Upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, Pollan decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. The true subject of his “mental travelogue” is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives. In this “Meet our Author” interview, Pollan offers fascinating insights into the writing of HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, his own personal experiences with psychedelics, how this influenced the creation of this book, and the biggest takeaways. You are best known for your books about food such as THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA, IN DEFENSE OF FOOD, and COOKED. What led you to write about psychedelics? It’s true I’m best known for my books about food and agriculture, but that work grew out of a deeper fascination with human engagement with the natural world, and the species we evolved with, a fascination explored in earlier books like The Botany of Desire and Second Nature. Food and beauty are two of the human desires other species have evolved to gratify, but there are other, more mysterious desires, and the human drive to change consciousness, whether mildly and routinely with plant drugs such as caffeine, or more dramatically with psychoactive mushrooms, has always fascinated me. Why do we want to do this potentially risky thing, and why did plants and fungi evolve these remarkable chemicals that affect us in this way? What do these experiences do for us, as individuals or as a society? Psychedelics are the most extreme case of this curious phenomenon, and they have been a central part of human societies for thousands of years. I wanted to find out why. And then I began hearing about a renaissance of research into psychedelics by scientists hoping to treat cancer patients suffering from “existential distress,” addicts, people struggling with depression and so-called “healthy normals.” These researchers had found that psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, could reliably occasion a “mystical experience” in people that they deemed one of the two or three most significant experiences in their lives –comparable to the birth of a child of death of a parent. The experience had changed them in lasting ways. This was something I needed to explore. I wasn’t sure I had ever had a spiritual experience. Would one happen to me? Was there some dimension of existence or consciousness I was missing out on? Was it really possibly to change one’s mind as an adult? My journalistic curiosity soon morphed into a personal quest to explore some of the uncharted territory of both the mind and my mind. While researching your book you decided to experience psychedelics yourself. Why? Did you have any reservations? Well, I’ve always liked to do participatory or “immersive” journalism—I bought a cow to understand the cattle industry; built a house to understand architecture; and apprenticed myself to great chefs and bakers to learn their crafts, so embarking on a few psychedelic trips seemed like something I should do, for the edification of my readers if nothing else. I’ve always believed in the value of getting one’s hands dirty, so to speak, as a way to move beyond the usual journalistic attitudes of cynicism or world-weariness. You learn a lot more when you have some skin in the game. But in this case it was more personal than that. It was impossible to listen to people describe these transformative experiences—experiences that had extinguished their fear of death, surfaced buried experiences from their childhoods, shifted their priorities in life and their whole world view—without feeling the need to have such an experience myself. Would I change? Was I capable of a “mystical experience?” Would I learn something new about myself? I was particularly keen on the possibility that the experience could help me escape habitual patterns of thought and behavior, something we all struggle with. But I certainly had reservations. I had had very little experience of psychedelics—I was only 12 during the Summer of Love, which means I’m less a product of the psychedelic sixties than of the moral panic against psychedelics. They terrified me. And the night before every one of my “journeys” I was a sleepless wreck, as I rehearsed in my mind everything that could go wrong, listening to a voice in my head saying this was crazy. That voice, I came to realize, was my ego trying (selfishly) to prevent me from a having an experience that, among other things, would undermine that ego. How did your personal experiences influence your thinking and writing? My trips allowed me to connect better with the dozens of patients and volunteers I interviewed, helping to put some flesh on abstractions I was hearing from them, like “ego dissolution,” and “mystical experience” or “merging with nature.” It allowed us to speak one another's language about an experience often described as "ineffable." But the experiences also presented a terrific literary challenge—how do you evoke a psilocybin or LSD trip on the page, without sounding like a lunatic? (You will decide if I succeeded.) I also think the experiences changed me — changed my relationship to my ego (which I no longer think of as identical to my self, but more like a "character" that needs to be managed and sometimes demoted); made me a better meditator; generally made me more open and less defended, etc. My wife Judith, who had trepidations when I embarked on this journey, eventually became quite supportive. Initially she worried that my involvement in psychedelics might somehow change me. What she didn't foresee is that it might change me for the better! What is the biggest take-away from your experience writing this book? Though ostensibly a book about psychedelics, HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND is really a book about the mind—a realm on which psychedelics happen to shine a powerful new light. Consciousness is one of the greatest mysteries there is—there is nothing of which we are more certain, and yet nothing that is further from being understood by modern science: how brains produce consciousness (if in fact they do—some believe it may exist outside of us). Yet consciousness itself is not a single thing. Psychedelics show us that, as William James said, minds are capable of multiple kinds of consciousness, separated from our everyday experience by “the filmiest of veils.” There are doors in the room of one’s mind that open onto unsuspected dimensions of mental experience. Psychedelics is only one of those doors—there are other, non-pharmacological doorknobs too, like meditation, prayer, breathing exercises, sweat lodges, vision quests, etc. But turn any one of these knobs and enter, and you realize, as I did in my “reporting” for this book, that the mind is far vaster, and the world more alive, than I ever suspected.  

Two of our Listening Library productions were each recognized with an Odyssey Honor, as outstanding presentations: THE BOOK OF DUST by Philip Pullman, narrated by Michael Sheen. Produced in the U.S. by Orli Moscowitz in collaboration with PRH Audio UK A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS by Matt Haig, narrated by Stephen Fry. Produced in the U.S. by Dan Zitt. To date, Listening Library titles have been bestowed with 14 Odyssey Honors and 4 Odyssey Prize Awards, the highest Audio accolades from the Library community. RUSA Listen List Awards For Adults: THE BOOK OF POLLY: A Novel by Kathy Hepinstall. Narrated by Jenna Lamia. THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan. Narrated by Gabrielle Glaister, Laura Kirman, Imogen Wilde, Adjoa Andoh, Tom Clegg, Mike Grady. ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman. Narrated by Cathleen McCarron. LINCOLN IN THE BARDO: A Novel by George Saunders. Narrated by Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July, Lena Dunham, and a full cast. STRANGER IN THE WOODS: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. Narrated by Mark Bramhall. DAYS WITHOUT END by Sebastian Barry. Listen Alikes: SPOONBENDERS: A Novel by Daryl Gregory. Narrated by Ari Fliakos. BELIEVE ME: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard. Narrated by Eddie Izzard. YES, CHEF: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson. Narrated by Marcus Samuelsson. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows. Narrated by Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, Juliet Mills. THE CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty. Narrated by Elizabeth McGovern. THE ENGAGEMENTS by J. Courtney Sullivan. Narrated by Kimberly Farr. THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin. Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Paul Boehmer. AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner. Narrated by Marc Cashman, Robertson Dean, Lina Patel, Lorna Raver. THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller. Narrated by Jorjeana Marie. KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST: A Novel by J. Ryan Stradal. Narrated by Amy Ryan, Michael Stuhlbarg. BORN TO RUN: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. Narrated by Fred Sanders. THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER by Karen Dionne. Narrated by Emily Rankin. IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE by Eric Gansworth. Narrated by Eric Gansworth. I’M FINE…AND OTHER LIES by Whitney Cummings. Narrated by Whitney Cummings. More ALA Awards news to come.

• AUTUMN by Ali Smith (Pantheon Books) The extraordinary friendship of an elderly songwriter and the precocious child of his single-parent neighbor is at the heart of this novel that darts back and forth through the decades, from the 1960s to the era of Brexit. The first in a projected four-volume series, it’s a moving exploration of the intricacies of the imagination, a sly teasing-out of a host of big ideas and small revelations, all hovering around a timeless quandary: how to observe, how to be. Read NYT review of “Autumn”

 

• EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid (Riverhead Books) A deceptively simple conceit turns a timely novel about a couple fleeing a civil war into a profound meditation on the psychology of exile. Magic doors separate the known calamities of the old world from the unknown perils of the new, as the migrants learn how to adjust to an improvisatory existence. Hamid has written a novel that fuses the real with the surreal — perhaps the most faithful way to convey the tremulous political fault lines of our interconnected planet. Read NYT review of “Exit West”

 

• THE EVOLUTION OF BEAUTY: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World — and Us by Richard O. Prum (Doubleday) If a science book can be subversive and feminist and change the way we look at our own bodies — but also be mostly about birds — this is it. Prum, an ornithologist, mounts a defense of Darwin’s second, largely overlooked theory of sexual selection. Darwin believed, in addition to evolving to adapt to the environment, some other force must be at work shaping the species: the aesthetic mating choices made largely by females. Prum wants subjectivity and the desire for beauty to be part of our understanding of how evolution works. A passionate plea that begins with birds and ends with humans and will help you finally understand, how in the world we have an animal like the peacock. Read NYT review of “The Evolution of Beauty”

 

• GRANT by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press) Even those who think they are familiar with Ulysses S. Grant’s career will learn something from Chernow’s fascinating and comprehensive biography, especially about Grant’s often overlooked achievements as president. What is more, at a time of economic inequality reflecting the 19th century’s Gilded Age and a renewed threat from white-supremacy groups, Chernow reminds us that Grant’s courageous example is more valuable than ever, and in this sense, “Grant” is as much a mirror on our own time as a history lesson. Read NYT review of “Grant”

 

• PRIESTDADDY by Patricia Lockwood (Riverhead Books) In this affectionate and very funny memoir, Lockwood weaves the story of her family — including her Roman Catholic priest father, who received a special dispensation from the Vatican — with her own coming-of-age, and the crisis that later led her and her husband to live temporarily under her parents’ rectory roof. She also brings to bear her gifts as a poet, mixing the sacred and profane in a voice that’s wonderfully grounded and authentic. This book proves Lockwood to be a formidably gifted writer who can do pretty much anything she pleases. Read NYT review of “Priestdaddy”

 

All three complete lists are online and will appear in in their entirety the Book Review’s December 3 print edition. Middle Grade ALL’S FAIRE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL written and illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. (Dial) “I dub thee brilliant,” our reviewer, Marjorie Ingall, said of this graphic novel about a girl just starting middle school, whose family works at a Renaissance faire. THE STARS BENEATH OUR FEET by David Barclay Moore. (Knopf) This sparkling debut is about a grieving Harlem boy who’s lost his older brother and finds in friendship and competitive Lego building a path away from the lure of gangs. TUMBLE & BLUE by Cassie Beasley. (Dial) A boy and his new friend head out on a quest to escape a family curse that runs through generations in this exuberant, heartfelt fantasy set mostly in an alligator-filled Georgia swamp. Young Adult AKATA WARRIOR by Nnedi Okorafor. (Viking) This enthralling second book about Sunny, an albino Nigerian girl who can do magic, has her mastering her powers to save the world from apocolyptic doom. LA BELLE SAUVAGE by Philip Pullman (Knopf) Pullman’s long-awaited prequel to the “His Dark Materials” trilogy pulls you back into the fascinating alternate universe of the original series, exploring the nature of the powerful substance called Dust and following the heroine, Lyra Belacqua, from babyhood. I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER by Erika L. Sánchez. (Knopf) This gripping debut finds humor as well as pathos in 15-year-old Julia’s quest to uncover her Mexican-American family’s secrets after the death of her seemingly dutiful sister. TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green. (Dutton) Green’s chronicle of a teenager’s struggle to live and love—and solve a mystery—despite her debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder is simply “astonishing,” said our reviewer, Jennifer Senior.

The Penguin Audio was produced by our multi-GRAMMY® nominated Audio colleague Dan Zitt.  It is also available in Blue Rider Press print and e-book editions. Congratulations to all. Penguin Random House Audio titles have previously received 14 GRAMMY® Awards, including last year’s Best Spoken Word Album winner, Carol Burnett’s In Such Good Company, and 42 additional GRAMMY® nominations. Fingers crossed for us at the 60th Annual GRAMMY® Awards, which will be presented Sunday, January 28, 2018, at Madison Square Garden.