On the one hand, I admire the honesty of somebody from the medical (or semi-medical) profession admitting that amphetamines, ritalin, adderall, and friends are not always used to treat legitimate issues. On the other hand, this book is an odd duck, not really a physical's desk reference, not really popular enough for a mass audience. And there are major conceptual and organizational difficulties.

The first is that this book isn't really a debate. Moore's has a clear point of view: Amphetamines are addictive and dangerous when used without supervision, but fine when used appropriately, and that medical professionals are almost always correct in their supervision. Where the larger categories of "appropriate" come from are not examined. Much of the history and culture is drawn directly from Rasmussen's excellent On Speed and Iversen's Speed>Ecstasy>Ritalin, which I have not read but also looks quite good. The toxicology information is drawn from the standard desk reference.

This book is very much a lit review, and while there's nothing wrong with this, it feels like something written by a clever undergrad. Shallow, unorganized, a little repetitive, no real insight into the field. The relatively recent list of drugs is good, but as for behavior modification, neuroenhancement, and anti-aging, this book entirely fails.