Johnathan Withe

I discovered this book while surfing forums back in late 2021 and finally got around to reading it this past month. The author has indicated that there will be a sequel released soon as well, so I'm hoping this review will help other readers decide if they should get into it. Off the bat, it is a niche topic and different sort of format. This book is composed of 15 separate short stories with 3 chapters that are reflection periods. It is a non-fiction work, and wastes very little time telling the readers "pretty" details. The stories move very quickly, but are still follow-able and coherent. That said, the book jumps from one story to another, so reading the whole thing in unison can be overwhelming because of just how much happens. This book takes place in Christian's late teenage years and charts his exploration with psychedelics and other sorts of rebellious behavior. Maturation and "coming of age" are both apparent themes, but there is a certain level of maturity in the writing as there are sections that read "in hindsight." In this way, there is natural eb and flow between his immaturity, recklessness and disillusionment and the reflectory periods of clarity, sobriety, and grasps for philosophical grounding. It is an accessible set of tales because they are not expansive in scope. A reader can pickup the book and read a one to two thousand word chapter and find themes, character development, and conclusions that stand independently, but also contribute to the overall scope of the book.