Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews , December 15, 1991
The ethnobotanist co-author of Psilocybin: The Magic Mushroom
Grower’s Guide (not reviewed) puts forth the theory that magic
mushrooms are the original ``tree of knowledge’’ and that the
general lack of psychedelic exploration is leading Western society
toward eventual collapse or destruction—controversial statements,
to say the least, though the argument’s details often prove fascinating.
In the beginning, McKenna tells us, there were protohumans with
small brains and plenty of genetic competition, and what eventually
separated the men from the apes was an enthusiasm for the hallucinogenic
mushrooms that grew on the feces of local cattle. Claiming that
psilocybin in the hominid diet would have enhanced eyesight, sexual
enjoyment, and language ability and would have thereby placed
the mushroom-eaters in the front lines of genetic evolution—eventually
leading to hallucinogen-ingesting shamanistic societies, the ancient
Minoan culture, and some Amazonian tribes today—McKenna also asserts
that the same drugs are now outlawed in the US because of their
corrosive effect on our male-dominated, antispiritual society.
Unconsciously craving the vehicles by which our ancestors expanded
their imaginations and found meaning in their lives, he says,
we feast on feeble substitutes: coffee, sugar, and chocolate,
which reinforce competition and aggressiveness; tobacco, which
destroys our bodies; alcohol, whose abuse leads to male violence
and female degradation; TV, which deadens our senses; and the
synthetics—heroin, cocaine and their variations—which leave us
victimized by our own addiction. On the other hand, argues McKenna,
magic mushrooms, used in a spiritually enlightened, ritual manner,
can open the door to greater consciousness and further the course
of human evolution- -legalization of all drugs therefore is, he
says, an urgent necessity. Provocative words—often captivating,
but not often convincing.
Synopsis
For the first time in trade paperback, the critically acclaimed
counterculture manifesto by the wildly popular McKenna. "Deserves
to be a modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens."—The
Washington Post. Photos and illustrations.
Synopsis
An exploration of humans’ symbiotic relationships with
plants and chemicals presents information on prehistoric partnership
societies, the roles of spices and spirits in the rise of dominator
societies; and the politics of tobacco, tea, coffee, opium, and
alcohol. 17,500 first printing. |
