{"product_id":"rise-and-fall-of-synanon-rod-janzen-9781421448107","title":"Rise and Fall of Synanon: A California Utopia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe definitive account of Synanon.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a fall day in 1978, Los Angeles attorney Paul Morantz reached into his mailbox to collect his mail and was nearly killed. He was bitten by the four-foot-long rattlesnake that had been put there by members of a cultlike group called Synanon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChuck Dederich--a former Alcoholics Anonymous member who coined the phrase \"Today is the first day of the rest of your life\"--established Synanon as an innovative drug rehabilitation center near the Santa Monica beach in 1958. Synanon quickly evolved into an experimental commune and religion that attracted thousands of members and was strongly committed to social justice and progressive education. Twenty years later, when Dederich was arrested for the Morantz attack, Synanon had devolved into a paranoid community that followed its egomaniacal leader in whatever direction he chose to take.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on extensive primary sources and interviews with former members, The Rise and Fall of Synanon explores how the group arose in the context of American social, political, and economic trends. Historian Rod Janzen argues that Synanon's downfall resulted from members giving too much power to Synanon's charismatic founder. The subject of a new documentary and podcast, this community serves as a mesmerizing case study of how alternative societies can change over time and how the general public's reactions to such societies can shift from tolerance to fear and opposition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rod Janzen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1421448106\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781421448107\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Johns Hopkins University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/04\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.06lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.73d","brand":"Rod Janzen","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44227667984639,"sku":"9781421448107","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e339d20d-dab7-4935-879d-28936fe5f4d8.jpg?v=1692809939","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/rise-and-fall-of-synanon-rod-janzen-9781421448107","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}