Ecstasy Books

The reader is treated to a feast of biographical detail and insight. A rare and able biographer gives us a close-up and personal glimpse of a great man and character. What more can one ask for? In a league of its own!

For those new to Hemingway, I would recommend reading a wiki review of Ernest Hemingway, and then "A Moveable Feast" to hear in his own words his thoughts on the myriad cast of characters he met around the world. If possible (but highly unlikely, due to its rarity) I would follow that with Charles Fenton's "The Apprenticeship of Ernest Hemingway." I would then read "The Hemingway Women" (probably reading chapters in reverse order) to get one of the best histories of Ernest Hemingway's life. I would conclude with Hotchner's "Papa Hemingway."

The books by Hotchner and Fenton are classics and I would recommend hardback copies. I think remaindered copies from discount bookstores might be the most precious; there's something to be said for giving these homeless books a loving and final resting place on your bookshelf of treasured possessions.

All I can say is that I had no idea Ernest Hemingway was so much more than an author. It would be like calling TR a politician.

I initially began reading this book many years ago and was taken aback by the author's use of very long verbatim quotations, often two pages long, attributed to Hemingway, which I found very hard to believe that Hotchner was able to remember verbatim things that Hemingway had said, some things decades before. Hotcher prefaces the book that he often took notes and had a tape recorder, but it is obvious that in some instances there would have been no way for him to take a tape recorder.

Then I read Jack Hemingway's ("Bumby," Hemingway's first son) memoir (Adventures of a Fly Fisherman), in which he describes his experience of reading Carlos Baker's biography (which is considered the standard) as not portraying his father in any way even close to being accurate, and Hotchner's bio as being the closest to the life and personality of his father, so I took up the Hotcher book again, but still wasn't happy with it, but finished it. I have in general been very unhappy with pretty much all bios that I've read on Hemingway. I think the most enjoyable was The Hemingway Women. I think we really need an updated Hemingway bio that doesn't fall into the psychoanalytic and/or impersonal historian type of bio.

In 1948 A.E. Hotchner was dispatched from New York to Havana by Cosmopolitan Magazine to do a story on Hemingway. Hotchner was in awe of the famous writer and tried to dodge the assignment. Well, it didn't work and even as he was intimidated by the thoughts of how Hemingway would dismiss him without so much as a hint of a story, he screwed up his nerve and initiated the first contact. And from their first meeting at the Floridita Bar in Havana, to Hotchner's dismay, the two connected. A true friendship ensued and Hotchner traveled to Cuba at least once a year and communicated frequently by letter, wire and phone. Papa Hemingway called him Hotch and Hotch was as close to Papa as anyone. During their general conversations apparently very few subjects were off limits. Most of Papa's personal problems were discussed; he even talked about some of his writing techniques.
Travel was a big part of Hemingway's life. He paid regular visits to New York, Paris, Madrid, Key West and Ketchum, Idaho. Spain was his favorite destination and the Spanish lifestyle was reflected in his writing from `The Sun Also Rises' to various short stories.
There was no one thing in this book that defined the Hotchner Hemingway relationship unless you consider brotherly love. That kindness is on full display toward the end as Hotchner describes Hemingway's mental path to self-destruction.
Papa Hemingway is a must read human tragedy.
Tom Barnes author of: `The Goring Collection,' `Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone,' `The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.'

Wild game hunter, war correspondent, bull fighting afficionado; these were the elements that comprised the public persona of Earnest Hemingway, unparalleled man of American letters. As time went on though, Hemingway added unfathomable amounts of liquor to the mix and he began to confuse his public persona with who he really was. Hotchner's memoir finds Hemingway near the end of his remarkable reign as macho wordsmith king extrordinaire--It begins somewhere before he wrote the Old Man and the Sea, won the Nobel Prize, and covers through his tragic psychological/physical decline and suicide in 1961. Hotchner spent a lot of time with Hemingway during these later years touring Europe and running with the bulls. Along the way Hem and Hotch rub shoulders with Hemingway pals Ingrid Bergman, Ava Gardner, among others; but front and center are Hotchner's observations of the great man himself. It must have been hard for A.E.H. to write this as Hemingway slid into the paranoia/psychosis that eventually led him to fire that shotgun into his mouth in Ketchum, Idaho. As the memoir goes on, EH drinks more and more and struggles to maintain his art. Eventually, he imagines himself a target of the FBI, and at one point attempts to jump out of a plane transporting him to the Mayo Clinic for treatment. Through it all his last wife, Mary--as well as Hotchner and his many friends, stand by him. The reader,though, gets the feeling that while Hemingway was never easy to be around, the years of decline were especially difficult. Hotchner, a loyal friend and admirer, proves a more than able chronicler, always managing to mix just the right touch of compassion (that never becomes blind hero worship) with a keen objectivity that serves a good memoir best. In this book, Hotchner relates both the high and low points of the literary lion in winter.

This book is a fascinating look at the underbelly of New York night life in the 1990s.

Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture, by Frank Owen

Being from Westchester NY and having been to all the clubs mentioned and knowing some of the people mentioned and at least knowing of most of them, the book sort of gives me the creeps. Reading about the craziness that went on behind the scenes puts the darkness of the NY nightlife in a different kind of light.

It is quite interesting to learn about Peter Gatien's twisted rise to NY City club mogul, especially being from a small Canadian mill town. The characters seem about right. For anyone that's been to the Limelight, Sound Factory or any other NY City underground type club during the time frame in the book can attest to the almost cartoon like figures lurking in the shadows and loosing it on the dance floors. The ambulances would line up out side the Sound Factory just before sunup and the doors would finally close around 2pm the next day.

I enjoyed the look into some of the players of the era and have to hand it to Frank Owen for the time and effort spent sniffing out the story, no pun intended.

By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate

My Blog: The Real Estate Investors Blog
At Bloglines

There was a time, that I sat in my mid Atlantic hometown and read Interview, subscribed to the Village Voice, and partied at local night spots that couldn't hold a candle to the New York club scene when it came to sheer decadence but they tried-- oh, how they tried. This was long before the Clubkids though. In fact I seemed to have missed this phenomenon entirely-- never even saw them on television-- until I ran into the movie Party Monster via a radio interview on NPR with Seth Green who starred in the 2003 movie Party Monster based on the documentary, that was based on the events surrounding the death of low level drug dealer at the hands of a party promoter.

Owens has done a fine job as a reporter. As a true outsider though, I have to admit that I wasn't all that surprised at the drugged out antics of the club goers (for some reason urine is always used for shock value) which really weren't that different from the earlier period or probably even now. It was the violence of the family connected thugs that I found disturbing.

Owen did well not to concentrate on Alig's murder of Angel. The information about the Florida club scene was interesting. There were things Owen talked about that I would have liked him to have expanded on, such as his theory about the fascination that mobsters and entertainment stars have for one another.

There were also some potentially hilarious scenes in the book such as when one of the informants takes two burly male DEA agents -- one of them in a dress with a slit up the side.

On the down side, though, the book seemed to end rather abruptly with some rather lightweight, but mercifully brief sermonizing about how the dance clubs were built on cruelty.
Well worth the read.

The pace of this book was amazing. It's unfortunate that a poor movie like "Party Monster" prevented Clubland from being made into one. With the right director and cast, there is no doubt in my mind that this would have been huge. The cast of true characters in this book are people you find yourself rooting against. It reminds me of "Goodfellas" one of the best movies of all time.

During the 1990s, Frank Owen made a name for himself as a chronicler of the darker side of Manhattan night life, focusing especially on the always outrageous, often seedy, and occasionally criminal exploits of a small cadre of club owners and party promoters. His articles in the Village Voice managed to combine both some truly commendable journalism with a disarmingly naive dismay at the excesses of the scene; many of us read his pieces at the time with both uneasy recognition and palpable shock.

"Clubland" is the summation of this reporting, focusing on a trio of truly larger-than-life characters: promoter Michael Alig, who spearheaded New York's "club kid" scene; club owner Peter Gatien, who owned the Tunnel, the Limelight, the Palladium, and Club USA; and Chris Paciello, who fled New York to preside over the burgeoning Miami nightlife. Owen broke many of the stories and scandals surrounding Alig and Gatien; his reporting on Paciello is largely after-the-fact for the Miami period, but it's still remarkable how much new material he reveals and assembles.

Owen's coverage was and is superb and, for the most part, even-handed; he treats with an equally skeptical eye the abuses and foibles both of "clubland's" then-presiding influences and of overzealous law enforcement authorities. He also writes well, providing page-turning accounts of the murders, assaults, blackmail, drugs, and even government malfeasance that plagued Gatien's clubs and employees. Impressively gaining the confidence of nearly every party involved with the crimes and misdemeanors he describes, Owen skillfully fills in many of the details that were missing from the newspaper coverage at the time. Overall, then, this is a fascinating and well-researched book.

Where Owen stumbles, however, is his occasional (but thankfully sparse) tendency to use the examples of a few bad eggs to paint a tawdry picture of all of New York's nightlife. [Full disclosure: I knew or know a number of the people mentioned in this book.] As a result of his experiences, Owen is "more likely to view discos as institutions constructed on cruelty," and there are a number of other similar sentiments that pepper the book. It should be unnecessary to point out that dozens of owners and managers, hundreds of DJs and promoters, and thousands of club employees and patrons have never seen the inside of a courtroom, much less a jail cell. It's sad to see Owen, who is an excellent reporter, succumb to this sort of moralizing overreach; it is as simplistic as viewing Jayson Blair and Judith Miller as emblematic of all journalists, or as holding up a few rogue cops as examples of an "institution constructed on cruelty."

Another recurrent theme of Owen's book is the "fall" of clubland. Of course, many New Yorkers older than either Owen or me argue that the night scene fell after Steve Rubell went to jail and Studio 54 closed its doors (or, for that matter, after the heyday of the Copacabana or the Cotton Club). And it can't be news to Owen that there are still thriving, crowded, exuberantly joyous dance clubs in New York that a younger crowd surely believes is the best thing that's happened to entertainment. Even now, if a journalist like Owen were to scratch the surface, he'd doubtlessly find a few Mob-controlled elements and the scourge of drug abuse--only now, crystal meth has replaced Special K as the problem "party favor," just as ecstasy had supplanted cocaine two decades ago.

In fact, the scene described by Owen had moved past Alig and Gatien long before the duo's downfall in the mid-1990s. Except to a relatively small number of devotees, Alig had become embarrassingly passe as quickly as any other trend in this city; he and his peers often had difficulty filling even the smaller clubs. Many of us fled Alig's "Disco 2000" parties years earlier, moving to clubs dominated by a different set who spent their days working out in the gym and their nights (and mornings) dancing in abandon. And now, in Astoria, there is a more art-conscious and ethnically mixed "club kid" scene, presided over by some fresh faces as well as a few surviving denizens of Gatien's clubs.

In spite of these quibbles, Owen has no peer as a chronicler of the primeval "club kid" scene; what his reporting lacks, then, is historical perspective. "Clubland" is, however, a book of journalism, not of history; as such, it succeeds admirably at describing a comparatively narrow but inordinately visible slice of 1990s nightlife.

I can't say that I 'liked' reading this book - it was at times painfully sad. All young people should read this book, if only to understand that sometimes you don't get a second chance. Lynn Marie Smith had a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. First, you have to be talented just to get in the door, and then you have to figure out how in the hell you're going to pay for everything, if you're lucky enough to be accepted as a student.

Smith was a casual drug user who became an addict, and later, an MRI would prove that she suffered permanent brain damage from her use of the drug Ecstasy. Once she was out of rehab, her days of being a student over, she was back home with her parents, working a dead-end job and living in a small town.

This is the ultimate truth of what can happen to young people who f--k up their lives with drugs. They might not end up as homeless bag ladies with shopping carts, but being stuck in a low-wage dead-end job is a hell on earth, especially when you had a chance to make the big time, and you blew it.

The author's point of view is refreshing - she acknowledges the role that her parents' dysfunction played, but she does not fully blame them (or anyone else) for her problems.

This is one of my favorite books. She is open, honest and doesnt hold back. Some reviewers claim shes not an addict she doesnt know but its not about that. its about trying something and before you know it your caught up in this world of self indulgence. she was lucky. she stopped. this book will intrigue anyone who has tried ecstasy, or has wanted to try ecstasy.

Rolling away is a brilliant book. It tells the honest truth about what some people concider to be a harmless pill. For some, once you try ecstasy your hooked; it's hard to break free and Lynn does an excellent job in describing and explaining the horrors that she went through trying to get herself clean. You can go on any website or even google the effects of ecstasy but nothing is better than hearing, well reading in this case, something that actually happened to someone.

Lynn shares her whole life story. She explains how easy it is to get hooked, how it feels to be addicted to something and how hard it can be to get your life back. She tells about the show she was on that MTV aired called, True Life: I'm on ecstasy, and explains about the brain scan that her doctor had done on her and the results are scary but so true.

This book is for anyone that has ever done ecstasy, knowns anyone that has ever done E, or just for anyone that wants a great true story to read.

I read this book in about 2 days. Lynn Smith writes in an honest, real style that made me feel like I was talking to her directly.
I also felt like I went though much of her experience with her.
I appreciate her 'this is me, take it or leave it' style. Her message is more profound because of it.

I am a bookseller with a local chain bookstore. I found Ms. Smith's book a few days back while sifting through a bin of books to re-shelve. The title caught my eye, and the dust jacket description sealed the sale. It ended up coming home with me that night, and I finished it in one sitting.

In many cases, I found myself riveted to the pages - descriptions of feelings, sensations, and experiences had me nodding in agreement, certainly more accurate than I could ever describe. In others, I found the pacing of the story a bit rushed, and there were many questions I felt were unanswered or poorly explained.

By virtue of being a memoir, the book is a bit self-indulgent. But one thing the reader should remember is that the author is an actress, so it comes as no surprise. And I'm sure it's easy for me to criticize - I'm not an addict, and I can't relate to addiction.

Overall, I don't regret reading this book, but I don't feel like I connected with the author at all, and I felt there were many loose ends yet to be tied together.

I just can't keep a copy of this book in my house. Every woman I know wants to experience orgasmic moments that just keep peaking and peaking. Some men I know even want to give this exquisite sensation to their woman. Patti's book gently moves a couple along through the process of learning how to extend orgasmic pleasure. It's not something my husband and I just learned in one day. It takes practice to achieve orgasms that go beyond a simple climax. Once you learn to let your body relax, feel the sensation build and build and send energy between you and your partner like a closed loop circuit of love and excitement the intimacy attained is profound. I have been practicing this for only a year and know I will continue expanding my connection, my orgasm, my energy and my love for the rest of my life.
Patti's book is a sweet, doable step by step guide for anyone who wants to increase their sensual pleasure. I'm ordering my 5th copy today. :)

This book wasn't too bad, but it was really aimed at couples who are not in touch with each other. Most of the advice was not needed for us as we are not afraid to share. I was looking for something a little different than this; however, I know several friends of mine who would benefit from the information and plans laid out in this book. Definitely get this book if you feel your partner is nervous or unsure about lovemaking.

This book can open you to the intimate universe of respect, love, kindness, sex and expanding joy. A must for sensual being.

This is a wonderful, inspiring book that supports a couple in dramatically raising the level of their lovemaking experience and, while doing so, markedly strengthening their bond.

It is some 300 pages of text, with no photos, and so requires a reader who is didactically, rather than visually, oriented. I highly recommend it for anyone committed to having a GREAT relationship and learning to be a better lover.

What is at the core of so much World Suffering? In my opinion, being unhappy at home and being at odds with ones beloved contributes significantly to war, violence and hatred. The effect on the American culture of countless children who have undergone divorce is incalculable. Patti Taylor's monumental book on Expanded Orgasm is about learning the exact skills to build and heal an intimate relationship. While doing the physicial exercises to truly become "pleasure partners" acutual couples that Patti counseled face their pychological barriers to each other. Patti obviously spent years acquiring these lovemaking and pleasuring skills and the descriptions are candid and detailed. This is the first time that I have encountered this degree of expertise in a book: the work encompasses expansion on all levels. What I learned is that as we break through our resistance to pleasure in each moment in sexual contact, we begin to recreate a personal world of relationships that reflect satisfying and ever expanding enjoyment. If you want to amaze your lover and yourself, read this book! Lovemaking skills were part of the ancient wisdom of tantric and other cultures, because ultimately the practice leads to inner and world peace. Really happy people don't want to fight!

I found this book to be an interesting look at what one could call the "mystical" side of sex. The book uses imagery and metaphors to explain some of the eastern philosophies regarding sex and love making. At the same time, there are some rather explicit techniques described, but using imagery to deliver the message.

A good book for anyone looking for a new perspective on sex and love making.

Jolan Chang's and the chinese vision of love is a truly beautiful thing to behold.

The simple idea in this book, which is so difficult to achieve, is the concentration on the making of love and your partner rather than the big-o attached.

I've found that by taking the O out of the picture and focusing my attention on the pleasure of my lover's body it makes the whole experience enter another realm. Just the feelings that I get now from the touch of her skin dwarf the feeling of the big-O that I used to get.

If you truly think making love with your partner suits you and think he or she would enjoy being able to go for hours, then definitely look into this book!

Interesting perspective of Love. This book although a little short provides the reader an enticing overview on the practice of the Tao of Love. It provides the reader a medium in depth history of Tao in the essence of Loving Making. The bottom line is that A woman's Needs and sexual satisfaction go beyond the skill and technique of a man's ability to perform. Technique and skill is nothing without warmth and the awareness to live in the moment of ectasy is the heart of expression between two lovers. This book offers you the lover to become an artist in the Art of Love making. The presence of mind, the variation of strokes and thrust is just a small taste of the world of Tao of Love and Sex.
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I found it ok to give the reader an idea of the Tao of love and sex on a physical level, but not much in regards to how the Tao can be used for a higher spiritual purpose. The book seems to entirely focus on how to keep a woman sexually satisfied and how a person practicing the Tao can have much better health and increase lifespan. The book doesn't give much information about from a womans perspective but mainly from a male perspective and how physically beneficial it is for men. The book makes the assumption that woman are not sexually satisfied unless they have lots of orgasms, and the focus for the male is to retain the seed and engage his partner is lustful sex. The book mentions the use of a locking method to help a male from ejaculating but doesn't give specifics on how to actually do it and how to practice it (unlike Mantak Chia - cultivating male sexual energy). I found Mantak Chia books better in showing how the Tao is used as a spiritual path and also lots of practices to buildup and maintain sexual energy and other practical topics such as external lock, internal lock, sacrum and cranial pumps, power lock, etc.

If you follow the instructions in this book, you will never need anymore "sexpert's" advice, nor will you ever even consider taking "Viagra".

Jolan Chang, a chinese living in Stockholm, Sweden, gives a profound introduction into the ancient chinese philosophy of taoism and from this philosophy he derives a new way of looking at both love, making love and having sex.

He teaches, that the western way of "chasing" orgasm is unhealthy and contradicts the laws of nature, since "exaggerated" ejaculation can have some negative impact on males' well-being and health. According to Chang, "coerced" ejaculation is the most wide-spread cause of impotence. He says, that, instead of trying to reach an orgasm by any means, you should rather try to enjoy hour-lasting extasy with your partner,when you are sexually united with him or her, and that this will have an incredible positive effect on both your physical an mental health, and you will feel much better than after any orgasm. Furthermore this way of making love would reconcile man woman and end the "gender-war", since through taoism the woman will finally get the amount of love, care and physical satisfaction she needs, and the man is no longer forced to "prove" he is a "real man", since his fear of "failing" is taken away from him. Also no woman will any longer regard herself as "frigid", when she realizes that sexual satisfaction does not necessarily go along with an orgasm. It is to be well-noticed, that these ideas were developed in ancient China 500 B.C. !

Just follow the instructions of this book and enjoy!

I agree with the other user who put a 5 star rating to counter the blatant "I'm giving this 1 star (twice) because it doesn't absolutely condemn everyone who even thinks about using drugs" review. If, as other readers' comments imply, this includes some positive stuff about E then so be it. It's to be expected - I have used it a few times (not before some serious and surprising research into getting all the benefits at the lowest cost) and will use it again. I'd therefore encourage anyone interested in the topic to read up on it online or through books like these that are written by real experts rather than Government sources whose only interests are in scaremongering and getting people to use more destructive but legal drugs like booze and cigs in order to rake in as much tax as possible. No I have not read this particular book but in reading other reviews you can tell who is talking crap and who has approached the topic with an open mind. 1 star protests really *!?! me off.

This book is excellent.

It is very well written and can be easily read by lay persons as well as being a great source of information for health professionals (researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists,and all MDs.)

All of the important people in the field of MDMA research and history (Sasha and Ann Shulgin, Rick Doblin, among others) are either interviewed or have written chapters in the book.
The book is very informative and gives the extreme potential of this unique chemical. It is written by one of the most respected experts on MDMA.

This book is as objective as can be. Possible risks of MDMA use as well as the possible benefits are discussed in detail.

It is a must read for anyone interested in the topic of MDMA/ecstasy.

All royalties from the sale of this book will go toward funding clinical MDMA research.

This book contains so much interesting information about the recreational drug MDMA (ecstasy). It is very easy to read and many sections are in interview format. There are sections that are heavy on the chemical and neurotoxicity of the drug, but the author does a great job making it comprehensible to the average layman like myself. I believe this is a very unbiased look at the benefits of this drug and its clinical psychiatric use. It may be the prozac for the new millenia!

 One should start by putting things in perspective. The following background is necessary not only for all studies of psychoactive drugs, but for all studies of human behavior.
 There were about 400,000 USA deaths due to tobacco, 100,000 each to alcohol and prescription drugs and about 7600 to aspirin and other OTC painkillers. Worldwide we can expect that the figures will be about 10 million for tobacco, 2.5 million each for others and about 200,000 for aspirin and OTC painkillers. There may be 1 million people in the world with fetal alcohol syndrome(severe brain damage due to maternal drinking) and it is the leading cause of mental retardation in most countries.  There are also at least 15 million people who have fetal alcohol effect(lesser degrees of brain damage) with about 200,000 born every year. I suspect this is a gross underestimate.

 None of the psychedelics nor cannabis are known to produce fetal injury when taken in normal amounts.  All things considered, if you calculated the lifetime risks of death or injury from taking ecstasy, it is probably comparable to that of driving ten km and significantly less than that of putting on a pair of skis.

In addition, the young people who comprise the vast majority of the users are heavy risk takers, a very percentage of whom have personality disorders.  There are about 60 million schizophrenics and the same number of manic depressives in the world.  When you add the depressives, schizotypal disorders, anorexics, alcoholics etc it is clear that perhaps a billion people have major mental problems, nearly half of all those are in the prime drug taking ages. In addition nearly all of us have periodic mood swings, medical problems and personal crises. 

 Based on various data in this book and elsewhere,  it appears that about 20 million people will take something like 200 million pills of ecstasy each  year.  In 1998 there were about 9 deaths POSSIBLY connected with ecstasy in the USA. These seem to actually be due to drinking too much or too little water and likely to taking large amounts of other drugs or alcohol.    Ecstasy deaths(like those for marijuana and other psychedelics) are extremely rare and seldom if ever due to the direct toxicity--the psychedelics having some the widest margins between the effective and the toxic doses of any drugs in medicine. 

 The fact is there was enough data to prove the psychedelics were safe and therapeutically effective 25 years ago.  If they were available OTC or perhaps even on prescription with the same general indications as say, antibiotics, the black market and adulterated drugs would quickly fade away.

 It is not clear that anyone has ever had serious permanent mental problems due to taking ecstasy(though they often have serious permanent benefits) and its potential as a therapeutic agent are enormous. It has a long and remarkable history as a highly effective and safe therapeutic adjunct.  Nevertheless, as with many other psychedelic drugs, the federal government has chosen to ignore medical advice and legal opinion and classify it with heroin as a Schedule 1 drug with no recognized medical value and the governments of many other countries have followed along like trained dogs. 
This book aims to provide accurate information on all aspects of MDMA(ecstasy) and it accomplishes this quite well. 

 The authors mostly try very hard to be fair and balanced in their approaches and are mostly experts in the field.  They caution about the difficulty of applying the data on animals to humans but they often do not go far enough in emphasizing the probable irrelevance of the animal data to humans.  E.G., in the chapter on risks, not only do most of the animals get large amounts intravenously, but there are no good control data.  We need to see what happens with the same animals with the same routes and relative doses with a variety of commonly used medicines(eg, antidepressants, mood elevators, asthmatics, appetite depressants, cold medicines, OTC pain pills etc etc. Will they, as one suspects, show similar changes in their brain chemistry, memory, blood flow etc?  Nobody knows as the government sponsored studies almost never test them.  We can only guess from scattered data in other studies which often show the same kinds of changes.  Consequently, if we applied the same criteria used for Prozac, Elavil, aspirin etc  we would either have to outlaw nearly all the drugs in current medical use or legalize all the psychedelics. However the government has no interest in being rational, fair or even sane and certainly none in allowing us the freedoms supposedly guaranteed by the Consititution, and the Bill of Rights. 

 Wantly badly to err on the side of caution, several of the authors repeatedly warn(eg, p111) of the possibility of subtle long term damage yet they seem unconcerned by some half century of massive long term use of antidepressants, amphetamines, etc to say nothing of alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.  And only one bothers to mention(p 139) that a half century of studies on chronic users(often intravenous and multidrug abusers) of the closely related amphetamine and methamphetamine have failed to show evidence of Parkinsonism. And let us keep in mind that about 99% of all the MDMA fans use it only a few times in their lives in low oral doses.  The same is true of most other psychedelics and so it seems likely that the only long term behavioural effects in the vast majority of users will be some increase in insight, less rigid personalities, broader interests in art, music, religion and a generally happier life.

 The young people who comprise the vast majority of the users are heavy risk takers, a very high percentage of whom have personality disorders.  There are about 60 million schizophrenics and the same number of manic depressives in the world.  When you add the depressives, schizotypal disorders, anorexics, alcholics etc it is clear that perhaps a billion people have major mental problems - nearly half of all those are in the prime drug taking ages. In addition nearly all of us have periodic mood swings, medical problems and personal crises.  In addition as some of the authors note (and as Holland often interjects in her editoral notes) the ecstasy users are usually taking other drugs before, during and after their ecstasy(and marijuana and other psychedelic experiences).    These include, almost universally, alcohol, tobacco and caffeine(which are almost always ignored) as well as cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine, ketamine, dextromethorphan, asthmatics, and a wide variety or uppers, downers and prescription mood altering agents including birth control pills and Viagra, to say nothing of the steroids now approaching universal use in professional athletes in all sports(no the new ones cannot generally be detected).  Yet as Holland and others note, these other drugs are usually not mentioned and a really good drug screen on the users appearing in clinics or used in studies is seldom done.  The point of all this is that the claim that ecstasy is dangerous is not correct(and other psychedelics are mostly the same).  It's probable that skiing kills and injures more people in one season(most in car accidents!) or tobacco or alcohol in one day, than all psychedelics combined have done since the beginning of recorded history.  Thus the demonizing of them does not correspond with reality.  In fact since more than 99% of all media on MDMA is negative it would be reasonable and desireable to remove all the comments on possible negative effects from this book and publish it as MDMA: miracle medicine for the 21st century! 

 Billions of dollars have been spent on studies ánd programs aimed at showing that psychedelics are bad and almost nothing on their many positive effects. In fact most of the world has(naturally) followed the poorly educated, deeply repressed, conservative Christians who control the US Govt. in outlawing, for over 30 years, any medical use and any research that might show benefits!  The vast amount of practical experience with their benefits cannot even be published and the tens(maybe hundreds) of millions who have had major positive experiences cannot talk about them.  Its clear as day that the only serious problem with ecstasy is that it is new and it triggers the control and maybe the contamination templates in the monkey mind. 

 The evidence presented here shows that MDMA is very safe, rarely illusionogenic(though most authors follow the common practice of calling visual effects hallucinations, which they defintely are not).  Hallucinations-eg, seeing and hearing persons who are not there- are characteristic of schizophrenia, toxic psychoses, belladonoids(eg datura), and dissociative anesthethics(PCP, ketamine).  They are so rare with psychedelics that one suspects that nearly all such cases are due to preexisting psychosis.  MDMA probably belongs(with a variety of other drugs invented by Shulgin) in a new class called entactogens.  These are unique in that in addition to catalyzing positive emotions and bonding, they are rapidly acting, nonsedating anxiolytics(decrease anxiety), anaesthetics(pain killers) and antidepressants(which take days or weeks to act in comparison with minutes for MDMA!) with remarkably few and mild side effects(in dramatic contrast with nearly all medical drugs which have severe side effects that are often fatal).

 There is along chapter devoted to the toxicity data on rats and monkeys usually dosed intravenously and chronically with huge amounts and to reports on chronic, high dose often IV multiple drug abusers, probably with a high incidence of preexisting mental adn physical problems.  Only Holland's desire for completeness justifies the inclusion of such data in this book.  It has about as much relevance to the occasional oral use by the vast majority of MDMA users as the study of chronic alcoholics has to the description of a dinner party where 2 people consume a bottle of wine. 

 Jansen(p 87,89) is afraid of this self medication at home and expecially at raves(massive all night music events)without a therapist but probably over 100 million people in the last 40 years have taken some 2 billion trips with LSD, MDMA, MDA, mescaline, peyote, amanita, psilocybin mushrooms, ketamine and many other psychedelics with amazingly little evidence of negative effects. And of course, syrian rue, amanita muscaria, peyote and other cacti, pitruri, datura, ayahuasca and countless other plants have been consumed in hundreds of societies for thousands and likely for tens of thousands of years, giving rise to much of our art, music and religion, with hardly a trace of tradition regarding bad effects, which people were usually quick to notice and avoid.  And, as Jansen(the author of an excellent recent book on ketamine)notes, nobody writes up, or sends to the media, reports of positive effects. 

 One way to look at the really big picture is to call on our modern knowledge of cognitive and evolutionary psychology which tells us that the foundations of human behavior are the result of the mechanical, unconscious functioning of the inference engines or templates that were evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago(or millions or tens or hundreds of millions depending on one's point of view) to enable small bands of primates to survive long enough to reproduce.  These templates take in all the info from the eyes, ears, etc. and memory and produce feelings or intuitions about how one should behave to optimize survival.  However templates for control, predator avoidance, contamination, etc which were so rational in a small group on the African savanna(or in the trees a few million years earlier) are totally irrational and and even suicidal now.  Relentlessly, and in agonizing slow motion, 6 billion people are following the dictates of their templates while the biosphere and what passes for civilization collapses around them. The devious, power mad, repressed and unconscious persons who gravitate to positions of power in government, military, religion, industry and academia are orchestrating the end of the world while their like-minded constituents cheer wildly.  It is these people and not the psychedelic users who are the criminals.

 Ecstasy and other psychedelics, preferably combined with various kinds of meditation and other physical and mental therapies have a major potential to help people to break free from the automatisms that have guided behavior for millions of years. Billions of people need this medicine to avoid a lifetime of suffering and unhappiness and often, suicide.  Let us hope that it holds the answer as there does not seem to be any other and let us hurry--time is running out. 

I'm just writing a positive review to offset the biassed idiot who probably didn;t read the book, and who wrote two 1-star reviews to bash it.

VISIONSEEKER is the last book of a fabulous Shamanic trilogy by anthropologist and Hawaiian shaman, Dr. Hank Wesselman. The first two books are SPIRITWALKER, MEDICINEMAKER and the above is the third in this fascinating trilogy of one man's walk into the unknown world of spirits. I highly recommend them. These books will be sure to stretch your mind to unlimited heights. Can't put them down. EXTRAORDINARY!!!!!
PN

Visionseeker is the final of three books. The first two being "Spiritwalker," then "Medicinmaker."

In Visionseeker, Hank Wesselman continues to beautifully illustrate his extraordinary visionary experiences with using a writing style which is easy to follow and often peppered with humor. The concepts presented in the book -- such as out-of-body consciousness and shamanism's healing methods, etc. -- are thoroughly investigated and explained to the best of the author's ability, with the Western, scientifically-oriented perspective in mind. Hank's "inner scientist," stemming from his previous education in the Anthropological field, compels him to come up with rational and logical reasons as to how and why these extraordinary experiences are taking place. Using scientific reasoning and traditional Hawai'ian beliefs, he is able to explain (was able to explain to me, at least) what would normally be unexplainable.

The content of the entire trilogy generally includes: 1) his first encounters and reactions to his initial out-of-the-ordinary experiences, 2) his understanding and explanation of these experiences through a scientific and traditional Hawai'ian Kahuna's perspective, 3) an extraordinary account of his repeated "journeys" to a possible future Earth, seeing it through another man's eyes, and 4) several undeniably relevant and important proposals which connect his experiences to our present time and global situation.

I appreciated Hank's openmindedness and sincerity when he approached his difficult-to-explain/understand experiences. Both his experiences and perspective inspired me to look at my life and future in a new way. The Spiritwalker trilogy has made a significant difference in my life. I highly recommend all three books.

Hank has been there, done that. He allows you to join his ecstacy as he receives vital information for humankind's growth and survival. Don't miss it.

"Visionseeker" is the third book in a series concerning the author's amazing, beautiful, and insightful connection with his future ancestor (Nainoa), as well as his awesome journeys into various transcendent experiences. In this book he continues to share a great amount of "ancient wisdom" that is helpful for us to learn/remember today.

Hank Wesselman's writing style is such that he is able to pull the reader into his experiences - so much so that there were times when I could actually see/feel/hear/sense that which he was describing. In this way, Mr. Wesselman takes the reader on a journey as well - an awesome & powerful journey to be sure!

Overall, I would highly recommend "Visionseeker" to anyone interested in spirituality in general, &/or shaminism in particular. This book has much to offer!

All other considerations aside, Visionseeker--like Spiritwalker and Medicinemaker--is a good story. By the way, if you haven't read any yet--READ THEM IN ORDER! It's interesting to consider what a possible future might look like. I like to hear about Wesselman's shamanic/visionary encounters and lessons with Nainoa. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't read this with a particular agenda and specific questions I needed to have answered. If a pressing question came up, I think I'd just write to Dr. Wesselman and ask. I read on to book three because I enjoyed the other two and find the "characters" to be multi-dimensional, aware and very human. Their consciousness is expanding with each visit. Some of their epiphanies help to clarify my own thinking--things I've been turning over in my own mind. The author has a gift for articulating hard-to-define concepts, particularly regarding the nature of the soul. I have a stake now in knowing what happens to these characters, and how they continue to learn and make sense of their uncommon relationship.

Wesselman is not painting of picture of 21st century life, culture and morality when he visits Nainoa. It's a foreign point of view in most respects. Nor do I think the author is omniscient when it comes to life in that time and place. He is learning as he goes and gathering information and understanding. Readers have to be aware of these things. Personally, I read the books with a curiosity about the possibility of a spiritual connection across time. If you believe in the possibility of reincarnation, his narrative is intriguing. What if he and Nainoa share a portion of an enduring soul? I don't think he is asking us to believe what he is saying beyond a shadow of a doubt; we didn't experience what he did, so how can we? But I respect his experience/his beliefs about them--and I think they contain something of value for us.

One of the things I liked best about this particular text was that he goes into specifics about his shamanic practices. As he begins to develop some control over his visionary states, he is also able to share the knowledge he's gained more clearly. He discusses the energy/levels of soul and seems to be honing in on what connects him and his ancestor in these visionary states. I haven't had a conscious experience quite like his, but I've had enough powerful visions in dreaming and other moments to give me an open mind about it.

With regard to the sexuality that a few have taken issue with...if it's part of the overall experience and story, why should it be filtered out? Some might think it's overdone--I hear similar complaints about Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series--but sexuality and intimate partnerships are part of life. I found them to be tastefully and lovingly captured, though a few could make you blush.... For some who follow a more mystical path, I have heard that you CAN launch some journeying via sexual buildup and release. I can't confirm or deny it myself, though I have spoken to people who claim it happens and I've read about it more than once. You might think it's new age mumbo jumbo--that's your prerogative, but as far as I'm concerned Mr. Wesselman is the author and he gets to choose what goes in and what he feels is important or worthwhile to share. Seems rather courageous to me to lay bare the details of one's life so openly. It's also inspiring to read about couples who love and respect each other with passion and tenderness, though it might not always be comfortable to read coming from our cultural framework.

At any rate, author/mythologist Joseph Campbell cautions that when the hero comes back after his transformational journey with gifts for his/her community, a lot of times those gifts turn to ashes in his hands, because the the community is often not ready/able to understand and receive those gifts--yet.

Keep the stories coming, Dr. Wesselman! We'll embrace whatever gifts we are ready for.

I have been hearing about the drug, Ecstasy, in the news lately. It has been described by some as being a "medical miracle", and by others as "potentially deadly". I decided to find out about this drug and further my knowledge with regard to the behind-the-scenes of what's going on surrounding this substance. I ordered a copy of "The Love Drug", by Richard Cohen. I found the book to be to be incredibly informative. I found myself learning more and more tid bits about the drug as I turned every next page. I was surprised to see that this drug Ecstasy was once actually legal, and actually patented in the early part of the twentieth century. I was intrigued by the legal testimony surrounding Ecstasy, which the author describes in detail. The book also discusses the connection between rave or circuit parties and MDMA. It's obvious, as the author portrays, that this drug is much more than a passing fad. I recommend this book highly to those wishing to further their familiarity with this rather fascinating compound. The chapter concerning adverse reactions will raise a few eye brows of those who use.

The Love Drug mirrors a lot of what we have been recently hearing via the mass media. This book tightens it up dramatically. What other books spend chapters to report, this book says it succinctly and intelligently. I particularly liked this about 'The Love Drug'. I will say this, The Love Drug is definitely a balanced and well written book. The book describes the pros and cons of MDMA utilization within both recreational and professional fields. I expected the author to report more information on the benefits of MDMA in psychiatric settings, including marriage counseling. But, the author may have limited reporting on this partially due to the fact that such benefits have not yet been scientifically substantiated. Go ahead and by the book. It has great medical information on the beneficial and adverse effects of MDMA in humans. It also doesn't condemn MDMA - in fact, the book dedicates several pages to the mixed messages our culture sends out. It is a very neutral text. It is an interesting read, nonetheless, for people interested in find out all about this very enticing compound, Ecstasy.

Was hoping this would be a good honest book about MDMA, instead we get results of studies with extremely small groups of people, questionable sources, and the usual drug hysteria. You'll do better with information found on the web, not to mention the writing will be more enjoyable.

I hate to rain on everybody's parade, but this book did not live up to the praise it received in other reviews. There are really only 90 pages of text. The rest of the book is footnotes repeated in the bibliography, a list of treatment agencies, and a glossary. The writing is often repititious or uninformative, with statements like "Ecstasy has, indeed, been the 'drug of choice' for many years now." The frequent use of quotation marks grows incredibly annoying-- like getting elbowed in the ribs after every point. The saddest part is, this is still probably the best book available on the topic.

Whether one is interested in the chemical configuration of Ecstasy, the chemistry involved in manufacturing the pill, or how Ecstasy emerged upon the rave scene-- you will find THE LOVE DRUG to be useful. I particularly enjoyed learning about the many legislative facets that have never before been revealed leading up to the banning of Ecstasy. The book describes something that was unbenownst to me in that Ecstasy was legal up until 15 years ago, and used within psychotherapy. The book also delves into the rave event or circuit parties pointing out the intimate relationship between such parties and Ecstasy. The book is definitely well-researched, and very resourceful for anyone trying to go behind the scenes to truly learn about this rather tempting drug. The chapter pertaining to adverse reactions will sure make people think twice about experimenting with the substance. Of course there are chances and risks that we take throughout our life. But at the same time; internal bleeding, convulsions, hyperthermia, kidney failure, and liver damage don't sound too inviting either. The fisthand accounts of ravers and individuals who have had medical trauma keeps one glued to the book.

Be adventurous and dive into the study of Tantra! A life changing experience. Weather you are interested in Yoga, Meditation, or discovering living with Delight and wonder!

Enjoy!

And if you want to deepen the experience, Try: Pratyabhijnahrdayam: The Secret of Self-recognition (Sanskrit Text with Eng. Trans., Notes and Introd.)VIJNANABHAIRAVA OR DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESSThe Splendor of Recognition: An Exploration of the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam, a Text on the Ancient Science of the Soul

for the western oriented thinker, this book is a very clear explanation of tantra experience. the insights (to the experienced reader) are to the point with little trappings. it is more like a 'structural' anlalysis of tantra than a 'mystical' one; very clean. highly recommended for those who can think beyond the ego stage of involvement. feuersteins books tend to be very adeptly done.lots of revealing insights, clarifications, and historical comparisons.

Out of all the books I've read about Tantra, this is the one I go back to. It has an unforgettable voice.

Feuerstein has done the English-speaking world a genuine service with this introduction to Tantra, suited especially to the casual intelligent reader. This is not suited to those interested in an anthropological, historical, or how-to approach (see reviews below for more details); instead, Feuerstein covers the basic topics in a rather plain-vanilla fashion. Feuerstein's first positive task is to dispell certain commercial flapdoodle still current in our fabulously corporate culture about tantra imagined as a kind of low-tech Orgasmatron (thanks, Woody Allen). He then gives a very straightforward (if oversimplified) explication of tantric history and practice germain to both Buddhists and Hindus on topics such as mantra and the guru. (Yes, I'm aware that tantra is both Buddhist and Hindu, and neither Buddhist nor Hindu.) Now, what Feuerstein has accomplished is no mean task. He writes with the detail of of a scholar and the credibility of a practitioner.

One may ask why book-learning is needed in this context, if tantra is a path of energy and relationship. Well, there is a genuine danger, after all, in not knowing what you're talking about:

"Someone with insufficient knowledge resembles a maimed person trying to climb a rock,
Someone who studies scriptures for the sake of becoming a scholar
Is like someone who searches for lethal weapons.
In short, if you do not know your own tradition,
How will you, a blind person lost in the middle of a vast plain, ever find your path?"
(The great tantric master, Padgyal Lingpa.)

Currently there is a barrage of books cropping up on the subject of Tantra. Many of them either go in the esoteric abstract and boring direction OR they are titallating, sex focused and commercially simple. Feurestein's book is a tremendous exception. It is a solid simple foundation of the esoteric principles in Tantra, shared in a context that is accessible ant practical for the reader. This book has inspired many discussions, ideas and practices on my personal path. Infact, Feurestein was a tremendous muse for my new tantra Novel. Don't Drink the Punch: An Adventure in Tantra. I'm in gratitude for Feuerstein's teachings.

I have used a few of the stories as reading material for my middle school literature class. My students enjoyed the short stories.

Author Sandra Cisneros expressed in her story "Eleven" that when you are eleven years old, you are also ten, nine and eight, and so forth. Thirteen is no different. When you're thirteen, you're also twelve, eleven and ten, yet you're expected --- and even want --- to be fourteen, fifteen and sixteen. Being thirteen is a time of confusion and sometimes anger, but it's also a time of hope and wonder, and a chance to start exploring who you are and what you want to become.

Twelve authors and one poet, including teen fiction luminaries like Ron Koertge and Ellen Wittlinger, share thirteen stories that range from humorous to heartbreaking, all about the joy --- or the lack thereof --- of being thirteen years old. In Ann Martin and Laura Godwin's "Tina the Teen Fairy," a fairy visits Maia, who wants nothing more in life than not to turn thirteen, on the evening before her birthday. James Howe explores what a bar mitzvah means to one boy in "Jeremy Goldblatt is So Not Moses." As these authors show, it doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, male or female, urban or rural --- there are some things about being thirteen that no one can escape.

13 is not a survival guide to anyone's thirteenth year; rather, it is a compilation of thoughts, memories and feelings that each author contributes to the reader. Instead of trying to guide the reader, these stories serve as sympathy and example. It is a collection anyone can enjoy, whether he/she is 13, 23 or 53.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft Webber

I read some of the stories in this book in my classroom and my students loved it. I had kids lining up to check the book out from me after I read the first story, which incidently may be one of the funniest stories i have ever read aloud in class. A must have book for any middle school teacher.

My son is in 8th grade and never a big reader (which I am trying to change). This book appealled to him on two levels. First, the short story format was less "stressful" than having to commit to a full length book. Second, the variety of stories has something for everyone. Some stories he identified with personally and others he felt helped him understand someone his age with a different background. There was also a mix of humor and seriousness that he really enjoyed. We both reccommend this book heartily.

13 is exactly what the subtitle says it is about. It capture the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen more than any other book i have read. But, then again, I havn't read any other books about being 13 years old. Anyways, 13 is a great book. It is a quick read but you will find yourself having problems putting it down. I recomended this book for anyone. If your past the age of 13 you can relate to it, if not, you can find out what 13 is all about. All in all, 13 is PRETTY DARN GOOD.