Overview

“Shines a light on one of the twentieth century’s most amazing untold life stories. ... An essential read—and an unforgettable trip.” —Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley Road “Cahalan details a piece of lost but fascinating history, the story of a woman who embodied an era of freedom, experimentation, and psychedelic adventure. Meticulously reported and beautifully crafted.” —Susan Orlean 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 Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her.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.

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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 “For the neurologist, I highly recommend this book on several grounds…First, it is a well-told story, worth reading for the suspense and the dramatic cadence of events…Second, it is a superb case study of a rare neurologic diagnosis; even experienced neurologists will find much to learn in it…Third, and most important, it gives the neurologist insight into how a patient and her family experienced a complex illness, including the terrifying symptoms, the difficult pace of medical diagnosis, and the slow recovery. This story clearly contains lessons for all of us.” ― Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology “Focusing her journalistic toolbox on her story, Cahalan untangles the medical mystery surrounding her condition…A fast-paced and well-researched trek through a medical mystery to a hard-won recovery.” ― Publishers Weekly “Compelling … a New York Post reporter recounts her medical nightmare.” ― Mental Floss “This fascinating memoir by a young New York Post reporter … describes how she crossed the line between sanity and insanity … Cahalan expertly weaves together her own story and relevant scientific information … compelling.” ― Booklist (starred review) 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 “The Great Pretender is a tight, propulsive, true-life detective story which somehow also doubles as a sweeping history of our broken mental health-care system. Cahalan herself has experienced this system as both a patient and a reporter, and her background informs every fascinating page of this dogged investigative odyssey. It is an amazing achievement, and there is no question it will go down as the definitive account of one of the most influential psychology experiments of all time.”―Luke Dittrich, New York Times bestselling author of Patient H.M. “Breathtaking! Cahalan's brilliant, timely, and important book reshaped my understanding of mental health, psychiatric hospitals, and the history of scientific research. A must-read for anyone who's ever been to therapy, taken a brain-altering drug, or wondered why mental patients were released in droves in the 1980s. And a thrilling, eye-opening read even for those who thought they weren't affected by the psychiatric world.”―Ada Calhoun, author of St. Marks Is Dead and Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give “Susannah Cahalan has written a wonderful book that reflects years of persistent and remarkable historical detective work. The Great Pretender is an extraordinary look at the life of a Stanford professor and a famous paper he published in 1973, one that dramatically transformed American psychiatry in ways that still echo today. The book is fast-paced and artfully constructed―an incredible story that constitutes a tribute to Cahalan's powers as both a writer and a sleuth.”―Andrew Scull, author of Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity “A study that facilitated one of the most destructive changes in 20th-century domestic policy appears to be withering under scrutiny.”―National Review “Gripping [and] vivid...A well-told story fraught with both mystery and real-life aftershocks that set the psychiatric community on its ear...Cahalan follows all the leads like a bloodhound. Her pursuit reads like a well-tempered mystery being picked apart, with tantalizing questions for which many of the answers are just out of reach.”―Kirkus, starred review “Fascinating...Cahalan sets a new standard for investigative journalism...Her impeccable inquiry into the shadowy reality of Rosenhan's study makes an urgent case that the psychological and psychiatric fields must recover the public trust that 'Rosenhan helped shatter.'”―Publishers Weekly “Cahalan researched The Great Pretender over the course of five years, but the pages practically turn themselves. It's absorbing, sometimes sobering, sometimes seriously funny. Cahalan's narration makes the reading great fun, with an urgency occasionally akin to a thriller.”―Shelf Awareness “Brilliant...Indispensable reading.”―Library Journal

One of The New York Times Book Review Podcast’s “Books We're Excited About in Early 2025” A Town & Country Best Book to Read This April A New York Post Best Book for Spring “Cahalan shines a light on one of the twentieth century’s most amazing untold life stories. Rosemary Woodruff Leary blazed an astonishing trail through the red hot center of Sixties counterculture—the downtown Beats, the pioneers of hallucinogens, the Summer of Love, rock and roll royalty, the Weather Underground, the Black Panthers, and more. With her captivating storytelling, Cahalan helps us all see this wildly misunderstood epoch of American life with new eyes. An essential read—and an unforgettable trip.” —Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley Road “Rosemary Woodruff Leary was more than just the First Lady of 1960s counterculture. As this deeply researched, fun, and fascinating biography from the Brain on Fire author Susannah Cahalan reveals, Leary—who was married to psychedelic icon Timothy Leary—is no mere supporting character. Instead, the biography depicts a smart, driven, creative, and cunning woman who lived a life just as interesting, if far less known, than that of her one-time husband. After all, he wasn’t the one who broke her out of prison, was he?” —Town & Country “Explores how Woodruff fell into her husband’s powerful orbit. . . . The Acid Queen focuses on the couple’s chaotic, drug- and sex-filled lives between their first meeting in 1965 and their split in 1971, years that included communal compounds in New York and California, arrests, jail time, a prison break and travel as fugitives in North Africa and Europe.” —The New York Times “The Acid Queen reclaims the legacy of a psychedelic pioneer. . . . Marks yet another compelling entry in the growing body of work reclaiming the stories of women unfairly relegated to the footnotes of history.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Rosemary Woodruff Leary was one of the great unsung heroines of the 1960s. Susannah Cahalan’s brilliant account of this woman’s incredibly courageous life in troubled times not only brings Rosemary back to life but also finally accords her the place in the history of that era she has always so richly deserved.” —Robert Greenfield, author of Timothy Leary: A Biography “Cahalan details a piece of lost but fascinating history, the story of a woman who embodied an era of freedom, experimentation, and psychedelic adventure. Meticulously reported and beautifully crafted.” —Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book “A fascinating portrait of an unsung shero of the counterculture. I couldn’t put it down!” —Holly George-Warren, author of Janis: Her Life and Music “Cahalan has done the world a service in restoring Rosemary’s legacy with this stellar biography, which is rich in sumptuous detail, both personal and historic, and is artfully constructed from the archives. Whether you know anything about the acid scene or are a complete novice, there is so much to enjoy in this excellent book.” —Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls “Rosemary Woodruff Leary defied the FBI, the CIA, the American prison system and her famous husband to become a fugitive. But who was she really running from? That fascinating question looms over Susannah Cahalan's insightful, intimate biography — part romance, part thriller, all astounding.” —Maureen Callahan, author of Ask Not “When I finished reading this intoxicating book I both better understood the American counterculture and had exhilarating new ideas about what it means to be a woman in the world.” —Ada Calhoun, author of Also a Poet “Brilliant ... [The Acid Queen] brings Timothy Leary’s wife out of the LSD guru’s shadow.” —Book and Film Globe “[A] vibrant biography ... Cahalan uses Rosemary’s stranger than fiction story to offer a vivid portrait of how flower power cracked up in the ’70s. It’s an electric account of a remarkable life and the end of an era.” —Publishers Weekly “A well-wrought narrative that brings deserved attention to a lost figure in the counterculture.” —Kirkus 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

Author Information

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.

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