The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary

by Susannah Cahalan

Overview

The untold story of the woman who played a critical role in bringing psychedelics into the mainstream—until her audacious exploits forced her into the shadows—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire

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 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Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her.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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593490051
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/22/2025
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Susannah Cahalan is a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, journalist and public speaker. Her first book, Brain on Fire, has sold over a million copies and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Her second book, The Great Pretender, was shortlisted for the Royal Society’s 2020 Science Book Prize. She lives in New Jersey with her family.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Brain on Fire
“Captivating … Cahalan’s prose carries a sharp, unsparing tabloid punch in the tradition of Pete Hamill and Jimmy Breslin.” ― New York Times Book Review

“A fascinating look at the disease that – if not for a nick-of-time diagnosis – could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life.” ― People

“The bizarre and confounding illness that beset the 24-year-old New York Post reporter in early 2009 so ravaged her mentally and physically that she became unrecognizable to coworkers, family, friends, and—most devastatingly—herself… She dedicates this miracle of a book to ‘those without a diagnosis’… [An] unforgettable memoir.” ― Elle

“Swift and haunting.” ― Scientific American

“The best reporters never stop asking questions, and Cahalan is no exception. ... The result is a kind of anti-memoir, an out-of-body personal account of a young woman's fight to survive one of the cruelest diseases imaginable. And on every level, it's remarkable. ... Cahalan is nothing if not tenacious, and she perfectly tempers her brutal honesty with compassion and something like vulnerability. It's indisputable that Cahalan is a gifted reporter, and Brain on Fire is a stunningly brave book. But even more than that, she's a naturally talented prose stylist — whip-smart but always unpretentious — and it's nearly impossible to stop reading her, even in the book's most painful passages. ... Brain on Fire comes from a place of intense pain and unthinkable isolation, but finds redemption in Cahalan's unflagging, defiant toughness. It's an unexpected gift of a book from one of America's most courageous young journalists.” ― NPR

“What is most impressive about Brain on Fire is that Cahalan has little recollection of her month of insanity…. Thanks partially to her talent as a journalist and to the fact that her parents kept journals, Cahalan was able to recapture her month, leaving no holes in the narrative.” ― Daily Texan

“An intense, mesmerizing account of survival. . . Cahalan's deft descriptions of her spooky hallucinations could be right out of a Poe terror tale.” ― BookForum


Praise for The Great Pretender
Named One of the Top 100 Must-Read Books of 2019 by Time

“This is a well-crafted, gripping narrative that succeeds on many levels. Cahalan, who gained the trust of Rosenhan's family, is meticulous and sensitive in her research; compelling and insightful in her writing.” ― Financial Times

“[A]n impressive feat of investigative journalism—tenaciously conduct, appealingly written... as compelling as a detective novel.” ―The Economist

“A sharp investigation into how human self-interest, weaknesses, and egos can shape the way that science proceeds.” ―Undark

“A fascinating, potent, and crucial read.” ―Buzzfeed

“A stranger-than-fiction thrill ride exposing the loose screws of our broken mental health system.” ―O Magazine, Best Books of December

“Cahalan's passionate and exhaustive reexamination of the famous research 'On Being Sane in Insane Places' by Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan is a riveting read...A terrific piece of detective work [with] fascinating insights into the mental health controversies that have swirled ever since the study's publication.” ―Forbes

“The Great Pretender reads like a detective story, with Cahalan revealing tantalizing clues at opportune moments so we can experience the thrills of discovery alongside her...What she unearthed turned out to be far stranger, as documented in her absorbing new book, The Great Pretender. It's the kind of story that has levels to it, only instead of a townhouse it's more like an Escher print. On one level: A profile of Rosenhan and his study. On another: Cahalan's own experience of researching the book. And on a third: The fraught history of psychiatry and the pursuit of scientific knowledge.” ―New York Times

“Cahalan's research is dogged and her narrative riveting, leading us from red herring to clue and back with the dexterity of the best mystery novelists. Then she builds her case like a skilled prosecuting attorney.” ―New York Journal of Books

“A thrilling mystery—and a powerful case for a deeper understanding of mental illness.” ―People

“A thrilling and lively work of investigative journalism ...This vital book, full of intelligence and brio, is a must-read for anyone who has mental illness issues somewhere in their life ― i.e., everyone.” ― Star Tribune

“An urgent, personal book ... The Great Pretender reads like a suspense novel, with the reader unable to stop turning the pages. [This book] cements Cahalan's place in the ranks of the country's sharpest writers of nonfiction. The Great Pretender is an essential book, an a plea for the world to come to terms with the way we're treating some of our most vulnerable people.” ―NPR

“A gripping, insightful read, The Great Pretender... has the urgency of a call to action.” ―Time

“Engaging [and] illuminating.”―Science

“Engrossing.”―Nature

“Cahalan is a gifted and dogged investigative reporter, and her work on this study is vital. The questions and concerns she raises about Rosenhan's research are long overdue.” ―Paste

“Bold, brave, and original, The Great Pretender grips you as tightly as the madness it investigates. Cahalan writes with enormous intelligence and style, and propels you through this dark and fascinating journey into psychiatry and the very nature of sanity.”―Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book

“People have asked me over the years: If they liked The Psychopath Test, what should they read next? I now have an answer. The Great Pretender is such an achievement. It is a wonderful look at the anti-psychiatry movement and a great adventure―gripping, investigative―and is destined to become a popular and important book.”―Jon Ronson, New York Times bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So You've Been Publicly Shamed

“A masterpiece of historical reconstruction...an intellectual detective story [and] a towering critique of our systems of mental health-care. If I could've written this book, I would have.”―Ron Powers, New York Times bestselling author of No One Cares About Crazy People

From the Publisher