(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan)
I was intrigued by this book because the author, Christopher Kimball Bigelow, and I share two things in common: we were both raised in the Mormon Church during the same era and used drugs in our youth (although I was far less involved in both of these than Bigelow). The writer chronicles his young adult journey away from Mormonism and into a 1980’s world of drugs and punk…and then back to the Mormon life.
If you’re interested in punk (the music and culture); if you like ruminations of good vs evil, Dungeons and Dragons, detailed descriptions of LSD trips, Mormon life in the 1980’s, young adult hetero/homosexual relations, this book is for you. As for the sex and drug use, the author is painfully honest…and he gives a lot of details.
Bigelow has some serious Mormon pedigree. He’s a descendant of Heber C. Kimball, who was the first counselor to Joseph Smith. Because of this, he has lots of eye-opening anecdotes that he casually throws in.
“How had my great-great-great grandfather Heber C. Kimball kept up with seventeen childbearing wives?…I couldn’t imagine how Mormonism had ever allowed it. My family felt proud we were from Heber’s real wife, the first one…”
“Eight years later, the cult was now preparing for Immanuel David’s second coming. Our cousin’s husband had replaced Longo as the cult’s earthly leader…My dad had visited the cult before…Later, another Immanuel David would arise in Salt Lake City and kidnap Elizabeth Smart.”
Bigelow is a natural writer. I think he would have served his story better, however, with some editing and broader brush strokes. For instance, he gives graphic descriptions of living in filth in different apartments with a group of his drinking/drugging/stealing punk friends. A synopsis of these situations and places could have illustrated it in a shorter, more engaging manner. This applies to much of the book. In lieu of the detailed chronology he could have given an overview of certain episodes/phases in his life and punctuated them with stand-out moments.
I learned a lot from Acid Test. Most interesting to me was what he revealed about the Mormon Church. He knows a lot and isn’t afraid to say anything. So much so, I wondered if he was revealing church secrets he was not supposed to be sharing, like some rituals held inside the Temple.
His thinking is quite original for an LDS member. He is the first active Mormon I have heard say he considers his drug use to be a necessary part of his religious awakening.
“Without LSD, I never would’ve perceived reality beyond the five human senses and understood the battle between spiritual darkness and light…”
“Could the Holy Spirit have inspired my dad to bless me about my acid trips? I wondered if LSD had been a forbidden but necessary fruit for me, the only way I could lose my spiritual innocence. “
I saw on his Amazon page he has another book, Mormonism for Dummies. From reading Acid Test, I believe he will give the full inside scoop. Bigelow is a likeable author, so I’ll definitely pick it up.
