Synopses & Reviews
and#8226; An anthology of writings by some of the most influential women in history on the often misunderstood and misrepresented female drug experience.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#8226; With great honesty, bravery, and frankness, women from diverse backgrounds write about their drug experiences.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Women have been experimenting with drugs since prehistoric times, and yet published accounts of their views on the drug experience have been relegated to either antiseptic sociological studies or sensationalized stories splashed across the tabloids. The media has given us an enduring, but inaccurate, stereotype of a female drug user: passive, addicted, exploited, degraded, promiscuous. But the selections in this anthology--penned by such famous names as Billie Holiday, Anais Nin, Maya Angelou, and Carrie Fisher--show us that the real experiences of women are anything but stereotypical.and#160; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Sisters of the Extremeandlt;/iandgt; provides us with writings by women from diverse occupations and backgrounds, from prostitute to physician, who through their use of drugs dared cross the boundaries set by society--often doing so with the hope of expanding themselves and their vision of the world. Whether with LSD, peyote, cocaine, heroine, MDMA, or marijuana, these women have sought to reach, through their experimentation, other levels of consciousness. Sometimes their quests have brought unexpected rewards, other times great suffering and misfortune. But wherever their trips have left them, these women have lived courageously--if sometimes dangerously--and written about their journeys eloquently.
Review
Smoking grass eased the strain for me. I made a connection at a restaurant nearby. People called it Mary Jane, hash, grass, gauge, weed, pot, and I had absolutely no fear of using it. (Maya Angelou)
Review
andquot;This lively introduction to a relatively neglected topic is recommended for larger public and academic libraries.andquot;
Review
andquot;An informative and engaging presentation of famous female authors who write about the drug experience.andquot;
Review
An informative and engaging presentation of famous female authors who write about the drug experince. (James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review)
Review
It is scholarly yet not academic, exhaustively researched, and contains an indispensable bibliography. The spectrum of substances documented is comprehensive. For the adolescent, the general reader, the psychonaut, the literary/social historian, or the lone wolf looking to find a home on Mars, Sisters of the Extreme is an indispensable and insirational work. (Paul Wessels, Cape Times, February 23, 2001)
Review
"This lively introduction to a relatively neglected topic is recommended for larger public and academic libraries."
Review
andquot;The richness of subjective materials is exquisite. Many drug researchers tend to forget that the subjective experience is the andlt;Iandgt;raison d'etreandlt;/Iandgt; for drug use. Books like this one are an important counterbalance to the objective checklists of clincians. The book contains some of the best expositions of sensory detail this reviewer has ever read.andquot;
Review
andquot;It is amazingly complete. This book is an unfolding of layer after layer of experience. . . . a book for reference, for spiritual openings, for delight in reading.andquot;
Review
andldquo;Sisters of the Extreme is a great collection and well worth a read, for those who like great literature and who are interested in Woman/Gender Studies.andrdquo;
Review
"The richness of subjective materials is exquisite. Many drug researchers tend to forget that the subjective experience is the raison d'etre for drug use. Books like this one are an important counterbalance to the objective checklists of clincians. The book contains some of the best expositions of sensory detail this reviewer has ever read." < i=""> Journal of Psychoactive Drugs <>
Synopsis
• An anthology of writings by some of the most influential women in history on the often misunderstood and misrepresented female drug experience.
• With great honesty, bravery, and frankness, women from diverse backgrounds write about their drug experiences.
Women have been experimenting with drugs since prehistoric times, and yet published accounts of their views on the drug experience have been relegated to either antiseptic sociological studies or sensationalized stories splashed across the tabloids. The media has given us an enduring, but inaccurate, stereotype of a female drug user: passive, addicted, exploited, degraded, promiscuous. But the selections in this anthology--penned by such famous names as Billie Holiday, Anais Nin, Maya Angelou, and Carrie Fisher--show us that the real experiences of women are anything but stereotypical.
Sisters of the Extreme provides us with writings by women from diverse occupations and backgrounds, from prostitute to physician, who through their use of drugs dared cross the boundaries set by society--often doing so with the hope of expanding themselves and their vision of the world. Whether with LSD, peyote, cocaine, heroine, MDMA, or marijuana, these women have sought to reach, through their experimentation, other levels of consciousness. Sometimes their quests have brought unexpected rewards, other times great suffering and misfortune. But wherever their trips have left them, these women have lived courageously--if sometimes dangerously--and written about their journeys eloquently.
About the Author
Longtime drug historians, Cynthia Palmer and Michael Horowitz are the directors of the Fitz Hugh Ludlow Memorial Library, the nationandrsquo;s largest private collection of drug literature. They are also the editors of andlt;Iandgt;Moksha: Aldous Huxleyandrsquo;s Classic Writings on Psychedelicsandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;the Visionary Experienceandlt;/Iandgt;. Mr. Horowitz is the editor of Timothy Learyandrsquo;s andlt;Iandgt;Chaos and Cybercultureandlt;/Iandgt; and a bibliography of his writings.andnbsp;andnbsp;
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Foreword andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Preface andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Introduction andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Images of Women and Drugs in Myth and History andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Opium and the Victorian Imagination andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Expatriates and Vagabonds andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Mainline Ladies andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Psychedelic Pioneers andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Beats and Hippies andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Choosers and Abusers andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Shaman Women at the End of the Millennium