The Further Inquiry
Over 25 years ago, Kesey's Merry Pranksters painted a 1939 school bus in psychedelic colors, stocked it with cameras, sound equipment, and LSD, and headed for the New York World's Fair. The trip, celebrated in Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test ( LJ 8/68), has become part of the counterculture legend. These two copiously illustrated works commemorate the silver anniversary of that historic journey. Both cover the same key events and prominently feature Neal Cassady, but their approaches are very different. Perry and Babbs have compiled a montage of photos, reminiscences, interviews, and historical commentary that documents the change in consciousness that took place in the United States between 1964 and 1972. The book provides a thumbnail history of the development of LSD, a flavor of the short-lived but influential hippie movement, and a glimpse into some of the most creative lives of the time, including Allen Ginsberg, Larry McMurtry, and Jerry Garcia. Kesey's work is a surreal script in which Cassady's ghost is brought to trial. Witnesses testify to Cassady's deeds, re-creating the bus trip for the court. The script is clever and entertaining but it will only be fully appreciated by those knowledgeable about Cassady's life. Such background can be found in Carolyn Cassady's Off the Road ( LJ 6/15/90) and William Plummer's The Holy Goof ( LJ 10/15/81). Photographs are a major part of each book, but there is little overlap. The Smithsonian's recent attempts to acquire the bus may spark reader interest. Highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/90.- William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNYCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.