Acid for the Children: A Memoir
- Downloads：1196
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-26 18:21:43
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Flea
- ISBN：1455530549
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
New York Times BestsellerA #1 LA Times BestsellerA USA Today BestsellerOne of NPR's "Favorite Books of 2019"
With "virtuosic vulnerability" （The Atlantic）， the iconic bassist and Red Hot Chili peppers co-founder pens a love letter to a youth spent wild in Los Angeles in his raw and riveting coming-of-age memoir， now in paperback。
In Acid for the Children， Flea takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of his formative years， spanning from Australia to the New York City suburbs to， finally， Los Angeles。 Through hilarious anecdotes， poetical meditations， and occasional flights of fantasy， Flea deftly chronicles the experiences that forged him as an artist， a musician， and a young man。 His dreamy， jazz-inflected prose makes the Los Angeles of the 1970s and 80s come to gritty， glorious life， including the potential for fun， danger， mayhem， or inspiration that lurked around every corner。 It is here that young Flea， looking to escape a turbulent home， found family in a community of musicians， artists， and junkies who also lived on the fringe。 He spent most of his time partying and committing petty crimes。 But it was in music where he found a higher meaning， a place to channel his frustration， loneliness， and love。 This left him open to the life-changing moment when he and his best friends， soul brothers， and partners-in-mischief came up with the idea to start their own band， which became the Red Hot Chili Peppers。
Acid for the Children is the debut of a stunning new literary voice， whose prose is as witty， entertaining， and wildly unpredictable as the author himself。 It's a tenderly evocative coming-of-age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity from one of the most renowned musicians of our time。
With "virtuosic vulnerability" （The Atlantic）， the iconic bassist and Red Hot Chili peppers co-founder pens a love letter to a youth spent wild in Los Angeles in his raw and riveting coming-of-age memoir， now in paperback。
In Acid for the Children， Flea takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of his formative years， spanning from Australia to the New York City suburbs to， finally， Los Angeles。 Through hilarious anecdotes， poetical meditations， and occasional flights of fantasy， Flea deftly chronicles the experiences that forged him as an artist， a musician， and a young man。 His dreamy， jazz-inflected prose makes the Los Angeles of the 1970s and 80s come to gritty， glorious life， including the potential for fun， danger， mayhem， or inspiration that lurked around every corner。 It is here that young Flea， looking to escape a turbulent home， found family in a community of musicians， artists， and junkies who also lived on the fringe。 He spent most of his time partying and committing petty crimes。 But it was in music where he found a higher meaning， a place to channel his frustration， loneliness， and love。 This left him open to the life-changing moment when he and his best friends， soul brothers， and partners-in-mischief came up with the idea to start their own band， which became the Red Hot Chili Peppers。
Acid for the Children is the debut of a stunning new literary voice， whose prose is as witty， entertaining， and wildly unpredictable as the author himself。 It's a tenderly evocative coming-of-age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity from one of the most renowned musicians of our time。
Reviews
Zee
，
filing this one under “books about people’s childhoods that absolutely terrify me”
Zanete
，
Not for me and there are 1000+ books I want to read so DNF。
Cait Carpenter
，
I have appreciated and musically admired Flea since I first heard the Chili Peppers in the 90’s。 I did not know any of his backstory though， this book has many stories， thoughts and feelings that really let you in on how his mind and heart work。 I feel the 5 stars ring true to the book。Flea’s own words accompanied by the help of the editor and team compliment each other so well！ I also really just love his tone， dialect and feelings of curiousness， shame， happiness， etc… everything is felt throu I have appreciated and musically admired Flea since I first heard the Chili Peppers in the 90’s。 I did not know any of his backstory though， this book has many stories， thoughts and feelings that really let you in on how his mind and heart work。 I feel the 5 stars ring true to the book。Flea’s own words accompanied by the help of the editor and team compliment each other so well！ I also really just love his tone， dialect and feelings of curiousness， shame， happiness， etc… everything is felt through his words。Two things to mention: if you are looking for stories regarding the Chili Pepper days keep browsing- this is all about his life from boyhood to adult。 Focusing on his personal life， other bands， musical findings and people who shaped him into who he is regarding his music style。 The second thing is CAUTION: TRIGGER WARNING relating to addiction， ritual behavior doing drugs。 It’s interesting hearing his tales but be careful listening。 All in all， this book has made me admire Flea even more and really get to see how sensitive， intelligent， strong and awesome this man is。 I definitely recommend this book。 。。。more
Michael
，
Short chapters full of real insight。 It won't win the Pulitzer or any prize for style， but honest， raw， authentic， and some great analysis， commentary， nearly great advice per chapter。 But man， that was a lot of drugs。。。 Short chapters full of real insight。 It won't win the Pulitzer or any prize for style， but honest， raw， authentic， and some great analysis， commentary， nearly great advice per chapter。 But man， that was a lot of drugs。。。 。。。more
Alicia Nobilo
，
This was awesome！ Really gives you an insight into Flea’s life before he was famous and the tough road he had to get where he is now。 If you are a fan of RHCP and want to know about Flea this is for you。
Hope
，
A really wonderful read。 I never knew how articulate and heartfelt he was/is until reading Acid For The Kids。 I found his book therapeutic。 I could relate to his observations of being a child in a dysfunctional home and finding a new family in his friends。 And how much of a gift and a curse it can be to love your friends so deeply。 The vulnerability and courage only a child can accomplish so naturally。 I absolutely recommend this read。 I loved it。 AND he reminded me of all the killer punk bands A really wonderful read。 I never knew how articulate and heartfelt he was/is until reading Acid For The Kids。 I found his book therapeutic。 I could relate to his observations of being a child in a dysfunctional home and finding a new family in his friends。 And how much of a gift and a curse it can be to love your friends so deeply。 The vulnerability and courage only a child can accomplish so naturally。 I absolutely recommend this read。 I loved it。 AND he reminded me of all the killer punk bands I’d jam out to in my lonely， isolated outcast phase （phase？） 。。。more
Audreygold
，
Raunchy with a lot of focus on using a lot of drugs。 I appreciated that Flea read his own book and was very emotional at some difficult moments in his life。 We are close in age so some of his stories brought back memories although his youth was completely different than mine。 Cell phones have changed so many things。
Anna
，
I absolutely loved this book！ I typically don’t like audiobooks but since this one was narrated by Flea himself， I highly recommend listening vs reading。 His storytelling style is a little meandering but lovely， which I think makes the audio format better。 Flea is a beautiful raconteur， telling things in a poetic and heartfelt way， and I cried many times listening to this。Note， the book only follows Flea’s life from childhood to early 20s， so you won’t catch too many RHCP stories here。 However， I absolutely loved this book！ I typically don’t like audiobooks but since this one was narrated by Flea himself， I highly recommend listening vs reading。 His storytelling style is a little meandering but lovely， which I think makes the audio format better。 Flea is a beautiful raconteur， telling things in a poetic and heartfelt way， and I cried many times listening to this。Note， the book only follows Flea’s life from childhood to early 20s， so you won’t catch too many RHCP stories here。 However， the tales of his friendships with Hillel and Anthony were usually the reasons for my crying bouts。 A must read/listen for any RHCP fan！ 。。。more
Diana Blaga
，
Surprisingly sensitive and very heartwarming。 It was a lovely ride reading it， with chuckles and hmms and some tears here and there。
Tristen Moyers
，
4。5⭐️
Kara Bailey
，
Overall I enjoyed Flea's memoir。 It was interesting how he wrote this as part one， focusing on his childhood and inspiration。 I learned a lot about him and his bond with bandmate Anthony Kedis。 Overall I enjoyed Flea's memoir。 It was interesting how he wrote this as part one， focusing on his childhood and inspiration。 I learned a lot about him and his bond with bandmate Anthony Kedis。 。。。more
Grace Matson
，
Gah the audio book is so gold。 Flea is a gifted story teller， an insightful human， and wildly creative。 His relationship with music is inspiring。 What a tripper。 I finished this wanting to be friends with this man。
Kat
，
3。5 "If I was more happy and stable would I be a boring musician？" 3。5 "If I was more happy and stable would I be a boring musician？" 。。。more
David
，
Acid for the Children was the most surprising book I've read in a while。 Going into this I didn't know much about Flea beyond the super funky bass I've heard on RHCP albums but I'm always up for a memoir from a rock icon so I picked up the book。 I was not expecting the sad， funny， terrifying， and ultimately enlightening stories that make up Flea's life。 I'm amazed at how he can look back on those moments with so much introspection and so much love。 Definitely an inspiring dude。 Acid for the Children was the most surprising book I've read in a while。 Going into this I didn't know much about Flea beyond the super funky bass I've heard on RHCP albums but I'm always up for a memoir from a rock icon so I picked up the book。 I was not expecting the sad， funny， terrifying， and ultimately enlightening stories that make up Flea's life。 I'm amazed at how he can look back on those moments with so much introspection and so much love。 Definitely an inspiring dude。 。。。more
Martin Maenza
，
My first impressions， right from the very first pages， was that Flea's writing is very descriptive and articulate。 I always find it more engaging when musicians are able to pull me into their stories - so that I can experiencing them as they remember them。 I also really like the format of the book。 Many of the chapters are short， easily consumed nuggets which help keep the ideas and events tightly focused。 Each chapter has its own title too， often with Flea using some humor or wordplay in them。I My first impressions， right from the very first pages， was that Flea's writing is very descriptive and articulate。 I always find it more engaging when musicians are able to pull me into their stories - so that I can experiencing them as they remember them。 I also really like the format of the book。 Many of the chapters are short， easily consumed nuggets which help keep the ideas and events tightly focused。 Each chapter has its own title too， often with Flea using some humor or wordplay in them。I liked that even at such an early age that he had a love of reading。 I can totally relate to that as I was an early book lover myself。 Reading also had an effect on his writing and communication skills （which are evident through this book）。At the end of the book， Flea includes a number of lists。 These reveal insights into books， movies， albums and such that have made a lasting impression on him。 These kinds of things really help me to get to know more about him。Note to readers: this book only covers Flea's life up through his first couple of bands。 It does chronicle the starts of his friendships with guys who become his bandmates and who would eventually form the Red Hot Chili Peppers with him。 It does not， however， cover any of the RHCP history as a band （album recordings or tours）。 I suspect he'll continue that in a second book， if he ever writes one。 。。。more
Miya （cozy spooky season begins）
，
Flea has always been such an interesting character to me。 I was super excited to read this memoir。 The story itself is hard on the heart at times， his life wasn't always amazing。 I sometimes felt like I had to remind myself to focus on reading。 The style of writing is different， but and Flea fan will enjoy it for sure！ Flea has always been such an interesting character to me。 I was super excited to read this memoir。 The story itself is hard on the heart at times， his life wasn't always amazing。 I sometimes felt like I had to remind myself to focus on reading。 The style of writing is different， but and Flea fan will enjoy it for sure！ 。。。more
Nikki
，
5 stars for the narration。 Beautifully written， quirky and a couple of parts that made me think “ew， tmi。” But I loved this memoir and hope he writes another。
Larry Lockhart
，
3。25 In my head I prematurely compared this to Scar Tissue， so that might have lowered my rating。 Very different， but Flea doing the audible voicing is a plus。
Elva
，
As a very much biased Flea fan， I absolutely loved this book on audio。
Saltygalreads
，
I've been a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers since my teens - so more than a few years！ When I learned that Flea （Michael Balzary）， the bassist of the band had written a memoir I was intrigued。 It isn't so unusual for a lead singer to write a book， and in fact the lead singer， Anthony Kiedis， had written one， which I have not read。 However， to me Flea was in fact a more enigmatic figure and more fascinating， with his signature， over-the-top gyrations and acrobatics while never missing a note。Aci I've been a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers since my teens - so more than a few years！ When I learned that Flea （Michael Balzary）， the bassist of the band had written a memoir I was intrigued。 It isn't so unusual for a lead singer to write a book， and in fact the lead singer， Anthony Kiedis， had written one， which I have not read。 However， to me Flea was in fact a more enigmatic figure and more fascinating， with his signature， over-the-top gyrations and acrobatics while never missing a note。Acid For the Children is a memoir of Flea's early life， including the story of being uprooted from his dysfunctional but "normal" nuclear family life in New York State to living in Hollywood， California with a dreamer， alcoholic mother and her wildly unstable but musical genius boyfriend Walter。 Running wild on the streets of Hollywood， Flea learns life lessons， finds friendship， soaks up all the musical influences and does way， way too many recreational street drugs。 It forms the remarkable person that he clearly is - revealing a much more sensitive and perceptive man than I expected and not hiding from divulging difficult and unflattering revelations about himself in the process。I deeply respected the honesty in this memoir and look forward to reading his next book。 The memoir ends with the inaugural performance of the RHCP and I can only think that there are many more revelations to come in book two。 I had such a book hangover after finishing this one。 If you are a fan of the band， you need to read this。 If you are wondering what it is like to grow up on the streets of LA in the 70s and 80s， you need to read this。 If you are interested in the story of a man who tried about every street drug there is during his youth and lived to tell the tale， you need to read this。 Just read it。 So much gratitude to Grand Central Pub for sending me a copy of this memoir。 。。。more
Caroline Pfeiffer
，
a pure and gentle soul
M Goldstein
，
So many drugs， crippling & confusing youth; yet so well read & articulate。 Audio was the way to go
Rickie
，
I listened to the audio book narrated by Flea and I highly recommend experiencing it this way。 His story is an interesting one - but what would you expect from Flea。 His writing style is almost poetic and is easy to get caught up in the emotion it conveys。 If you're a fan of Flea。。。 it's a must read。 I listened to the audio book narrated by Flea and I highly recommend experiencing it this way。 His story is an interesting one - but what would you expect from Flea。 His writing style is almost poetic and is easy to get caught up in the emotion it conveys。 If you're a fan of Flea。。。 it's a must read。 。。。more
Charles Cofield
，
I try not to rate this book based on what I thought about Flea at the end of the book。 However simply put， it is a life story with nothing to take from worth remembering。Maybe 2 pages about RHCP。
Alyssa
，
its FANTASTIC！ Flea has such a way to describe his childhood and all that he went through to become the bassist， artist， and person he is today。 He’s very self-aware and can analyze his past with such a clear eye but also has a lot of heart and empathy towards his younger self。 His sense of humor is great too！ I felt like i was really sitting there in front of him while he told the story。
Sarah
，
@Lea danke für die Entdeckung im Buchladen ;）Habe es in Hamburg gelesen， wo ich für das RHCP Konzert war Hoffentlich kommt noch ein 2。 Teil raus！
Athena
，
it was like okayyyyyy i guess i don’t really care about flea as a person therefore i found parts of this book boring but he had a pretty crazy sick lit movie life if you ask me so
Jessica
，
Somewhere under the pretension and groovy cosmic goop is an affecting story of a sweet， vulnerable and sensitive artist。 Some great tidbits about early 80s LA rock/punk/alt scene to be found， if you can tolerate the tone。
Siobhan Grocock
，
Fascinating story。 Great read and I absolutely loved it ！
Branka
，