The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary - Hardcover

by Susannah Cahalan (Author)

"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Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her.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.

Author Biography

Susannah Cahalan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire, which 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. Her third book, The Acid Queen, a biography of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, a hidden voice of the American counterculture movement, was published by Viking in 2025. She has written for The New York Times, Vogue, Rolling Stone, AirMail, Oprah Magazine, and The New York Post, where she worked as a cub reporter. She lives in Rhode Island with her family.