''Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change'' is a 2018 nonfiction book by

Tao Lin Tao Lin (; born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and artist. He has published four novels, a novella, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a memoir, as well as an extensive assortment of ...

. It is his first nonfiction book, and eighth book total.

Cover

On January 9, 2018, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' debuted the cover. The article also included an excerpt of the book in which Lin takes psilocybin mushrooms alone in his room and then emails a friend. The article stated that, "The jacket features Lin’s own illustration, one that reflects the themes of chaos and art so intrinsic to the book." The art was one of Lin's mandalas.

Summary

''Trip'' is in eight chapters, with an introduction, epilogue, and appendix. The chapter titles are "Why Am I Interested in Him?", "Terence McKenna’s Life," "My Drug History," "Psilocybin," "DMT," "Salvia," "Why Are Psychedelics Illegal?" and "Cannabis." Lin describes getting addicted to

pharmaceutical drugs A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

and feeling suicidal due to his addiction and to the bleakness of his life and his society. At his lowest, he encounters the work of

Terence McKenna Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist and mystic who advocated the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including ...

, the psychedelics enthusiast. McKenna's philosophy changes Lin's perspective from pessimistic to optimistic. He relates his experiences with various

psychedelic drugs Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

, including

psilocybin Psilocybin ( , ) is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound produced by more than 200 species of fungi. The most potent are members of the genus ''Psilocybe'', such as '' P. azurescens'', '' P. semilanceata'', and '' P.&nbs ...

and DMT. At the end of the book, Lin visits McKenna's ex-wife Kathleen Harrison, an ethnobotanist. He takes a plant-drawing class with her and meets her children, Finn and Klea, that she had with McKenna.

Release and reception

''Trip'' was published on May 1, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews. Emily Witt, writing in the ''

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * ''The New ...

'', said, "Lin avoids writing in figurative language, and there is little hyperbole in these reports, nor references to nineteen-sixties-era acid metaphysics. Trip is, if not a guide to self-help, a book about a person trying to be happier, in part by changing the kinds of drugs he uses."

John Horgan John Joseph Horgan (born August 7, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022, and also as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2014 to 2022. Horgan has been the ...

, in ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...

'', wrote, "If an aspirant asks for an example of experimental science writing, I’ll recommend Trip. The book veers from excruciatingly candid autobiography to biography (of McKenna) to investigative journalism…to interview-based journalism to philosophical speculation to first-person accounts of the effects of DMT and Salvia." In the ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', Rob Doyle gave the book a mixed review, concluding, "Trip is a sane book about becoming sane, and Lin’s most valuable work to date."

Foreign editions

A French edition from Au Diable Vauvert was published in 2019.

References

External links

Trip's page at Penguin Random House

Chapter 7 of Trip at Medium

Publishers Weekly review of Trip''
{{Authority control 2018 non-fiction books Memoirs about drugs Works by Tao Lin Vintage Books books