Wonder Drug
LSD in the Land of Living Skies
by Hugh D. A. Goldring
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Pub Date Nov 08 2021 | Archive Date Nov 08 2021
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Description
Could it be that the most remote frontiers of twenty-first-century exploration lie inside the human mind? Illustrated in kaleidoscopic full colour, Wonder Drug is the graphic history of a controversial and little-known medical research project carried out in the Canadian prairies—one that championed LSD as a way to model schizophrenia and cure ailments from alcoholism to depression.
Spanning the decades from the 1950s to present day, this captivating story follows Anglo-Canadian psychiatrist Dr. Humphry Osmond down the rabbit hole of psychedelic research, conducted both in the lab and in his living room. Lurching from dazzling imagery to fanged delusions, and studded with a cast of radical personalities such as Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, and Kay Parley, Wonder Drug is a trip like no other.
As Osmond and his colleagues grapple with professional isolation, a growing moral panic, and the burgeoning War on Drugs, their growing body of findings are maligned and misunderstood—but the promise of pharmapolitical revolution is still on the horizon, and the radical research in Weyburn, Saskatchewan may yet be realized.
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781771135597 |
| PRICE | CA$21.95 (CAD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Dan O, Bookseller
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Between the Lines for an advanced copy of this new graphic history.
Wonder Drug written by Hugh Goldring and illustrated by Nicole Marie Burton is a illustrated history about LSD and research done on it beneficial uses on a wide ranges of afflictions. Quite a few books have been published on possible use of LSD in the treatment of depression, but this was the first time I learned about what had happened in Canada and what they had accomplished.
The history is interesting not just about Canadian socialism and how it lead to better research for people with mental and emotional problems, but how they found that LSD was very successful in the treatment of alcoholism. The writing is very well paced, and told, with plenty of research and a diverse cast of characters as you expect. Some are noble, some are hucksters. Kesey, Huxley and Leary also make appearances. Quite a lot is covered in this slim history. The art is straight forward, which helps the story, but can turn psychedelic when needed.
A fascinating graphic history that gives a reader hope that we can get past our moral problems on the War on Drugs, and find a way to help people who truly need it. A perfect read for fans of psychedelic history or for those who like offbeat stories from history.
Kate M, Reviewer
Goldring told the interesting history of LSD in an easily digestible way that was enjoyable to read. They touched a lot on the key players behind the science and research of the drug and also who popularized it and what kind of effect that had on the politics surrounding the drug. I thought it was pretty interesting to read, but I think it was definitely written for people who know nothing about the history of LSD because it stayed pretty surface level so if you already know a little bit about this, then I don't know if you would really find this book that interesting. The art was very pretty and fun though and got the point across!
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