Título: On Speed: From Benzedrine to Adderall
Autor: Nicolas Rasmussen
Sinopse: An extensively researched account of the ups and downs in the history of uppers Uppers. Crank. Bennies. Dexies. Greenies. Black Beauties. Purple Hearts. Crystal. Ice. And, of course, Speed. Whatever their street names at the moment, amphetamines have been an insistent force in American life since they were marketed as the original antidepressants in the 1930s. On Speed tells the remarkable story of their rise, their fall, and their surprising resurgence. Along the way, it discusses the influence of pharmaceutical marketing on medicine, the evolving scientific understanding of how the human brain works, the role of drugs in maintaining the social order, and the centrality of pills in American life. Above all, however, this is a highly readable biography of a very popular drug. And it is a riveting story. Incorporating extensive new research, On Speed describes the ups and downs (fittingly, there are mostly ups) in the history of amphetamines, and their remarkable pervasiveness. For example, at the same time that amphetamines were becoming part of the diet of many GIs in World War II, an amphetamine-abusing counterculture began to flourish among civilians. In the 1950s, psychiatrists and family doctors alike prescribed amphetamines for a wide variety of ailments, from mental disorders to obesity to emotional distress. By the late 1960s, speed had become a fixture in everyday life: up to ten percent of Americans were thought to be using amphetamines at least occasionally. Although their use was regulated in the 1970s, it didn't take long for amphetamines to make a major comeback, with the discovery of Attention Deficit Disorder and the role that one drug in the amphetamine family—Ritalin—could play in treating it. Today’s most popular diet-assistance drugs differ little from the diet pills of years gone by, still speed at their core. And some of our most popular recreational drugs—including the "mellow" drug, Ecstasy—are also amphetamines. Whether we want to admit it or not, writes Rasmussen, we’re still a nation on speed.
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “On Speed: From Benzedrine to Adderall”, de Nicolas Rasmussen, publicado pela editora NYU Press, em 2008 e com 352 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: NYU Press
Páginas: 352
Ano: 2008
Edição: 1
Linguagem: pt_BR
ISBN: 9780814776018
ISBN13: 9780814776018
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora NYU Press costumam oferecer experiências de leitura que combinam rigor acadêmico com narrativas acessíveis, muitas vezes explorando temas históricos, sociais e culturais em profundidade. O catálogo apresenta obras que abordam desde movimentos sociais e direitos civis até estudos culturais e análises de design inclusivo, com uma linguagem que varia do ensaio denso a relatos mais narrativos. É comum encontrar trabalhos que exploram tensões políticas, questões de identidade e justiça social, sempre com um tom reflexivo e, por vezes, crítico. Essa diversidade de temas sugere um público leitor interessado em compreender contextos complexos, com textos que equilibram pesquisa detalhada e clareza na exposição.
