Customer Reviews

The Rise and Fall of Synanon: A California Utopia

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Many people today have never heard of Synanon -- in many ways, the root of our drug rehab system today. Perhaps not surprisingly, Synanon is one of the many controversial organizations that wove its way through the 60s, becoming a commune, then developing a "cultish" reputation while at the same time becoming a powerful influence in Corporate America. How odd. It's a good history of the program, and is important reading for that reason alone. I read it to try to understand and come to grips with my own history in a "drug program" that apparently had its roots in this one. I understand a lot more about myself and the influence of the program on me now that I've read this book. It's tragic, I think, that we leave the most desperate of our citizens at the mercy of people who exploit them mercilessly because we don't know what else to do, and basically, we just don't care. We can do better than this, but only if we understand the roots of the dysfunction of our "rehab" system. It only compounds the dysfunction of addiction. For a balanced interpretation, also read "When Society Becomes an Addict" by Anne Wilson Schaef.

"The Rise and Fall of Synanon: A California Utopia" is a valiant effort at responsible reportage with many years of hindsight. I would not overlook its importance.

I fought Synanon for over a decade and possess they internal memos showing their conspiracy to commit violence. The evidence was offered to writer and publisher who turned it down to meet "deadline. The book is highly inacurrate, didn't follow the evidence. Conclusions on brainwashing and violence embarrassingly understated.

Only true history of Synanon is [...]

Not the most exciting book I have ever read but it was interesting and informative in a text book kind of way . Doesn't really give you the dirt,but it does give you the basic story on Synanon.

As the title implies. this is an overview of Syananon as a utopian community rather than as a drug treatment facility. The tone is scholarly but the author is obviously enamored of Syanaon. There is good documentation and this book could serve as a good start for those interested in the Syananon phenomenon.

The best part of this book is the context that the subject is placed in. This results in a fair portrait of Synanon. I am speaking as one who lived there for many many years. It avoids the hysteria but does a good job showing the good and bad behaviors that populated this institution. So far, the best book on the subject.

I didn't know much about synanon until I read "seductive poison" and had the first association made to Synanon - the rattlesnake in a mailbox.

this book describes a kind of an evolution on a process called "the game" that consisted in arguing and discussing the various points of view that memebers had on a problem or a topic of discussion.

It's great to see the acceptance and positive public opinion that the media and people gave to Synanon on its early years - it's main social work was to cure addicteds.

Chuck Dederich is described as a charismatic leader, that led the beginning of "the game" groups and had an immense influence on the social estructure of the group.

Unfornately, it grows so much that the leader and its board of directores, decides to shift the focus ~from social work to money making business. The great image that the synanon was associated with in its early years would be the main marketing message for the start of a big economic group running lots of different business.

I view as positive all the differents sides and combinations on social orders that Dederich and his wife, Betty, made people comply to and experiment with . Unfortunately they started with the violence and shaving heads, policies that really turned it creepier, along with abortion incentive and vasectomies ceremonies.