Customer Reviews

Pills-A-Go-Go: A Fiendish Investigation into Pill Marketing, Art, History & Consumption

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As a pharmacologist, I found this book very interesting and much more informative than I expected it to be. I expected the book to be a simple review of drugs in pop culture, having read a little bit about the 'zine Pills-A-Go-Go that this book is based on. Mr. Hogshire presents some very thorough information about the processes of drug manufacture, marketing, and information control used by pharmaceutical companies. He also gives us a good history of pharmacies and the role of physicians in perpetuating this nation's obsession with prescription drugs. The book is written in a magazine style with lots of graphics, quotes, and lists. I love the use of old drug advertisements to show the history of pharmacetucial marketing toward doctors. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a career in pharmacy, pharmacology, or medicine, as well as anyone simply interested in "pill culture".

I only have two minor problems with this book. First, there are a ton of spelling and grammatical errors, which don't necessarily detract from the book's content, but do make the book a harder read. Second, the book is often very subjective and tends to follow Mr. Hogshire's very strong opinions on the pharmaceutical and medical industries. While this is to be expected based on the nature of the 'zine, it could have been written with a little less bias. In his defense however, he does a good job of telling all sides of the story on many subjects. Overall, this is a wonderful book.

This is a beautifully done book. I was surprised by the content and delighted by the artwork. Every page is an unexpected joy. Hogshire probes our pill-taking conscience and examines the cultural significance of pills. He is playful, provocative and informative. Don't make the mistake of dismissing this important work as merely another how-to for druggies. This book transcends popculture and should be required reading for pharmacists, healthcare providers, even cops. It is a seminal work. I love this book.

Jim Hogshire's "Pills-A-Go-Go" is an exceptionally entertaining and informative work that is great to read in a couple of sittings or in bits, a page or two a day.

This book is a good reference point to distingish the huge difference between a drug USER and a drug ABUSER.

There are MANY issues covered here that I have rarely (if ever) seen addressed elsewhere. One example is the fact that most pills are effective to treat things that they have not been officially approved to treat but if a doctor prescribes a drug for a non-government-approved reason he risks losing his licence. Also, much inside information on the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceuticle companies. And, the fact that government agencies have more input - as to what type of and how much of a drug you need when you are sick - than your doctor does! (How certain agencies of our government think it is more important to stop someone from "having fun" with a drug than to allow someone with, for example, a severed spine to have proper relief from their pain).

Highlight chapters include "The Pill as Virgin/Whore", "Rude Pharmasists", "Rape Drugs" (in which Hogshire points out that the date rape drug of choice is nor Rohypnol... it's ALCOHOL!), "Before Viagra, Better Sex Through Pills", "Pill Road Tests" (including a roll-on-the-floor hilarious account of an extreme Robitussin "experience"), and much more.

Well written & compiled, wonderful design & layout and great artwork.

WARNING: If you lend books, you may want to buy more than one copy... this is the type of book people borrow, then "forget" to return!

All I can say is, wow! This book is chock full of absolutely fantastic pharmaceutical information- more than I had even hoped for! Mr. Hogshire is right on the mark on his views of grumpy pharmacists- that was a classic chapter! I admire his bravery in writing this work- no doubt many narrow minded people will dislike this book intensely for obvious reasons, but never mind about them! I stayed up until 2 a.m. just happily reading every little interesting factoid. A MUST for all of us PDR freaks! Highly recommended!

This is one of the most interesting and fascinating books on drugs I have ever read. Amazingly thorough and enthralling. It has so many tidbits of information and gossip.

The book arrived on time. it's great reading and gives a lot of history about medicine and how they developed

This book gives great symbolic & factual insight into our "Pillhead...Society". From the beginnings of how pills were made, to how the job of our everyday pharmacist came about. You will read about the Pill-Makers, Pill-Takers, Pill-Pushers, Pill-Mushers, Pill-Prescriber, Pill-Heads, Pill-Users, Pill-Abusers,...pills, pills, and pills.

What I like best about this book is that it shows all the early advertisements aimed & marketed towards the Pill-Prescriber aka The "High Priest" (your doctor, pharmacist, or who ever has that script pad). These ads make your reading experience that much more fun, while your grasp on the reality of our pill world becomes much more twisted.

Pills-A-Go-Go: A Fiendish Investigation into Pill Marketing, Art, History & Consumption