4.5 rounded up to 5 ⭐️

This book was so fun and engaging. I subscribe to the idea that history should be taught in the form of hot gossip, because we'd all be better at retaining it then. Sam Kelly delivered the hot goss. It could've even been longer. I was captivated.

Human History On Drugs is a trippy exploration into a history rarely revealed. The witty writing kept me engaged while learning about famed leaders, writers and politicians getting high out of their minds.

I really enjoyed the way this book was organized and written. Kelly touches on time periods from Ancient Greece to modern day Hollywood.

You'll never look at Genghis Khan the same after reading this.

Human History on Drugs by Sam Kelly is a public history book about the use of drugs scattered throughout human history. It is not about the creation of drugs (except in a few specific cases as they relate to specific people), nor is it about policing of drugs (again, except in specific narratives related to specific people). It is simply about historical figures and it is great fun.

Rather than proselytizing about drug use, Sam Kelly presents stories of the lives of some famous people whose lives have been touched, and often changed, by drugs. The goal isn't to argue for or against drugs or their use; it is, instead, to tell these stories. I found the stories highly enjoyable and, in some cases, completely unexpected.

Kelly's form of history is one written for the masses: laid-back, easy-to-read tone that speaks directly to the reader. Kelly is telling stories rather than repeating dates and events, as do all of the best public historians.

My one complaint with the book is more of a question or request for more -- I would like to see more historical figures from outside of America featured in the book. Kelly hits all of the high points in drug history (pun definitely intended), but I'd love to see a sequel maybe with more of the unexpected characters in history from around the world.

Finally, the end of the book features an extensive bibliography broken down by chapter that is a wealth of resources for any readers who would like to dig deeper on the topic or any of the individual historical figures included in the book.

This review is my honest opinion of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing a copy for me to read in advance of the publication date.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

I absolutely love this book. It does not glorify drug use in any way, merely just shows examples of how drug use influenced history. Like all of the drugs that John F. Kennedy was on. He was in constant pain and had Addison's disease and became addicted to pain medication, not to mention all the recreational drugs he took. Then there is MK-Ultra and the Unabomber . . .

The book explores 40 different stories, with some things I knew and forgot, but even more that I had never heard before.

Definitely would recommend

This book was a humorous deep-dive into some of the lesser-known historical facts involving well-known figures who used various drugs during their lives and how it impacted the influence they had on the world around them. Written in a tone of voice that will keep the reader engaged and learning throughout. The illustrations are a great addition that also add to the reading experience.

This book was absolutely fascinating. When I first saw the title, I was a bit skeptical because I was unsure if the author was aiming to glorify or rationalize the use of drugs. That was not the case at all as Kelly clearly outlined the disadvantages of using drugs like cocaine or opium.

From queens to psychiatrists, this hilarious book recounts how the most inspirational or most notorious historical figures used drugs and how its impacted their lives and legacies.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sam Kelly's 'Human History on Drugs' offers a fun ride through time, exploring how mind-altering substances have shaped our past in unexpected ways.

Covering 40 historic figures from the Oracle of Delphi to Steve Jobs, there is a lot of ground covered. Each chapter is a quick read of just a few pages along with a fun illustration. It took me a few chapters to get into it though as there was the occasional line that was a bit more frat-bro than academic. For example:
• “Ramses the Baked”—the pharaoh who loved weed so much
• They were like, “Screw it, who do I have to kill?”
• trust me, dude—you’re not going to be able to accomplish much while you’re tripping balls.

That said, once I realized what I was in for, I enjoyed it. The pop culture references and casual tone made it a fun read and I learned some fun new history facts. While it may seem that this book would glorify drug use, Kelly did a good job of showing the damage they did to many while still showing the benefits for some and not demonizing them as a whole.

Chapters I particularly enjoyed included:
• Marcus Aurelius’s Sleepy-Time Medicine
• Bill W. Took LSD to See God
• The Pope Who Loved Cocaine Wine
• Dock Ellis Pitched a No-Hitter While Tripping on Acid (check out the song “Dock Ellis’ No-No” for the short version of this one)

Definitely recommend this for history buffs who are looking for a different take. Or even those that are not as into history but are looking for a fun read about famous folks from years gone by.

Thanks to author Sam Kelly and the publisher Plume for an advanced copy.

A very interesting book where the author showcases famous historical figures and their relationship to certain drugs. I enjoyed how the author spoke directly to the reader and enjoyed reading this immensly.

THIS is how I like to learn about history! Human History on Drugs had short, informative, and FUNNY chapters. You can't help but laugh when you come across a phrase like, "the Johnny Appleseed of Opium" !

Quite an interesting look at drugs from the very early days. I’m unsure of how much is accurate, but it was very thought provoking nonetheless. Enjoyable.

The author said that they wanted to write an interesting history book, goal achieved! Each chapter/story wasn't too long and got to the point without being too light on facts. Not a boring read at all and a bit of comedy too!

I was really let down by the last chapter. Part of it was because Jobs was an icky person but I tried to set my personal feelings about him aside. Jobs did LSD 10-15 times over a few years, pretty tame compared to all of the other chapters/stories, I almost dropped a star because of this, ended on a low note for me.

Nice light, fun and intersting read!

Human History on Drugs is an entertaining (and, yes, slightly scandalous) look at drug use by historical figures through the ages. Each chapter discusses a different celebrity/ruler/random historically significant person and their pharmaceutical(s) of choice, from The Oracle of Delphi to Friedrich Nietzsche to Steve Jobs. The chapters are short but informative, each giving a bit of history on the person in question and how their drug use affected their work and life in general. Some of the individuals I already knew were drug-enthusiasts (Johnny Cash, Aldous Huxley), some were a surprise (JFK, Richard Nixon), and a couple I'd never heard of before at all (Audie Murphy, Dock Ellis). And, well, basically what I learned is that meth has been around for a lot longer and is much more popular than I'd ever imagined, and also that those of us who were born in the latter half of the the twentieth century (or later) really missed out on the golden age of doctors handing out highly addictive substances like they were Tic Tacs. Figuratively, anyway … I highly doubt that doctors hand out Tic Tacs on the regular.

Don't expect anything particularly deep here – this is a fairly light and fluffy read and I finished it in just under two days (a rarity for me and nonfiction). Each chapter is a quick overview, nothing that gets down into the nitty gritty of the subject's life. The writing, though, is amusing and witty, and I really enjoyed the little nuggets of history sprinkled throughout the book. I found the chapter on Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) to be particularly enlightening and had no idea that he had been subjected to the CIA's MK-Ultra's LSD experiments.

This book is also a little sad. So many talented people had their lives ruined by addiction (and in many cases died young because of it). But would they have been as creative and driven had they never touched the illicit substance(s) that caused their downfall? Poor Philip K. Dick, though. Amphetamines might've helped him write, but once you start seeing pink laser beams shooting out of Jesus fish necklaces, you should probably check yourself into rehab, like, pronto.

Overall, this is an entertaining and informative book that probably uses the word “laudanum” more than any other book in recent history. It reads more like a celebrity tell-all than a history textbook, which I imagine will delight some readers and disappoint others. But if you're looking for a light and humorous read about famous drug users throughout history, look no further: Human History on Drugs will get you high on knowledge. (Yeah, yeah, that's a ridiculously cheesy sentence and I totally keep reading it in Ali G's voice, but I needed a drug-related pun and that's the best I can come up with right now, okay?? Booyakasha.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Plume for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected release date is July 8, 2025.