Rate this book

This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History Of Getting High In America (2009)

by Ryan Grim(Favorite Author)

3.73 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0470167394 (ISBN13: 9780470167397)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Wiley

review 1: Just before Christmas my mother sent me a website filled with extremely cheap books and asked me to send her a list of the ones I thought were interesting.When I added this one to the list I thought for sure that my mother would ignore it and buy me something like "101 Ways to Be a Better Christian" instead. Nope, she went ahead and ordered this one. And as interesting as "101 Ways to Be a Better Christian" might be, this was far better. Yes, I know, I haven't read "101 Ways to Be a Better Christian" and, in fact, I don't even know if such a book exists. Call it intuition if you will, but this book is much much better than that possibly non-existent book.So what do I think of the actual book? Well, I gave it four stars and that's high for me. Heh heh, high. High, li... moreke . . . never mind.Anyhow, this book is not only filled with interesting facts about America's long love affair with mind-altering substances, but it offers a devastating critique of America's continuing war on drugs.Interesting fact: Bayer used to sell heroin in a bottle.Anyway, I'd recommend this book to anyone whose interest is captured by the title.
review 2: If this subject interests you at all, you must read this book. I have read reams on the subject and this is by far the most well written and accessible I have encountered. Whereas many drug policy books are written in a scholarly, heavily footnoted format that may turn a casual reader off, Grim blends personal anecdote, interviews, and research seamlessly to create a comprehensive work that is both engaging and educational. While it took me weeks to get through Jacob Sullum's "Saying Yes" I could not put this book down. From patent medicines to Iran Contra to research chemicals, this guy knows his subject and makes no apologies for personal experimentation and activism despite being a well regarded political insider. He also takes the media to task for it's multitude of investigative failures and propaganda spreading while being a media man himself. This guy is what journalism should be. Much like a good high, I find myself wanting more. less

Download links for: This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America

Advertising