Torsten Passie – The History of MDMA (123-Word Book Review)

In this absorbing book, Professor Torsten Passie presents a much-needed and authoritative look at the history of MDMA from a variety of angles, from its discovery and early history to its emergence as a recreational drug and therapeutic agent, to eventual scheduling, world-wide spread, and recently expanding research. Different chapters focus on different aspects of the history of MDMA in a roughly chronological order.

The detailed but manageable and relatively succinct history offers many new perspectives and corrections to previous misunderstandings and myths, even for readers who are quite familiar with the overall topic. The text is meticulously referenced while remaining surprisingly readable and engaging. Passie’s encyclopedic knowledge of the topic and careful research based on original sources and personal interviews shine through.