This guide to all categories of mind-active drugs is headed for controversy—for it presents detailed information on the premise that many of these drugs can be used safely and responsibly. Well, a physician-pharmacologist and exponent of higher-consciousness (The Natural Mind, The Marriage of the Sun and Moon), and co-author Rosen do not make this argument lightly: they want us to recognize that teaching correct use is the best way to prevent abuse. So, for stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, marijuana, solvents and inhalants, deliriants, PCP, medical drugs, and herbal remedies, they seek to present everything known about recreational use—and to dispel the prevailing scare myths (e.g., LSD has never been conclusively shown to cause chromosomal damage or psychosis). The information includes the source of the drug (plants, synthetic); its original or legal use, if any; and all its known effects (short-and long-term). What will most provoke reader-reaction, however, are the detailed descriptions of how the drugs are prepared and used ("psychedelic mushrooms may taste better and are less likely to cause discomfort if they are dried or lightly cooked before being eaten")—along with the "Suggestions and Precautions for Use" of each of the drug categories. For those determined to use such substances, the guidelines are generally worthwhile, though some pointers ("know your sources" of street drugs) are unrealistic and useless. Well and Rosen remind us, with cause, that virtually everyone uses some mind-active drug (coffee is a potent, potentially harmful addiction for many), and that all efforts to combat so-called drug abuses have been unsuccessful. Their argument for a new approach—responsible recreational drug use with non-judgmental help for the needy—is well presented. The premise, however, is still extremely difficult to accept.
Pub Date: March 1, 1983
ISBN: 0395331900
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1983
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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