{"product_id":"distilled-spirits-getting-high-then-sober-with-a-famous-writer-a-forgotten-philosopher-and-a-hopeless-drunk-hardcover","title":"Distilled Spirits: Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDon Lattin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDistilled Spirits\u003c\/i\u003e blends a religion reporter's memoir with the compelling stories of three men--Aldous Huxley, Gerald Heard, and Bill Wilson--who transformed the landscape of Western religion and spirituality in the twentieth century. Huxley, celebrated author of \u003ci\u003eBrave New World\u003c\/i\u003e, ignited a generation that chased utopian dreams and sought enlightenment through psychedelic drugs. Heard, an Anglo-Irish mystic, journeyed to California with Huxley in the 1930s to lay the foundations for the New Age and human potential movements. Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, joined forces with Huxley and Heard in the 1940s and 1950s, when Wilson began a series of little-known experiments to see if LSD could be used to help diehard drunks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir life stories are gracefully brought together by veteran journalist Don Lattin. Lattin recounts his own rocky personal journey from 1960s and 1970s counter-culture, through the fast-living, cocaine-fueled 1980s and 1990s, to his long struggle to get sober. By weaving an intimate account of his own recovery with the lives of the book's three central characters, Lattin shows us the redemptive power of story telling, the strength of fellowship, and the power of living more compassionately, one day at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is difficult for me to hide my enthusiasm for this book. It is a fascinating biography\/memoir with an abundance of heart--courageously honest, philosophically nuanced, and peppered with the most delightful sense of humor. It's easy to be romantic about drugs and mysticism--tougher to be both morally rigorous AND honestly ecstatic about the real openings they offer. I'm grateful that Lattin can hold this tension while also weaving a mesmerizing story.--Jeffrey Kripal, author of \u003ci\u003eEsalen: America and the Religion of No Religion\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This extraordinary book blends careful historical research with rich personal reflections. Lattin describes the intersecting lives and lasting influence of three men who helped transform American spirituality. \u003ci\u003eDistilled Spirits\u003c\/i\u003e offers readers a rare opportunity to gain both knowledge and wisdom.\"--Marion S. Goldman, author of \u003ci\u003eThe American Soul Rush\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This remarkable book deserves the widest readership it can get, for more clearly than any other book I know it shows the depth to which the human spirit can descend and still rebound. Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard were close friends and my most important mentors, and I spent one memorable afternoon with Bill Wilson. Don Lattin's astonishing book brings their life stories alive. It is carefully researched and disarmingly honest.\"--Huston Smith, author of \u003ci\u003eThe World's Religions\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe painful journey from addiction, to relapse, to recovery has become the \u003ci\u003ePilgrim's Progress\u003c\/i\u003e of our era. In this riveting fusion of memoir and tripartite biography, the noted religion reporter Don Lattin aligns his own pilgrimage to sobriety with the inspiration offered by three transformative twentieth-century figures who also found spiritual value as the basis for corrective action.--Kevin Starr, University Professor, University of Southern California\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An eye opening and mind expanding read. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is interested in consciousness, spiritual exploration, recovery and awakenings. Don is a masterful story teller and writer. He weaves together the lives of these men in way that is intriguing and wise. Read it, then start a revolution!\"--Noah Levine, author of \u003ci\u003eDharma Punx\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon Lattin knows how to tell a ripping good story, and there are many in this book. The scene of Lattin interviewing the Pope as their plane lands in Miami is alone worth the price of admission. Add to that some fascinating stories about Aldous Huxley and Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, and you've got yourself a great read. There is some irony in the fact that Don Lattin was doing drugs and drinking heavily while reporting on religion for the San Francisco Chronicle. But it all comes together in this book, which explores the connections between the spiritual search and the substances that produce altered states of consciousness. It's a trip, as they used to say, and a great read.--Wes 'Scoop' Nisker, Buddhist teacher, performer and author of \u003ci\u003eEssential Crazy Wisdom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is difficult for me to hide my enthusiasm for this book. It is a fascinating biography\/memoir with an abundance of heart--courageously honest, philosophically nuanced, and peppered with the most delightful sense of humor. It's easy to be romantic about drugs and mysticism--tougher to be both morally rigorous AND honestly ecstatic about the real openings they offer. I'm grateful that Lattin can hold this tension while also weaving a mesmerizing story.--Jeffrey Kripal, author of \u003ci\u003eEsalen: America and the Religion of No Religion\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This extraordinary book blends careful historical research with rich personal reflections. Lattin describes the intersecting lives and lasting influence of three men who helped transform American spirituality. \u003ci\u003eDistilled Spirits\u003c\/i\u003e offers readers a rare opportunity to gain both knowledge and wisdom.\"--Marion S. Goldman, author of \u003ci\u003eThe American Soul Rush\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This remarkable book deserves the widest readership it can get, for more clearly than any other book I know it shows the depth to which the human spirit can descend and still rebound. Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard were close friends and my most important mentors, and I spent one memorable afternoon with Bill Wilson. Don Lattin's astonishing book brings their life stories alive. It is carefully researched and disarmingly honest.\"--Huston Smith, author of \u003ci\u003eThe World's Religions\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The painful journey from addiction, to relapse, to recovery has become the \u003ci\u003ePilgrim's Progress\u003c\/i\u003e of our era. In this riveting fusion of memoir and tripartite biography, the noted religion reporter Don Lattin aligns his own pilgrimage to sobriety with the inspiration offered by three transformative twentieth-century figures who also found spiritual value as the basis for corrective action.\"--Kevin Starr, University Professor, University of Southern California\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An eye opening and mind expanding read. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is interested in consciousness, spiritual exploration, recovery and awakenings. Don is a masterful story teller and writer. He weaves together the lives of these men in way that is intriguing and wise. Read it, then start a revolution!\"--Noah Levine, author of \u003ci\u003eDharma Punx\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Don Lattin knows how to tell a ripping good story, and there are many in this book. The scene of Lattin interviewing the Pope as their plane lands in Miami is alone worth the price of admission. Add to that some fascinating stories about Aldous Huxley and Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, and you've got yourself a great read. There is some irony in the fact that Don Lattin was doing drugs and drinking heavily while reporting on religion for the San Francisco Chronicle. But it all comes together in this book, which explores the connections between the spiritual search and the substances that produce altered states of consciousness. It's a trip, as they used to say, and a great read.\"--Wes 'Scoop' Nisker, Buddhist teacher, performer and author of \u003ci\u003eEssential Crazy Wisdom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDon Lattin\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape our Lives Today\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShopping for Faith: American Religion in the New Millennium\u003c\/i\u003e. For more information, please visit www.donlattin.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 9 x 6.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 18, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51774494834976,"sku":"9780520272323","price":40.43,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/2b4fe07a8223494337083e257c3c4f2a.webp?v=1780449710","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/distilled-spirits-getting-high-then-sober-with-a-famous-writer-a-forgotten-philosopher-and-a-hopeless-drunk-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}