{"product_id":"a-short-strange-trip-an-untold-story-of-magic-mushrooms-madness-and-a-search-for-the-meaning-of-life-in-the-amazon","title":"A Short, Strange Trip: An Untold Story of Magic Mushrooms, Madness, and a Search for the Meaning of Life in the Amazon","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTag along with clever guide John O'Connor as he leads us on a gonzo journey through the history of psychedelics, the Amazon rainforest, and into the cosmic dimensions of our own minds. This will be the trip of a lifetime.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A compelling mix of travel writing and intellectual biography for readers interested in armchair travel, psychedelic culture, or 20th-century countercultural figures.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e -- Library Journal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarch 4th, 1971: Deep in the Colombian rainforest, a motley crew of \"psychonauts\" prepared for what they believed would be the ultimate experiment. Convinced that a mixture of powerful hallucinogenic plants held the key to unlocking human consciousness, they soon found themselves entering hyperspace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe return journey was... complicated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePresent day: Acclaimed journalist John O'Connor is fascinated by this forgotten expedition. What really happened in those jungle depths? Armed with decades-old field notes, new interviews, and a healthy dose of curiosity, O'Connor ventures into the same Amazon territory, retracing the psychonauts' steps through the remote Putumayo in search of a legendary hallucinogen called \u003cem\u003eukuè\u003c\/em\u003e --and the truth about an \"experiment\" that's been quietly gathering dust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorking alongside indigenous Uitoto people who bore witness to it all, O'Connor explores how humanity's relationship with psychedelics has shaped everything from ancient religion to modern medicine. But as he journeys deeper into both the rainforest and the cosmic dimensions these substances reveal, one question keeps nagging at him:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWere the psychonauts onto something truly profound--or just profoundly stoned?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome stories are worth the trip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn O'Connor \u003c\/strong\u003eis the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster\u003c\/em\u003e, an NPR and \u003cem\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e best book of 2024. His articles and essays have appeared in the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGQ\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMen's Journal\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e magazine, \u003cem\u003eOxford American\u003c\/em\u003e, the\u003cem\u003e Boston Globe\u003c\/em\u003e, and several anthologies. Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan (the original home of Gibson guitars), he has an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University and teaches journalism at Boston College. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife and children.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John O'Connor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51133356278045,"sku":"9781464218088","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0821\/9095\/8877\/files\/9781464218088.jpg?v=1775758855","url":"https:\/\/staging.anovelideaphilly.com\/products\/a-short-strange-trip-an-untold-story-of-magic-mushrooms-madness-and-a-search-for-the-meaning-of-life-in-the-amazon","provider":"A Novel Idea on Passyunk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}