The entire book is a mix of political rambling, somewhat well researched guides to taboo stuff, and complete urban legends. The references to drugs are at best deeply informative for the often scientifically unbacked drug culture of the 70s and at worst completely false. His opinion that a new perspective accessed through the consumption of drugs can lead to the deconstruction of false or harmful societal norms is somewhat insightful but in my mind fails to justify the extent to which he discusses drugs in the text. I think he really just wanted to talk about drugs because he liked drugs. Some of the more common urban legends and misconceptions he writes in occur in the Drugs section. He goes on an entire tangent relating to the fictional marijuana strain New York White. Supposedly being albino subterranean marijuana that grew in the NYC sewers when dealers flushed their seeds. That just entirely is not real. He also references in the martial arts section the act of using the “knife side of the hand” to break someones nose and possibly kill them by puncturing their brain with the bones of the nose. This is also not real. Many more examples occur in the text of him passing off rumors or urban legends as fact within the envelope of generally true information. This leads me to, without much research on the topic, highly doubt the efficacy and safety of his explosive guides. In addition to this, comparing his guides to other manuals relating to improvised munitions, TMS-101, his recipes lack the same accessibility to materials that are present. Although easier in the modern day accessing pure mercury in the 1970s was probably more arduous than materials like nitrogen rich soil or wood ash. This goes to show an overall showboatiness that is pervasive in the way he writes or discusses politics. His anger and spite come from a real place seeking justice and empathy in society but the information he collects and distills reveals inexperience in the pragmatic aspects of violent revolution. I feel that in that way he is like many young american political radicals, well read and educated with a strong idealist view of the world that is not matched by proficiency or rational thinking in relation to the after effects or requirements of their methodology.