Perspective

"Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge" is a non-fiction book that uses both third and first person narrative. The author, Terence McKenna, uses first-person narrative when he details accounts of his personal experiences. He has worked and lived with shamans and has explored the usages and effects of hallucinogenic plants and will often describe such memories. At times, he will refer to "we" as a society or as modern human beings in discussing the present and future steps that need to be taken.

At times, McKenna also becomes a storyteller, inventing situations or recreating an imagined history in order to illustrate a point. During these moments, which are usually at the beginning of the chapter, customs or cultures are portrayed by fictional characters, such the steps of a shamanic ritual. McKenna discusses the history of human evolution and society, and in doing...