Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America

Tie-dye, truckin’ and capitalism

Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America by Jesse Jarnow (Da Capo Press, $27.99).

Jesse Jarnow, who has written extensively on subjects like the way that the Grateful Dead advanced technology, now looks at the subculture of dope-smoking, acid-dropping, peace sign-flashing, tie-dye-wearing folks in Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America.

While we might want to argue with Jarnow’s claim that the use of emojis is a function of the power of the psychedelic in our culture, the rest of this history is fascinating and well-told. Whether it’s the capitalism that took over some aspects of psychedelia (cashing in on the Dead, for instance, or incorporating tie-dye into high-end fashion) or tracing the show more development of spirituality as mind-altering practices became more mainstream, Jarnow’s got his facts right. Heads is good reading, especially if you’re not tripping, dude.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com show less

With an emphsis on Dead Heads, which I found a little distracting, it was never the less, a good read about the history of psychedelics in America. Found the underground chefs and distributors histories fascinating but some of the author's meanderings, a bit difficult to follow. Weird but interesting topic.