original prose kept me turning the pages. An eye-opener!
April 17, 2008
This book is 'high'ly entertaining, sometimes surreal and other times unbelievable but ultimately worth the price of admission.
October 28, 2010
Interesting, facinating... an easy read with lots of typo's. May cause cravings and the misguided notion that anyone can sit down and write a book ;)
August 21, 2018
Out-there, man. Still unsure how much is fiction and how much is autobiography.
November 9, 2018
Found this book at beach house rental - take one leave one scenario. Love travel writing and misadventures. This book is ok - its a lean read that has the author meading around the globe like a leaf in a stream. Some chapters seemed a little too long while others were just right. I'd like to believe the author intended some deeper metaphor about enlightenment and the hero's journey but perhaps that's just my overactive mind. It's a good read if you like hearing about strange adventures and weed. All in all it was an easy and enjoyable read. It will definitely find a new home in a local Texas coffee shop when I leave it for the next reader
December 29, 2020
I found this book fascinating! I thought the story was exciting and you never knew how much was real and how much was in the authors imagination
August 2, 2011
I think regular marijuana users would love this book: an autobiographical account from a chronic user who gets the chicks, has unbelievable adventures (in the very real sense of the world 'unbelievable') and travels the world smoking the strongest gear imaginable. As a non-user, I was most interested in the contrast between a (sterotypical, I know) lazy dope smoker with the enthusiastic globe-trotting outlined on the fly-leaf.
There isn't really much of a contrast, it transpires. The fly-leaf journeys occur as promised, but they're almost entirely haphazard and even occasionally accidental. The only section of the book that really grabbed my interest was one of the few planned trips, and also the only part that was more concerned with the country being travelled through (the high passes of Afghanistan in this case) than the author and how stoned he was.
Every story related is somewhat insane or ridiculous, with some of them all-too-suspiciously leading towards a joke/pun ending. While I'm not suggesting the contents are fabricated, it does impact on the book's believability and the trust you must place in the book's author. When it's an autobiography you're reading, trust in the author is paramount. Without the comraderie of a shared drug habit between us, I had no great connection with this work.
There isn't really much of a contrast, it transpires. The fly-leaf journeys occur as promised, but they're almost entirely haphazard and even occasionally accidental. The only section of the book that really grabbed my interest was one of the few planned trips, and also the only part that was more concerned with the country being travelled through (the high passes of Afghanistan in this case) than the author and how stoned he was.
Every story related is somewhat insane or ridiculous, with some of them all-too-suspiciously leading towards a joke/pun ending. While I'm not suggesting the contents are fabricated, it does impact on the book's believability and the trust you must place in the book's author. When it's an autobiography you're reading, trust in the author is paramount. Without the comraderie of a shared drug habit between us, I had no great connection with this work.
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August 7, 2011I thought it was pretty clear that he was schizophrenic with all those voices in his head, but others who have read it disagree...what do you think?
August 25, 2012
The style is amusing
January 21, 2018
Another book you have to read, the sort of travelling I would love to do.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews