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Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream Paperback – September 2, 1998

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Jay Stevens (Author)
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4.8 out of 5 stars 47 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Grove Press; 59544th edition (September 2, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0802135870
  • ISBN-13: 978-0802135872
  • Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars"Turn On" To This Fascinating Book!
By The Woj on April 4, 2003
Format: Paperback
I was born in 1960, so I was a little to young to appreciate the "Summer Of Love", Haight-Ashbury and the entire late 60's counter-culture movement. My fascination with that era began with Jimi Hendrix and other musicians associate with it. Most of the social aspects I was aware of were written by the "slanted" view of the media, teachers, politicians and parents; not the most objective of viewpoints
When I heard about this book I picked it up ... ASAP and was not disappointed. I will not go into lengthy discussions of this book like other reviewers (or even spell all the words correctly). While reading, Jay Stevens was placing me "there", "right there" where is was all happening from Aldous Huxley, to Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey.
The story unfolds "expertly" and the characters involved are so well described, it feels like I've met them personally.
While much of the information is public knowledge, there are many fascinating, generally unknown tidbits: from the CIA's LSD involvement to insights on Leary & Kesey.
Anyone who holds any interest in this subject will not be disappointed with this book. From someone who grew up on The Brady Bunch, The Monkees & Happy Days....this book is a definite eye opener into a cultural wave I wish I had been riding.... so "Turn On, Tune In & Get This Book".
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Politics of Consciousness
By Mr Potato Head on January 17, 2006
Format: Paperback
What if you could take a pill or otherwise ingest some substance that would make you see your whole world totally differently than you have seen it before? How do you think your life would change, or would you be any different at all?

As we all know, even if we weren't there...this is a large part of what the 1960's were about. And this book provides a window into the web of events and players that emerged during that turbulent time in our evolution. In my view, it presents an unbiased social history of consciousness expanding chemistry and it's consequences on the human mind and by extension, upon the greater society as a whole. The author uses scenes that are vivid and intimate into the players that had major roles in this upheaval of the status qou - Tim Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Alpert(aka. Ram Dass), Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Aldous Huxley, to name just a few. And of course, they all had their own opinions on how the revolution was to proceed, with frequent disagreements. There is also considerable light shed on the fact that LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, and other compounds were being used with considerable effectiveness within parts of the psychoanalytic community for several years before the powers that be came in and put them back in the box. But even if they hadn't passed laws against these tools, it would have eventually come crashing down of it's own weight. In the end, it was too radical a departure from the societal norms and the movement itself had no real leaders. Leadership was anathema to the revolution, the paradox being that authority was what was being disempowered. The result is that the dream spiraled out of control and we eventually ended up with Ronald Raygun as President and we haven't quite been the same since.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn Exceptional Weave of an Interesting History
By Norm Zurawski on January 15, 2003
Format: Paperback
In the spirit of the subject matter, the best word to describe this book is...cool. The author appears to have a genuine desire to objectively explore the history, for better or worse, of LSD and its role in American culture. Stevens does not approach this work being for nor against LSD. He just looks. As a result, this book comes out with flying colors...pun intended.
This book is a diamond in the rough for those who wish to take that same exploratory approach in reading about LSD and the history of this potent and controversial drug. It's not geared for people who are vehemently pro/anti LSD. Preconceived notions should be checked at the door before embarking on this adventure.
Stevens looks at LSD from its very beginnings, where characters such as Hoffman, Osmond, and Huxley help pave the way for much of what comes later in the book. As the narrative moves on, familiar names such as Ginsberg, Leary, Burroughs, Kerouac, Alpert, Metzner, Kesey, Cassady, Weil, Watts, and Wolfe, among others, enter and exit the stage like bit actors in this great showcase. If you've ever been enamored with the doings of any of those names, this book weaves a pattern from threads of various legacies in one fascinating tapestry.
As a caveat to the above paragraph, none of those characters is covered in much detail, with the exception of Timothy Leary. This is more a result of Leary's intense involvement with the scene than Stevens' focusing on one extraordinary character. Some of those people (Burroughs, for instance) make very brief but interesting appearances.
In addition to those mentioned, many unknown but intriguing characters fill the pages of this book. More than likely, every one of them will lead you to read on, until another name segues into the narrative.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsA very thorough and valuable history of the early years
By Martian Bachelor on May 6, 2001
Format: Paperback
This investigative tour de force covers in great detail the years from 1943 (and a little before) up through the LSD hysteria circa 1965-7. I'm marking it down a star because of its inexplicable lack of an index, which greatly reduces its value as a research reference -- which it surely deserves to be. There are so many biographies trying to be told simultaneously here that it sometimes got a bit confusing. It also tends to go off on occasional tangents, digressing at what to me seemed like too great a length regarding some of the characters of the story which (again) to me seemed more like minor ones not worth the many background pages devoted to them. But those are rather small quibbles really.
Stevens is pretty good at keeping central issues front and center as events unfold: eg, how the psychological models evolved over time, and the socio-political question of whether the power of this amazing molecule was for the masses or just for the few -- both of which became more or less moot as events over-ran things.
I liked "Acid Dreams" a microgram or two more than this book, probably because it emphasizes cultural rather than personal history more, but still had a difficult time putting "Storming Heaven" down for very long. It's extremely information-rich and well-written -- it's rather dispassionately objective while still being interesting. It would probably only disappoint those looking for simple answers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Amazing book

Published 1 month ago by Daniel Walker
2.0 out of 5 starsPompous and supremely condescending

I was looking forward to reading this book, but I found its tone supremely condescending, and its author pompous and full of his own "wisdom. Read more

Published 3 months ago by James Kenney
5.0 out of 5 starsNot only about LSD

Best book about the 60s

Published 6 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant Historical Overview of The Mid-20th Century Cultural...

I first read this book back in the 1980's around the time of it's first publication. After 30 years have passed, I decided to read it again and was not disappointed. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Devon Hitchcock
5.0 out of 5 starsWas suggested by a friend. So interesting to read ...

Was suggested by a friend. So interesting to read about the history and get a sense of perspective on the development and uses.

Published 12 months ago by working on it
5.0 out of 5 starsSandoz Saga

Just finished a class at our local college titled "Welcome to Wonderland: The Golden Age of Psychedelic Music. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Virginia Woof
4.0 out of 5 starsA good companion piece to Acid Dreams

A good companion piece to Acid Dreams. The books have some common ground, but Storming Heaven's focus is more on the social history (and therapeutic uses) of LSD and other... Read more

Published 21 months ago by George Sheridan
5.0 out of 5 starsThe best book on the subject

Don't waste time reading my review--get the book. I have read many explorations of LSD, a lot of them quite excellent, but this is the gold standard. Read more

Published on June 20, 2014 by Scott Teitsworth
5.0 out of 5 starsThe wild ride on the 1960s bus.

If you took the wild ride on the 1960s bus, and want to know, who fueled it, who was driving, or at least had a hand on the wheel, and why it crashed, this is the book for you.

Published on March 19, 2014 by Frank Sheen
5.0 out of 5 starsStorming Heaven

Excellent book, very well written. The subject matter is well organized, with great historical references. Read more

Published on September 3, 2013 by Catherine Stanko

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