Drugs are a weird subject by default. You know they exist; you may know some of them and some of their effects. But how many of us know their history? What about how they work and how much science knows about them?

And this is where this book shines. Covering many different substances, the author goes in great detail into the fascinating stories about drugs and their discoveries, the chemical features that make them relevant and the ways they interact with the brain.

After reading it, and notwithstanding the inherent complexity of the chemistry involved, you’ll have a much broader understanding on this controversial but unavoidable subject. If the use of drugs is rampant in our contemporary world, knowing about them will at least give you a saner perspective and a much more informed position about the whens and hows they came to be what they are.