Storming Heaven

The definitive account of the quest for chemical transcendence. "The most compelling account yet of how . . . hallucinogenic, or 'psychedelic,' drugs became an explosive force in postwar American history."--Newsweek

Steeped in research, but reading like a fast-paced novel, Stevens' story begins with pioneering psychologists discovering the effects on the mind of mescaline and psilocybin, the role of the CIA in testing mind-control drugs, the evolution of Timothy Leary from Harvard research psychologist to the most "dangerous man in America", the wrenching changes from the repressed 50's to the upheavals of the 60s, and along the way giving us portraits of some of the most colorful characters in modern American history, including Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, Aldous Huxley, and Jack Kerouac.

Jay Stevens is a poet, historian and a leader of the Orphic Revival. He is the author of Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream. Stevens wrote Drumming At The Edge of Magic and Planet Drum with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. A selection of his poetry is available on the CD "Dance House".