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Summary: Entheogens: Professional Listing
Review: "Storming Heaven" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy".
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Summary: For those that were there and for those that were not there!
Review: An amazing compilation of the scene! If you took the psychedelic drugs, you were blown away by what was happening. If you didn't take the psychedelic drugs, I hope you were blown away by what was happening. If you weren't taking the drugs and/or weren't blown away, then read this book, it is your last chance. War, Karma, Instant Nirvana, the nature of consciousness and mental illness...It is your mind; examine it!
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Summary: Gotta throw in my five stars too-
Review: Fascinating history of psychedelic drugs that weaves it's way through pharmacology, psychiatry, academia and ends up in the middle of Haight Street... Mr. Stevens beautifully summarizes the cultural mindset of the 50's and 60's. What amazes me is how fast everything soured... I can't say enough good things about this book. What a trip...
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Summary: An absolute gem!
Review: I loved this book. It had me gripped to it from start to finish. It facinated, humoured and impired me. If you have any interest in this remarkable substance and the psycho-social revolution it unleased then buy this book.
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Summary: "Turn On" To This Fascinating Book!
Review: I was born in 1960, so I was a little to young to appreciate the "Summer Of Love", Haight-Ashbury and the entire late 60's counter-culture movement. My fascination with that era began with Jimi Hendrix and other musicians associate with it. Most of the social aspects I was aware of were written by the "slanted" view of the media, teachers, politicians and parents; not the most objective of viewpoints
When I heard about this book I picked it up ... ASAP and was not disappointed. I will not go into lengthy discussions of this book like other reviewers (or even spell all the words correctly). While reading, Jay Stevens was placing me "there", "right there" where is was all happening from Aldous Huxley, to Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey.
The story unfolds "expertly" and the characters involved are so well described, it feels like I've met them personally.
While much of the information is public knowledge, there are many fascinating, generally unknown tidbits: from the CIA's LSD involvement to insights on Leary & Kesey.
Anyone who holds any interest in this subject will not be disappointed with this book. From someone who grew up on The Brady Bunch, The Monkees & Happy Days....this book is a definite eye opener into a cultural wave I wish I had been riding.... so "Turn On, Tune In & Get This Book".
Rating: 
Summary: A comfortably mediocre history of the 1960s
Review: I'm at a loss to understand why everyone likes this books so much. One guess is that that the "five star" rating reflects the weirdness and coolness of the events portrayed rather than the history itself. Personally, I find the historical and bibliographic breadth limited, and the author's analysis and discussion of the events unfortunately never gets beyond the obvious. A somewhat better bet is Acid Dreams by Lee and Shlain.
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Summary: a missing part of american culture revealed
Review: if they taught this kind of history in school, I don't think i would have ever been bored enough to draw stupid comics of stick figures running about the pages of my notes and classwork.... a truly inspiring journey into the souls of some truly brave people in their journey to break on through.....
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Summary: The Best History of the Psychedelic Movement
Review: If you read the literature on the psychedelic movement widely enough,
it can all become a bit of a jumble -- "Hey, haven't I read about this
same party in four different memoirs?" Jay Stevens does a wonderful
service by telling this incredibly complex tale with grace, economy and clarity.
He's fair, compassionate, and unlike a lot of other people
who have written about the counterculture lately, he "gets it."
Rating:
Summary: An Exceptional Weave of an Interesting History
Review: In the spirit of the subject matter, the best word to describe this book is...cool. The author appears to have a genuine desire to objectively explore the history, for better or worse, of LSD and its role in American culture. Stevens does not approach this work being for nor against LSD. He just looks. As a result, this book comes out with flying colors...pun intended.This book is a diamond in the rough for those who wish to take that same exploratory approach in reading about LSD and the history of this potent and controversial drug. It's not geared for people who are vehemently pro/anti LSD. Preconceived notions should be checked at the door before embarking on this adventure. Stevens looks at LSD from its very beginnings, where characters such as Hoffman, Osmond, and Huxley help pave the way for much of what comes later in the book. As the narrative moves on, familiar names such as Ginsberg, Leary, Burroughs, Kerouac, Alpert, Metzner, Kesey, Cassady, Weil, Watts, and Wolfe, among others, enter and exit the stage like bit actors in this great showcase. If you've ever been enamored with the doings of any of those names, this book weaves a pattern from threads of various legacies in one fascinating tapestry. As a caveat to the above paragraph, none of those characters is covered in much detail, with the exception of Timothy Leary. This is more a result of Leary's intense involvement with the scene than Stevens' focusing on one extraordinary character. Some of those people (Burroughs, for instance) make very brief but interesting appearances. In addition to those mentioned, many unknown but intriguing characters fill the pages of this book. More than likely, every one of them will lead you to read on, until another name segues into the narrative. Stevens does a great job researching this story and presenting it to the reader in one piece. Every time I review a book I do my best to find something which was lacking, no matter how much I enjoyed it. In this particular case, I have a hard time pinpointing anything to find fault with. The only complaint I might have is that it was too short. One imagines that pages and pages of material never made it to press and it's a shame this book had to end where it did. I would have kept reading if it were twice as long. I do have to cede a point that one other reviewer makes. He comments that the prevalence of 5 star ratings, "reflects the weirdness and coolness of the events portrayed rather than the history itself." I do have to lend some credence to that point and admit that this may be true. However, as this subject matter is relatively new to me, the book still rates 5 stars in terms of an introduction to the subject. As a history on the subject, it's the role of the author to tell the story, and Stevens does that well. In all, a great read. A fascinating perspective brought to you by someone trying to elucidate the ups and downs of LSD and the movement it helped create. Again, this is not going to be a favorite of the pro-LSD hippie or the anti-drug conservative. But for those of you who want a fairly balanced, comprehensive view of the history of LSD and how it influenced culture in America, I strongly recommend this book. Very well done.
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Summary: A Fascinating History
Review: It seems to me, as others have said, that the discovery of LSD ranks up there with the top scientific discoveries of the century. The mere fact alone that there exists a substance, 50 micrograms of which, would be sufficient to perhaps reorient your entire life and understanding of the universe, whether or not one ever actually tries it, is well worth remembering on those occasions when we get a little too self-preoccupied. This book documents the history of the reactions of various individuals as they encountered this substance through an amazingly varied set of contexts, and through an intricately woven web of connections. I have a mild annoyance with the book in that the author is relentless in his effort to remain 'above it all' and regards everything with an amused and detached air. It is a puzzling attitude in a way. But the stories he tells are all well-crafted and make compelling reading. His lack of reflection on the ultimate meaning of LSD for our view of what it is to be 'normal' may be quite intentional, but it seems to give the book an unnecessarily superficial orientation which I found a bit strange.
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