Altered States of America: Outlaws and Icons, Hitmakers and Hitmen
- ISBN-10
- 1560257776
- ISBN-13
- 9781560257776
- Category
- True Crime
- Pages
- 368
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2005-09-27
- Publisher
- Nation Books
- Author
- Richard Stratton
Description
Altered States of America is a riveting collection of journalism by outlaw-turned-author Richard Stratton. Stratton's years as an international marijuana smuggler, his 8-year bid in a federal prison system, and subsequent ascendance to acclaimed author and filmmaker, give him the credibility with which to wrest an uncommon truth from his subjects. The stories in this collection read like adventure fiction. To name a few: the story of Greg Scarpa, a Columbo mob captain turned informant; Bonecrusher, a guard at Corcoran penitentiary who witnessed the bloody gladiator fights between convicts; the CIA's top-secret MK-ULTRA program in which the CIA secretly dosed unsuspecting civilians and its own agents with LSD, or the heartbreaking profile of Joe Stassi, America's oldest living gangster, who was ordered to murder his best friend. Each piece is linked by Stratton's reflections on and connections to the people and places he describes. Whether he is talking with Oliver Stone or a prison guard, Hunter S. Thompson or a gangster, Sean Penn or a CIA agent, Stratton has an empathetic understanding of his subjects. This collection truly embodies Bob Dylan's famous line: "To live outside the law, you must be honest."
Get the book
Similar books
-
Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America
By D. E. OstoThe book also opens new paths of inquiry into such issues as re-enchantment, the limits of rationality, the biochemical and psychosocial basis of altered states of consciousness, and the nature of subjectivity.
-
Altered States: Security and Demilitarization in Central America
By Adam Isacson... helicopter USA 52 Sikorsky S - 58 ET helicopter JUSA 52 Hughes 269C helicopter USA 92 Hughes 500E helicopter USA Total p1 Bell UH 1B helicopter Panama 119 El Salvador 11 Dassault Ouragan fighter plane France 18 Dassault Super Myst .
-
Altered States: The United States and Japan Since the Occupation
By Michael SchallerOffering new insights into U.S.-Japan relations since World War II, the author shows how Japan's government-regulated economy was nurtured by America and reveals the covert aid given to conservative Japanese politicians by three U.S. ...
-
Altered States: America Since the Sixties
By Jeremy BlackDrawing on travels from Virginia to California to Alaska, Black deftly reveals in Altered States the less-examined aspects of American culture as they are manifested in its diverse peoples and landscapes from coast to coast.
-
ALTERED STATES (English Edition)
By Paddy ChayefskyIn 1980, British director Ken Russell adapted the novel based on Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay - starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown and Drew Barrymore.
-
Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House
By Matthew Collin'We were experimenting with the idea of free parties,' says Harrison. 'It seemed like a sensible thing to do – there were all these big commercial raves going on that had lost their mystery. Previous to that you'd had these huge illegal ...
-
Altered States of the Union
By Peter David, David GerroldIf you thought America was strange this year, you ain't seen nothing yet. Join us as our all-star roster of science fiction and fantasy authors explore the frontiers of over a score of different lands in ALTERED STATES OF THE UNION.
-
Altered States of the Union
By Peter David, David GerroldIf you thought America was strange this year, you ain't seen nothing yet. Join us as our all-star roster of science fiction and fantasy authors explore the frontiers of over a score of different lands in ALTERED STATES OF THE UNION.
-
Altered States: The Autobiography of Ken Russell
By Ken Russell"With apologies to no one, this is the unvarnished autobiography of Britain's most controversial film director, the maker of Women in Love, The Devils, Altered States, Tommy, The Boy Friend,...
-
Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics
By Alex Grey, Allan Hunt BadinerPresents a serious inquiry into the moral, ethical, doctrinal, and transcendental considerations created by the intersection of Buddhism and psychedelics, presenting essays and interviews that explore altered states of consciousness and the ...