The Wrong Stuff : By Steve Sloane

“The Wrong Stuff” is a rip-roaring psychedelic adventure extending the gonzo tradition of Terry Southern, Hunter Thomson, and Tom Wolfe. The dynamic cover of “The Wrong Stuff” shows a rebellious student flipping the bird to his good-natured music teacher, who continues smiling, like Pee-Wee Herman, His smile is broader than any of the students. Right from the start, in chapter one, the hazards are foretold, as long-haired, teenage boys cycle through special schools, mental hospitals, and prisons, goofing and laughing all the way.

Our hero plays through them all, even the horrors of paranoia, spiked drugs, motorcycle gangs, big waves, and environmental disasters with a black cloud following him. It is the specter of war in Viet Nam. If the book just had a cover and chapter one, it would make a great movie. This book has twelve chapters and a play, any of which can stand alone; each packed with realistic characters, authentic dialogue, and moments in history. Each chapter is bursting with content, like a collection of condensed novels. t is like “Forrest Gump”, whose story coordinates with major historical events, and like “Zelig”, who keeps popping up where you wouldn’t expect him, and in this new book, the author grabs us on page one and takes us on a hell of a trip. I laughed so hard that the other inmates all thought I was crazy.