For a programmer moving to SF and trying to understand SF history and culture, and how it plays into our industry, I definitely recommend reading this paired with [b:What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry|725789|What the Dormouse Said How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry|John Markoff|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1397942318s/725789.jpg|712005] - they make a great pairing to help give a flavor of what was going on and how it fit together (for at least some people). And just a fun read :)

Sandra reviewed The electric kool-aid acid test by Tom Wolfe

Review of 'The electric kool-aid acid test' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This was a fun book. An informative and interesting snap shot of a specific time in American history when the zeitgeist was all about expanding the mind while getting to the real heart of humanity and the meaning of life. Unfortunately, personalities came before principles and the whole thing fell apart in a bacchanalia of sex drugs and rock and roll rather than the evolution of humanity.

Still, an excellent expose on the main characters (mainly Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters) who wanted to explore new horizons, to boldly go where no man has gone before, (um,...further, yo) to delve into the psyche of mankind and come back with the map to guide the way in AND out again. Too bad once the acid trip was over, as explosive and mind altering as it proved to be, most people had little idea how to bring those revelations into the "real world" and live in that deeper understanding of the "connectedness of it all." Once acid became so widely available to everyday people and teenagers who were just interested in "blowing their minds" the whole thing kind of fell apart and became almost passé. Like Jerry Garcia once said, (to paraphrase) "The door opened for a minute and a few people got a glimpse inside then the door slammed shut and was locked again".