The untold story of the beatnik, psychonaut and fugitive who tested the limits of her mind to bring psychedelics into the mainstream - until her audacious exploits forced her into the shadows
Rosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the U.S. government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a beatnik, a psychonaut and a true believer who tested the limits of her mind and the expectations for women of her time.
Long overlooked by those who have venerated her husband, Rosemary spent her life on the forefront of the counterculture, working with Leary on his books and speeches, sewing his clothing and shaping - for better and for worse - the media's narrative about LSD. Ultimately, Rosemary sacrificed everything for the safety of her fellow psychedelic pioneers and the preservation of her husband's legacy.
Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her. Page-turning, revelatory and utterly compelling, The Acid Queen shines an overdue spotlight on a pioneering psychedelic seeker.
Industry Reviews
"""Cahalan has written an electrifying portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, who was at the centre of the turbulent and passionate counterculture of the '60s. These star-studded pages give us the life -- as criminal, muse, lover, and fugitive - of the true ""acid queen"" and the iconic presence of her era""JENNIFER CLEMENT - Professor Emerita of PEN International and author of Widow Basquiat
""What a trip! Susannah Cahalan takes us on a wild ride, a lifelong quest for freedom, love and beauty"" - ANNABELLE HIRSCH, author of A History of Women in 101 Objects
""Cahalan details a piece of lost but fascinating history, the story of a woman who embodied an era of freedom, experimentation and psychedelic adventure. Meticulously reported and beautifully crafted."" - SUSAN ORLEAN, author of The Orchid Thief
""Both sharply focused and cinematic in scope, Susannah Cahalan's The Acid Queen relates a secret history with profound lessons for today's psychedelic renaissance"" - NIALL BOYCE, founding editor of The Lancet Psychiatry
""Cahalan shines a light on one of the twentieth century's most amazing untold life stories. Rosemary Woodruff Leary blazed an astonishing trail through the red hot centre of Sixties counterculture - the downtown Beats, the pioneers of hallucinogenics, the Summer of Love, rock and roll royalty, the Weather Underground, the Black Panthers and more. With her captivating storytelling, Cahalan helps us all see this wildly misunderstood epoch of American life with new eyes. An essential read - and an unforgettable trip."" -ROBERT KOLKER, author of Hidden Valley Road
""Cahalan has done the world a service in restoring Rosemary's legacy with this stellar biography, which is rich in sumptuous detail, both personal and historic, and is artfully constructed from the archives. Whether you know anything about the acid scene or are a complete novice, there is so much to enjoy in this excellent book."" - KATE MOORE, author of The Radium Girls
""When I finished reading this intoxicating book I both better understood the American counterculture and had exhilarating new ideas about what it means to be a woman in the world."" - ADA CALHOUN, author of Also a Poet
""Rosemary Woodruff Leary defied the FBI, the CIA, the American prison system and her famous husband to become a fugitive. But who was she really running from? That fascinating question looms over Susannah Cahalan's insightful, intimate biography - part romance, part thriller, all astounding. An extraordinary life told by an extraordinary author."" - MAUREEN CALLAHAN, the Sunday Times bestselling of Ask Not
""Rosemary Woodruff Leary was one of the great unsung heroines of the 1960s. Susannah Cahalan's brilliant account of this woman's incredibly courageous life in troubled times not only brings Rosemary back to life but also finally accords her the place in the history of that era she has always so richly deserved."" -ROBERT GREENFIELD, author of Timothy Leary: A Biography
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