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A Short, Strange Trip: An Untold Story of Magic Mushrooms, Madness, and a Search for the Meaning of Life in the Amazon
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Expected 14 Apr 26Win a free print copy of this book!
12 days and 01:31:09
10 copies available
U.S. only
Tag along with clever guide John O'Connor as he leads us on a gonzo journey through the history of psychedelics, the Amazon rainforest, and into the cosmic dimensions of our own minds. This will be the trip of a lifetime.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this look at the life and times of one of the world's first first and loudest "psychonauts", one who blazed a trail in psychedelics and their history, a man of many problems, many complications, and what to make of his legacy, and how a broadening medical science can use these teachings today.
I have always had an interest in reading about the history of psychedelics their usage, the abuse, and what discoveries might await. These trips sound so life altering in many ways, mixed with dull stories and even a few scary tales of what the mind unlocked. I have always read these with a sense of awe and trepidation. My brain and i don't get along well. Haven't since I was young. Depression, self-image problems, those sort of things have always crowded my thoughts for as long as I can remember. I can't even imagine what a trip for me would be like. Nor what I would come back like. Reading about people just plunging into strange places, new worlds, without an understanding of the history, geography, even the language, looking for a root or a fungi, is just amazing to me. Crazy but amazing, and of course weirder than one would think. A Short, Strange Trip: An Untold Story of Magic Mushrooms, Madness, and a Search for the Meaning of Life in the Amazon by writer, traveler and educator John O’Connor is a look at the life of Terrence McKenna, a man who believed that true understanding of the world was possible, if only we could connect to it, to further understanding why we live they way we do, and to deal with the guilt that humans carry.
The book is a memoir and travel guide to the adventures, both physical and mental of Terrence McKenna, a guru in a way of psychedelic drugs to see the world, and to understand why humans are the way they are, and what might be guiding us. The book starts with young Terrance and his brother Dennis growing up in a very small town, in a family that was loving, but also tough. Terrence was a dreamer and one who didn't fit in a small town, nor it seems in much anything. Art was a love, as was creative thoughts about why we were, and what we could be. This questing led to travels around the world, and the ingesting of many odd things. McKenna wanted to travel South, to Colombia to find the secret ways and means of piercing the veil around us, and seeing the world around us. With his brother, a few friends, a weird semi-religious huckster, Terrence did so, being an ugly American in an area that had already seen much, but offering much to McKenna. Along with McKenna's explorations the book discuses, how psychedelics are being investigate by modern medicine, the authors own experiences, and the many contradictions and life after finding out how the world was run, at least according to what McKenna experienced.
A much bigger book than I expected. One that was surprisingly personal, and sad in many places. O'Connor is a very good writer, able to set a scene, and willing to tell the truth no matter how ugly things might get. O'Connor's McKenna is a complicated person, an explorer who cared little about the world around him, more concerned with the inner world. O'Connor looks at the troubles throughout history in this area of Colombia, complete with horrors I never knew happened dealing with rubber plantations to America's south. O'Connor looks at how these psychedelics can be used to deal with modern problems, alcoholism, PTSD, and offers a more realistic take on them than other books that promise miracles. Again, not what I expected, but really appreciated.
This is the second book by O'Connor I have read, and enjoy his writing, his honesty, and how he tells his tale. I learned alot, and found the book not just interesting but very emotional. Not something I expected, but one I quite enjoyed.
I have always had an interest in reading about the history of psychedelics their usage, the abuse, and what discoveries might await. These trips sound so life altering in many ways, mixed with dull stories and even a few scary tales of what the mind unlocked. I have always read these with a sense of awe and trepidation. My brain and i don't get along well. Haven't since I was young. Depression, self-image problems, those sort of things have always crowded my thoughts for as long as I can remember. I can't even imagine what a trip for me would be like. Nor what I would come back like. Reading about people just plunging into strange places, new worlds, without an understanding of the history, geography, even the language, looking for a root or a fungi, is just amazing to me. Crazy but amazing, and of course weirder than one would think. A Short, Strange Trip: An Untold Story of Magic Mushrooms, Madness, and a Search for the Meaning of Life in the Amazon by writer, traveler and educator John O’Connor is a look at the life of Terrence McKenna, a man who believed that true understanding of the world was possible, if only we could connect to it, to further understanding why we live they way we do, and to deal with the guilt that humans carry.
The book is a memoir and travel guide to the adventures, both physical and mental of Terrence McKenna, a guru in a way of psychedelic drugs to see the world, and to understand why humans are the way they are, and what might be guiding us. The book starts with young Terrance and his brother Dennis growing up in a very small town, in a family that was loving, but also tough. Terrence was a dreamer and one who didn't fit in a small town, nor it seems in much anything. Art was a love, as was creative thoughts about why we were, and what we could be. This questing led to travels around the world, and the ingesting of many odd things. McKenna wanted to travel South, to Colombia to find the secret ways and means of piercing the veil around us, and seeing the world around us. With his brother, a few friends, a weird semi-religious huckster, Terrence did so, being an ugly American in an area that had already seen much, but offering much to McKenna. Along with McKenna's explorations the book discuses, how psychedelics are being investigate by modern medicine, the authors own experiences, and the many contradictions and life after finding out how the world was run, at least according to what McKenna experienced.
A much bigger book than I expected. One that was surprisingly personal, and sad in many places. O'Connor is a very good writer, able to set a scene, and willing to tell the truth no matter how ugly things might get. O'Connor's McKenna is a complicated person, an explorer who cared little about the world around him, more concerned with the inner world. O'Connor looks at the troubles throughout history in this area of Colombia, complete with horrors I never knew happened dealing with rubber plantations to America's south. O'Connor looks at how these psychedelics can be used to deal with modern problems, alcoholism, PTSD, and offers a more realistic take on them than other books that promise miracles. Again, not what I expected, but really appreciated.
This is the second book by O'Connor I have read, and enjoy his writing, his honesty, and how he tells his tale. I learned alot, and found the book not just interesting but very emotional. Not something I expected, but one I quite enjoyed.
March 17, 2026
I quite enjoyed learning about the Terence McKenna's complexities and deepest beliefs.
I did hope for the actual amazonian adventure portion of the book to last longer; however, it still proved for a fun thought provoking read.
I did hope for the actual amazonian adventure portion of the book to last longer; however, it still proved for a fun thought provoking read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews