The Electric Kool-Aid Acid TestThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Score Classic
What it's about
Tom Wolfe follows Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and his Merry Pranksters on their psychedelic bus trip across 1960s America, in an unflinching portrait of LSD, counterculture and a generation.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It helped launch the New Journalism.
You'll love it if you liked
The Right Stuff
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
On the RoadGood to know
It's written in a wild, experimental style that mimics its subject.
By the numbers
- Readers18 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller20 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #180 of the 198 history books we rank
- #240 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #592 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2068 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Tom Wolfe
The Right Stuff
The Bonfire of the Vanities
A Man in FullIf you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Maus
Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63
A Bright Shining Lie
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
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Quick answers
Is The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It ranks #2,068 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test about?
Tom Wolfe follows Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and his Merry Pranksters on their psychedelic bus trip across 1960s America, in an unflinching portrait of LSD, counterculture and a generation.
How long does it take to read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test?
About 11 hours (436 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test?
If you liked it, try The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion or On the Road by Jack Kerouac.