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honnari_hannya's review
3.0
Well-written and interesting exploration of drug culture around the time of Nixon’s war on drugs, centering around the publication of the notorious Go Ask Alice. Was never inclined to read the book, but it gives a pretty vivid description of its plot and particularly how most of it does not make sense, but the drug hysteria at the time shot it to stardom. Emphasizes the point that this book’s popularity was not based necessarily in truth, but in politicians preying on the fear of hypersensitive parents, as well as publishers looking to sell more copies.
I would like some thoughts on the other side—what was the actual cause of the explosion of drug use amongst teens at the time? What was the culture around drugs BEFORE this era of American history? I think that for all the emphasis the subtitle did on the Satanic Panic, LSD, and other such moral panics in American history, this was more an expose on Beatrice Sparks herself—and didn’t really reckon with the wider influence of Mormon American onto the political landscape. There was a portion that didn’t seem to fit—Emerson suggested that he added it in there because “this story wouldn’t have been public without Sparks” but the only thing we learn is the set up, and not really the result of the publication of her last book, so the ending ultimately felt unfinished to me.
I would like some thoughts on the other side—what was the actual cause of the explosion of drug use amongst teens at the time? What was the culture around drugs BEFORE this era of American history? I think that for all the emphasis the subtitle did on the Satanic Panic, LSD, and other such moral panics in American history, this was more an expose on Beatrice Sparks herself—and didn’t really reckon with the wider influence of Mormon American onto the political landscape. There was a portion that didn’t seem to fit—Emerson suggested that he added it in there because “this story wouldn’t have been public without Sparks” but the only thing we learn is the set up, and not really the result of the publication of her last book, so the ending ultimately felt unfinished to me.
stevienielson's review
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Drug abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Child death, Mental illness, Child abuse, and Drug use
rosienia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0