The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Over winter break I had chose to read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. This non-fiction story was about a group of people who had come together and experimented with LSD and many other drugs, escaping conviction of crime, and the crazy life style of the 1960’s hippies.

    Ken Kesey was the main leader of this movement, which he called the psychedelic movement. Within this he wanted to conduct and acid test. We never really found out what the acid test was, it was basically just all these people, Ken Kesey, the Pranksters, and even Tom Wolfe taking acid.

    Kesey and the Pranksters all take a trip from the west coast to the east coast, during this trip they travel in a day-glo painted bus that they called Further. On the days that they traveled they had taken lots of acid, along with that they had someone filming them and their whole trip. A documentary called ‘Magic Bus’ was even made about it, with some of the footage taken. As this merry group of people drove through the towns they would play music and get on top of the bus while they drove by. You could say that this was definitely a crazy bunch of kids back in 1964. Ken Kesey would say to those traveling on the bus, “You’re either on the bus or off the bus.”

    After the they had returned they all went back to La Honda, where they all lived together. People from else where would even come join and live with them. Unfortunately for them the FBI had showed up and arrested them all. Kesey had gotten arrest many times for being in possession of marijuana. Soon they all came out on bail together. However, later on Kesey was wanted again, with this he fled to Mexico in order to avoid prosecution. Even some of the Pranksters tagged along with him.

    While Kesey was down in Mexico he had realized that it was time to move past drugs and that drugs weren’t everything. He then returned to the states to let people know this. Him and the Pranksters even tried after a while to start back up what they had back in 1964, but nothing felt the same to them. It was over and time for them to move past the acid test and the psychedelic movement.

    The author of this book, Tom Wolfe, had a new journalism writing style. He really captured the moments and events that had happened during this period. He had tried to describe as much as he could in detail of everything that happened, even some of the trips that people were going through when they were on LSD. I really enjoyed this book because of all the details Tom put into it. It was a fun and exciting book to read. Just the crazy thought of all these people experimenting with drugs really intrigued me. I wanted to know what happened and how each one of these hippies felt and how they reacted to what they were experiencing. The fact that they were making a movie about it was well was very interesting to me. I can’t wait to sit down and watch the documentary about these crazy hippies taking LSD, DMT, Speed, and whatever other crazy things they got into.

    I would recommend this book to many of my friends. I thought that it was very well written and an exciting, interesting book, that made me want to keep reading. I think that if you are someone who enjoys reading about other peoples experiences and learning about the 60’s then you should read this book. I also think that those who are interested in knowing about that start of the hippie would really enjoy this, because I know that I did.

Doors of perception Review Over winter break I was lucky enough to randomly choose to read Door’s of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley. I say I was lucky because I happened to stumble upon this great book by chance, almost solely choosing the book based off the title. Not a very proven way of choosing a book, but I got lucky this time and found a gem. This story is one of new worlds and new perceptions of life. Aldous Huxley happens to find himself in the middle of a peyote, and more specifically Mescaline experiment; attempting to further our understanding of the effects and more literally the way Mescaline works within the human brain. Over the course of many random trails and many different spiritual journeys the reader is thrown into the world of Huxley while “tripping” Mescaline. He describes to the reader the numerous effects and feelings he has while on Mescaline, all the while painting a vivid picture for the reader to get a better grasp of what is happening to him while he is on Mescaline. For example he explains to the reader the “glowing” of objects and the new profound understanding he has of objects. Huxley takes the drug in a number of different environments, leading to a number of different experiences. Each one giving the reader a new understanding of Mescaline and the effects it has in someone; and giving the reader a better understanding of the life changing experiences the can happen to a person while on Mescaline. By doing this Huxley allows the reader to see through his “door of perception” and into the world of Mescaline and beyond. This writing of this book is very eloquent and laid together in a fluid and cohesive form. Huxley uses his deep vocabulary to give the reader a better grasp of what is happening to him while he is on Mescaline. Huxley uses a number of different writing techniques, such as vastly extended analogies and an extensive use of other authors writings in order to clearly describe and more importantly make it possible for the reader to understand what the hell he is talking about, because much of what Huxley is talking about and much of what he is experiencing the majority of readers have never experienced and most likely never will. So it really is quite a feat that he is able to bring the reader into his Mescaline tripping world in a way that doesn’t leave the reader lost after every sentence. So I applaud Huxley for the work he has done, and really appreciate his ability to dive into such complex ideas while still keeping his writing simple and easy to read. I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was actually very fun to read, and I enjoyed the ideas and concepts the Huxley dives into. As a reader I never found myself board reading this book and instead was constantly engaged in the reading. Huxley really got my attention when he began to talk about the greater meaning of things he found while on Mescaline. It forced me as a reader to look at life in a different way and really question the perceptions and ideas I have within my own life. It also got me very curious about the workings of the brain and certain ideas, such as: If our brain is filtering out so much of our reality, what are all the other things we are not perceiving? What ways can we bypass this filter? Are there ways to get past this filter without drugs? Is the Mescaline reality “more real” than our normal reality? All of these questions I continually was asking myself through out the course of reading this book. And this was really cool to me that he could make me question my reality so much by just talking about his reality on Mescaline. I would most definitely recommend this book to almost every reader. However if you are the type of person who I uncomfortable with challenging the reality that we have become so familiar with then this is not the book for you. This book is constantly pushing through the boundaries of what is familiar to us and forces the reader to question his reality and contemplate what other realities could and do exist. But if those types of ideas interest you as a reader then this is a great book for you. Huxley takes the reader into a new a fresh world that forces you to question your reality, and look into new realities through the doors of perception.

No Country For Old Men Book Review

Alfred S.

The novel No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, is jam packed with action, love, death, and insanity. This book mac McCarthy, is simply put, a thriller. This book set in the 1980’s on the Mexican, Texas border follows the travels of a local Texan, Llewelyn Moss, who somehow found himself caught in a drug war, an old Sheriff, and a maniac killer. Moss must learn how to survive, and become a more sneaky and conniving person then he thought he ever could be if he hopes to survive his journey.

Through all the chaos of the novel, it is a fairly simple plot. In short, the characters are engulfed in greed. Llewelyn Moss, a simple country man who has a profession as a welder. He has a nineteen-year-old wife, and they live happily together in a trailer park. Llewelyn went out hunting one day for antelope but instead, stumbled upon a drug deal that had gone horribly wrong. There were dead bodies littered across the area and a man dead with a brief case in his arms. He takes the brief case and looks inside of it and finds two million dollars. He takes the brief case and runs for it. A psychotic hit man is hired to retrieve the money by any means necessary. His name is Chigurh, and he is the antagonist, the villain, and a heartless murderer. This insane man begins to hunt down Llewelyn across the vast lands of Texas and Mexico. When Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, an old battle tested war veteran, hears about this psycho and how he had recently murdered one of his deputies and is now hunting down a resident of his county, he buckles up and begins to hunt down the hunter.  The journeys of these three characters are long and agonizing, but in the end, somebody has to give.

Cormac’s depiction of the journey of those three men hunting and fleeing from each other across the present day Wild West is full of action, love, and death. McCarthy takes an old western flawed justice theme and positions it into a more present day setting. I found the ending of the book to be somewhat surprising, but I did not enjoy it that much. McCarthy’s writing was spectacular with his amazing use of imagery, and his ability to write a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anybody who genuinely likes action. I read Cormac McCarthy’s novel All The Pretty Horses last year for our reading assignment and thought it was pretty good, but I definitely feel that this book was even better. There is a movie that is based off of this novel but I must advise people to read the book first. The film would be hard to follow if you have never read the book, and I thought the movie was just not as up to par as the book. But I recommend watching the movie once you have finished the book. Cormac has once again written a brilliant novel and has failed to disappoint.

Where’s My Wand?

By: Meghan White

            Everyone believes in magic at one point in their life, but in Where’s My Wand, magic is what keeps Eric Poole from just giving up on everything. This little belief that he has does greater work than God ever had for him. He has to use something to control his insane Mother and help keep him from getting beat up every single day since he was 8, so why not take after his idol, Endora from Bewitched.

            This book is set in the late 60’s and 70’s. This time span allows us to follow Eric from when he was 8 all the way through 10^th grade. The trip that he takes us through has a hold of your attention to the very last sentence. Right from the very first chapter we learn everything about him. This poor little boy knew his sexual preference from an early age of 8. He didn’t know what the feelings were or even that it was possible to be attracted to the same sex. He was just glad that he wasn’t having the feelings that girls make boys feel that lead to sinful actions. Eric’s a good hearted Christian and follows the rules of God. He lets us see that even Christians can be gay. It is a personal preference, it doesn’t matter what you believe, it’s what you feel.

            Throughout the book we learn that Eric wasn’t very popular in school, he had a new bully in every grade, and very rarely found friends. When he would make a new friend, he would lose them from something that really mattered, no one wanted to leave Eric, he is a very likeable person, it’s just hard for kids to get past the fact that he’s deaf in one ear and not as good looking as the other kids. But he is a very nice and smart young boy. When he does stand up for himself his bullies back down. They just need a taste of their own medicine, or a foot to their throat, and they then leave little Eric alone.

When he wants something to happen, he runs to the basement to drape his bedspread over himself and right the wrongs that have occurred. He summons all of his powers that he can possibly conjure and flies through the universe and can see the future that he wants. His magic doesn’t always work the way he expects it to, but he realizes that maybe the way it actually happens is better.

This memoir is of a very realistic life. We see the pain that he endured for 7 years of his life, and his sister Valerie was of no help. She would only blackmail him and rat him out to mother when she caught him twirling around in the basement with his bedspread draped over his shoulders. But he gets her back when she takes her boyfriend into the forbidden living room, rather than the family room. We’re with him through everything from his mothers’ wild antics to him becoming best friends with a girl who has no arms. This book really shows us that we can triumph anything as long as believe in ourselves.

The Jordan Rules By Sam Smith. Review by Brooks Rogers

The Jordan Rules: By Sam Smith

Reviewed By Brooks Rogers

Sam Smith catches the off the court action of the 1990-91 season of the Chicago Bulls. The book follows Michael Jordan off the court and sees how the NBA superstar interacts. The name of this book comes from a series of defensive strategies that the Detroit Pistons used to shut down Michael Jordan. It was a strategy that helped the Pistons when they played against the Bulls. The Pistons and the Bulls were huge rivals during the time of Jordan and Isaiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons.

            The Jordan Rules is a book that I highly suggest to basketball lovers, and Jordan fans. If you are not a fan of either, than I suggest that you find a different book that fits your style. There was not enough action in the book, but there was definitely the off the court experience to help you see what really goes on off the court with the greatest player of all time. In many instances you see Jordan labeled as a douche-bag. As Sam Smith relates Jordan to the fact that no one is perfect, even when you are the best player in the world, and of all time, you will have your flaws. Jordan’s just happened to be the fact that he was not the nicest guy off the court, and especially not on the court. The 1990-91 season was a roller coaster of turmoil. The book goes into great detail of all of the problems that the team faced and overcame. You have to read this book if basketball is any interest to you. Once you start, you just want to keep learning more about the whole situation. It definitely is not a book that you can’t put down, but it is something that you want to keep learning about after each page you read.

Holler If You Hear Me (Connor's Book Review)

Holler If You Hear Me - Book Review

Connor Courter

Michael Eric Dyson’s “Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur”, explores the life and death of the widely loved rapper, Tupac. Faced with such a difficult childhood and very little parental guidance, Dyson walks you through the challenges Tupac went up against in his unfortunately short life. Starting with his crack addicted mother all the way through his tragic death. Dyson paints a vivid picture of Tupac through interviews with some of Tupac’s acquaintances and also by referencing old tapes of Tupac speaking himself. These interviews show how Tupac had a reputation as one of the most authentic artists around in his day and how deeply respected he was by many people. While Tupac’s life could certainly be portrayed as a ‘thug life’, as opposed to speaking out against it, Dyson shows how Tupac redefined it. Dyson explains how thug life isn’t all about guns, breaking laws and fighting, he uses Tupac’s interviews to explain thug life is about respect and loyalty, regardless of how you apply those in your life. Even as a highschool dropout, Tupac was certainly not against learning, he merely swapped school smarts for street smarts and took his love for reading and writing with him to the streets. Obviously Tupac quickly put those writing and reading skills to use by becoming a world renowned rapper and musician. This book dives deep into the legendary rappers reputation and morals and really exposes many things about Tupac that might be swept under the rug. Even people who consider themselves avid Tupac fans could read this book and learn more about the artist that they might not know and thrill them with more information about one of their favorites. Those who know very little about the artist will be enlightened by the ghetto sainthood of Tupac and be blasted with interesting information about a very interesting individual. A good read that helps you understand the life and thought process of a rap icon.

Freakonomics

Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner’s book, “Freakonomics,” explores the hidden side of everything. Bizarre and unique chapter titles both confuse and compel the reader to push forward. “Freakonomics” is one of the first books to push economics and data science into popular consciousness, if you recently passed over it pushing it aside or even off your reading list, it is definitely worth taking a second look.

Steven Levitt’s ability to ask questions about unrelated topics and draw a reasonable conclusion connecting the two topics, charms the reader throughout each chapter. “Freakonomics” is composed of a series of chapters, all of which propose questions as to evoke discomfort, confusion, and drive to keep reading. For example…

1. What do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? While this relationship is perplexing at first, as the chapter progresses the key link to sumo wrestlers and school teachers are incentives. The chapter shows how incentives are the cornerstone to modern life.

2. How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real estate agents? This one looks at the power of information in markets and how experts, wether a criminologist or a real-estate agent, use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda. 

3. Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? This section draws a relationship between crack dealers and fortune five hundred companies, specifically the struggle to reach the top. 

4. Where have all the criminals gone? This chapter explores the facts and fiction of crime. 

5. What makes a perfect parent? This poses the question “do parents matter?”.

Levitt's answers to the questions proposed in the chapters are tightly reasoned, interesting, and provocative. They're what make the book worth reading. Each chapter title proposes an interesting situation, they are bound to interest any reader. “Freakonomics” reaches far and wide, the material can be easily enjoyed by people of all ages, interests, and occupations. 

Levitt does not think it is necessary to identify a true “theme” from the topics he analyzes. He says that “since the science of economics is primarily a set of tools, as opposed to a subject matter, then no subject, however offbeat, need be beyond its reach.” While Levitt immediately denies any sort of theme in the introduction of the book, the book isn't a choppy mess. Levitt’s voice is prominent throughout each passage, its written in a very casual tone that draws the reader closer and personalizes the text. 

While the text has a very inviting voice, chances are you will take some offense to parts of “Freakonomics”. The book is said to have managed to offend nearly everyone. If you are a conservative you will most likely be outraged that abortion is promoted as a solution to crime. If you are a liberal, you might be upset by the racism, in the name section. Levitt’s ability to piss everyone off and still retain nearly four million readers is impeccable. Even though some of the topics offend, the bigger picture of each subject matter can be easily sympathized with. “Freakonomics” is an excellent quick read that sucks you into its vortex of unconventional reasoning of past and modern day occurrences. Once you dive in, you may never stop until you start drawing relationships between any and every unrelated subject matter such as commercial airline companies and Yellowstone National Park’s entrance fee.