Synopsis:
From a much-loved expert and popular science writer comes this straight-from-the-trenches report on how and why folks from all walks of life are using magic mushrooms to enhance their lives.Interest in psychedelic mushrooms has never been greater – or the science less definitive. Popular science writer and amateur mycologist Eugenia Bone reports on the state of psychedelics today, from microdosing to heroic trips, illustrating how “citizen science” and anecdotal accounts of the mushrooms’ benefits are leading the new wave of scientific inquiry into psilocybin. With her signature blend of first-person narrative and scientific rigor, Bone breaks down just how the complicated cocktail of psychoactive compounds is thought to interact with our brain chemistry. She explains how mindset and setting can impact a trip – whether therapeutic, spiritual/mystical, or simply pleasure seeking – and vividly evokes the personalities and protocols that populate the tripping scene, from the renegade “’Noccers” of Washington who merrily disperse magic mushroom spores around Seattle, to the indigenous curanderas who conduct traditional ceremonies in remote Mexican villages. Throughout she shares her journey through the world of mushrooms, cultivating her own stash, grappling with personal challenges, and offering the insights she gleaned from her experiences. For both seasoned trippers and the merely mushroom curious, Have a Good Trip offers a balanced, entertaining, and provocative look at this rapidly evolving cultural phenomenon.
My Edition:
Net Galley ARC (we’re going to pretend not to see that I’m still remarkably far behind on these)
My Thoughts:
We can all agree that mushrooms are pretty cool, right? Magic or otherwise, they’re fascinating. Have a Good Trip: Exploring the Magic Mushroom Experience (obviously) focuses on the Psilocybe genus. A.K.A. the fun one. Author Eugenia Bone Eugenia Bone has a clear interest in magic mushrooms, and the various ways they have been used historically, the ways they are used currently, and the ways they could be used in the future. She also talks a lot about the ways that you can find and/or cultivate your own mushrooms (or rather the ways that others do, and you could theoretically).
I appreciate that Bone doesn’t treat mushrooms as a cure-all, because I feel like a lot of writers in her shoes might have done so. She points out areas where they are known to have some level of effectiveness – depression being the one I remember currently, but she does also talk about how dosing isn’t a clear science due to a whole bunch of variables which can impact efficacy and dosage. She talks a lot about micro-dosing as well, but again with the caveat that there is not a “certain” dosage at which one is micro-dosing. Other than that however much you take is not…we’ll say…impactful.
She also talks about heroic doses, which was interesting.
One thing that really got me about Have a Good Trip though, was that it seemed to rely to a degree that felt a little weird on Reddit. Not that there is anything wrong with Reddit, or that it invalidates the “citizen science,” because I certainly don’t think that. But it does feel a little bit like using Wikipedia as a source for a scholarly paper. Like, just kinda weird and probably not the move, you know?
But, with that said, I would posit that if you’re interested in mushrooms and what they can do, and the various ways people use them from therapeutic to medicinal to ceremonial or even for religious reasons, or you want to know how to look for places people might have Johnny Appleseed-ed them near you (THAT feels important), I would definitely suggest checking out Have a Good Trip.
Rating:
It’s pretty interesting!
Have a Good Trip: Exploring the Magic Mushroom Experience
By: Eugenia Bone
Flatiron Books
Published: October 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781250886415
Hardcover, Paperback, E-book, Audio
352 Pages
