goodews may 2025 – good to read

by Susannah Cahalan
Rosemary Woodruff Leary was a woman with a mind of her own and at the heart of the psychedelic revolution of the late sixties and early seventies. Unfortunately, things went very wrong for her and Timothy Leary who, in her, had finally found a warm-hearted woman who took care of him and his two half-orphaned kids. When Timothy went to jail and talked to the Feds, Rosemary fled the country, fearing to be apprehended. She stayed away for 23 years and came back to the US by swimming to land in a bikini. What a woman! Here’s a review in the NYT. (SGS)
Viking Press

by Graham St. John

A stand-up philosopher who made a unique contribution to science, humanism, and the hidden arts, Terence McKenna (1946-2000) was the twentieth century’s psychedelic Renaissance man. Perfecting his rugged philosophy on the role of psychedelics in evolution, consciousness, and time, McKenna was a riotous charmer who stalked the shadows, but also sought the iridescence. More than twenty years since his untimely passing, McKenna has an enduring magnetism across the virtual pop stream, in pervasive digitization, and within social media networks.
MIT Press (for pre-orders)

by Vincent Rado

Acid Dialectics applies dialectical theory to the study of LSD and vice versa. The book examines four acid dialectics as well as an assortment of lysergic politics including acid fascism, acid liberalism, acid communism, and acid anarchism. It draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary sources and ends with a list of questions for further dialogue and inquiry. It is out of print already and can be downloaded for free. “This work is itself part of a larger, ongoing project (…) which examines how power structures affect drug markets and the discourse about them.”
Illicit News

by Elizabeth Nielson, Ingmar Gorman

Research shows the tremendous benefit of psychedelic drugs for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and trauma. This workbook draws on evidence-based harm reduction techniques to help readers experiment with psychedelic substances–on their own, in a group, or with a therapist–and integrate the lessons they’ve learned from psychedelic experiences into daily life.
New Harbinger Publications

by Simon Yugler

Psychedelic therapist Simon Yugler takes the reader on a mythological journey, to explore 10 universal themes that transcend our individual experiences – and reveal how psychedelic medicine can heal the soul and our collective unconscious in a time of uncertainty and initiation. Designed for a new generation of psychedelic facilitators and seekers, Psychedelics and the Soul invokes the traditions of Jungian depth psychology, mythology, and Indigenous cultural wisdom to meet a critical question of our times: How can the emerging field of psychedelic medicine heal the soul amid planetary crisis and collective opportunity?
North Atlantic Books