But, I guess I only ever linked to it from other posts. 

I consider this book to be another "must read". The more we understand history, the more we can make sense of the present and predict the future. 

Acid Dreams is about the history of LSD. It covers not only the man that discovered it, famously known people in the LSD scene like Timothy Leary, the rise of the 60's counterculture, but most importantly (to me) MKULTRA. Once laughed off as a conspiracy theory, the papers describing the very real and very horrifying illegal LSD operation run by the CIA on innocent Americans were released in 1977. And, what they describe will blow your mind more than an LSD trip. 

Chaos was the name for the illegal domestic espionage operation the CIA was running on US citizens in the late 60s and early 70s. Started by Lyndon B. Johnson and expanded by Richard Nixon.

One thing my friends and family know about me is that I'm obsessed with the truth. So, I jump on any chance to learn what really happened in the past and around certain culture-rocking events. 

I, like a lot of you, have read Helter Skelter. Although an interesting read, I was always left feeling a bit off about the whole Tate/LaBianca murder fiasco involving the Manson Family as it was described in that book. It just didn't make sense to me. But, I dismissed that feeling. I've felt that way a lot throughout my life. People have always mystified me. And, Charles Manson's "family" were probably no exception. 

Then, I caught an episode of Joe Rogan's podcast that completely captivated me. He had on Tom O'Neill, a journalist that spent 20 years digging into Charles Manson, his followers (The Family), the murders, and all the characters surrounding it. He had the same reservations about Helter Skelter as I did. I listened to that podcast with Tom O'Neill one more time and then a 3rd time for good measure. Next, I bought his book. 

It's a journey full of odd-ball characters, loose morals, drugs, and disturbing realizations about how corrupt our government (and people in general) can be. What our own government did to innocent and non-violent Black Panthers, it'll make your skin crawl. 

​I can't recommend this book enough. And, if you're fascinated with CIA corruption that took place in the 60s surrounding LSD, check out this book on MKULTRA. 

It checked some good boxes for me:

I looked for it at my local library but, they didn't have it. So, in my impatient excitement, I bought it new.

I couldn't wait to dive in. I've read a ton of health and science books for the last decade trying desperately to figure out my autoimmune situation. After awhile, that just becomes completely exhausting. So, lately, I've been working on reading more entertaining books. 

As I excitedly read page after page, I found myself feeling...off. With each story, I felt more and more deflated. I realized I was not enjoying reading this book. 

​About halfway through the book I stumbled across this YouTube video about the oldest story known to man. The story has many iterations but is basically the same version of events and it was inspired by the movement of the stars in our sky. It made me wonder if these Norse mythologies were also inspired by the stars and if so, that explained the oddness of them and why they exist in the first place. Just having that perspective helped me have more patience with the book.

Anyway, I ended up reading the whole book and actually enjoyed a couple of the stories toward the end. I still recommend this book for anyone who isn't familiar with Norse mythology because I did appreciate learning more about the gods and the different realms. ​If I could go back in time, I'd buy a used copy or wait for the library to carry it. 

Yeah, I know, sounds like a snooze fest, right?

Not to me!

​This book is fascinating beyond words and at around 70 pages in, it gets into the guts of what this book is really about. The effects of electricity on our health and its relation to the flu. Cue most people rolling their eyes. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the people who think they know the most have almost always done the least research.

​Bye you basic Felicias.

I always wondered what the deal was with it and why anyone would think that something like the flu, that's been around for as long as history has been recorded could have any connection with new technology like cell towers. And, I filed the whole theory under "there could be something there but seems extremely unlikely." Where I think most people would only see "crazy". I've learned that this is a huge, fascinating, and often surprising world where we shouldn't blindly rule out most things no matter how crazy they seem.