This book is the story of how three brilliant scholars and one ambitious freshman crossed paths in the early sixties at a Harvard-sponsored psychedelic-drug research project, transforming their lives and American culture and launching the mind/body/spirit movement that inspired the explosion of yoga classes, organic produce, and alternative medicine. The four men came together in a time of upheaval and experimentation, and their exploration of an expanded consciousness set the stage for the social, spiritual, sexual, and psychological revolution of the 1960s. Timothy Leary would be the rebellious trickster, the premier proponent of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of LSD, advising a generation to 'turn on, tune in, and drop out'. Richard Alpert would be the seeker, traveling to India and returning to America as Ram Dass, reborn as a spiritual leader with his 'Be Here Now' mantra, inspiring a restless army of spiritual pilgrims. Huston Smith would be the teacher, practicing every world religion, introducing the Dalai Lama to the West, and educating generations of Americans to adopt a more tolerant, inclusive attitude toward other cultures' beliefs. And young Andrew Weil would be the healer, becoming the undisputed leader of alternative medicine, devoting his life to the holistic reformation of the American health care system. It was meant to be a time of joy, of peace, and of love, but behind the scenes lurked backstabbing, jealousy, and outright betrayal. In spite of their personal conflicts, the members of the Harvard Psychedelic Club would forever change the way we all view religion and practice medicine, and the very way we look at body and soul.

About the Author

Don Lattin is a leading journalist covering alternative and mainstream religious movements and figures in America. His work has appeared in dozens of U.S. magazines and newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, where he covered the religion beat for nearly two decades. Lattin has also worked as a consultant and commentator for Dateline, Primetime, Good Morning America, Nightline, Anderson Cooper 360, and PBS's Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. He is the author of Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge, and Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape Our Lives Today, and is the coauthor of Shopping for Faith: American Religion in the New Millennium.

Reviews

It's hard for folks who didn't live through the 1960s to imagine what it was like to live in a drug- and sex-soaked culture, one where traditional values were drowned in a rush of hedonism and hippiedom. Names like Timothy Leary and Ram Dass bring back all the memories and all the conflicts. In this beautifully constructed study, Lattin (Jesus Freaks) brings together four of the most memorable figures from that period. Each comes across as a flawed genius and irrepressible fanatic. The author says of Leary that he "activate[d] conservative anxiety in America," but this could easily describe any of the players in this grim and gritty story. Laying out their stories side by side in roughly chronological form, the author traces the lives of each of the players, exposing a kind of dysfunctional relationship among them that is not part of our corporate memory. This is a fast-moving, dispassionate recounting of a seminal period in our history, and all in all, a wonderful book. (Jan.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Should Bob Dylan or Civil Rights leader John Lewis-to name just two men who moved us on from the Fifties-happen upon this book and its subtitle, they might raise an objection, or several. The subtitle's hype telegraphs the book's weakness-a sensationalist tone-in what is essentially a stimulating collective biography of gurus of tripping, New Age spiritualism, academic ecumenicalism, and alternative medicine. A highly regarded veteran journalist, Lattin (Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge) is strong on vignette and well sourced: he personally interviewed all but Leary in-depth. And his coverage of how these four very different men intersected and to degrees collaborated or fought one another in a brief few years in Cambridge, MA, over the meaning, use, and abuse of psychedelics is a significant advance to Sixties historiography. Reporting from the diverse precincts of American religiosity, Lattin studs his narrative with "recreated dialogue," which, while vetted by his oral sources, often distracts from the authentic contributions of these extraordinary men. Verdict For lifestyle readers interested in how seekers got from then to now.-Scott H. Silverman, Earlham Coll. Lib., Richmond, IN Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

"Lattin weaves the biographies of these brilliant men into a compelling tale of possibilities and disappointments, angels and demons, triumph and tragedy... a page-turner that can stand proudly alongside its fictional counterparts."--Northern Dutchess News