barbiturate: a drug that slows the senses and depresses the individual

Beat Generation: a counter-cultural group of the 1940s and '50s epitomized by authors including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs

beatnik: a term that describes a person related to the counter-culture

Big Sur: a range of mountains on the California coast

Canadian Royal Mounties: Canadian law enforcement officials

Day-Glo: a kind of neon paint used by the Pranksters

Federales: Mexican law enforcement officials

Haight-Ashbury: a neighborhood in San Francisco that stood at the center of the psychedelic movement

heads: acidheads; persons who take acid

Hell's Angels: a motorcycle gang notorious for violence and drug use

I Ching: a Chinese philosophical text; also known as "The Book of Changes"

intersubjectivity: a state of transcendence during an LSD trip where one mind connects with another

jug band: a folk music band

Low Rent: a term used to describe a person of lower socioeconomic standing

LSD: also known as "acid"; a mind-altering drug taken by the Pranksters

Nietzsche: 19th century philosopher; Kesey identifies Nietzsche's philosophy of the eternal return with his own goal of transcendence

psychedelic: a term that describes the counter-cultural movement of the hippies in 1960s California

psychokinesis: the ability to control objects with one's mind

Richard Alpert: a Harvard professor fired for experimenting with LSD

satori: a Buddhist term for enlightenment

speed: a drug that gives a rush of adrenaline to the user; also known as dexedrine, or "dex"

strobe: a flashing light that can simulate the experience of tripping on acid

Timothy Leary: a Harvard professor fired for experimenting with LSD; started a commune in New York state to experiment with the drug

trip: the state of being on acid (as in "an acid trip")

Trips Festival: a large gathering of people for the purpose of taking acid and having an acid trip together

Unitarian: a liberal religious denomination

Watts: a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles; site of the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

• Biography of Tom Wolfe
• About The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
• Character List
• Major Themes
• Glossary of Terms
• Short Summary
• Full Summary and Analysis
• Summary and Analysis of "Black Shiny FBI Shoes" & "The Bladder Totem"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Electric Suit" & "What Do You Think of My Buddha"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Rusky-Dusky Neon Dust" & "The Bus"
• Summary and Analysis of "Unauthorized Acid" & "Tootling the Multitudes"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Crypt Trip" & "Dream Wars"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Unspoken Thing" & "The Bust"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Hell's Angels" & "A Miracle in Seven Days"
• Summary and Analysis of "Cloud" & "The Frozen Jug Band"
• Summary and Analysis of "Departures," "Cosmos' Tasmanian Deviltry," & "The Trips Festival"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" & "The Fugitive"
• Summary and Analysis of "Diablo!" & "The Red Tide"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Mexican Bust," "Secret Agent Number One," & "The Cops and Robbers Game"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Graduation" and "Epilogue"
• Related Links on The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
• Suggested Essay Questions
• A History of LSD
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources
• Purchase The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and Other Works
• Test Yourself! Quiz 1
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