Peter McWilliams
Peter McWilliams | |
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Born | Peter Alexander McWilliams August 5, 1949 self-publisher , photographer, activist |
Peter Alexander McWilliams (August 5, 1949 – June 14, 2000)
Early life
McWilliams was born to a
He attended Allen Park High School and Eastern Michigan University and later enrolled at Maharishi International University. At the age of 17 he wrote a collection of poems called Come Love with Me and Be My Life, which he self-published under the name Versemonger Press.[1]
Career and activism
McWilliams wrote The TM Book in 1975 with Denise Denniston, which was at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for three weeks.[3]
In 1976, he wrote TM: An Alphabetical Guide to the Transcendental Meditation Program with Denniston and Nat Goldhaber.[4]
He wrote TM with Harold H. Bloomfield, and later co-wrote the book How to Heal Depression.[3]
McWilliams was active in
He wrote nearly 40 books[1] including Surviving the Loss of a Love (1971), The Personal Computer Book (1982) and Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in School but Didn't (1990). His 1982 book, The Word Processing Book: A Short Course in Computer Literacy, was published during the "computer revolution" and was "highly successful."[1] McWilliams was a photographer, and a collection of his own photographs were published in October 1992 in a book titled Portraits – A Book of Photographs by Peter McWilliams.
McWilliams was arrested and charged with growing marijuana in 1997.[5][2] He was released from custody on $250,000 bail and with the "condition that he not use marijuana."[5] His book Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Society, published in 1993, made a case for the legalization of drugs and became a favored publication of the Libertarian Party.[1] Life 101 and subsequent books list John-Roger (Roger Delano Hinkins), the leader of the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, as his co-writer. McWilliams later repudiated the movement, claiming to be the sole author of the books.[6]
Health issues and death
McWilliams was diagnosed with
He died on June 14, 2000, in his Los Angeles home, ofCannabis activist
He is entombed at the
Selected publications
- Surviving the Loss of a Love (Versemonger, 1971)
- The McWilliams II Word Processor Instruction Manual (ISBN 0-671-50433-9) (1983)
- You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought (John-Roger
- Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned about Life in School but Didn't (ISBN 978-0-931580-10-9) (1990)
- Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts (1991)
- How to Survive the Loss of a Love (1991), co-authored with Melba Colgrove and Harold H. Bloomfield
- Come Love With Me and Be My Life (1992)
- Portraits – A Book of Photographs by Peter McWilliams (1992)
- Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society (1993)
- Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You(1994)
- Love 101: To Love Oneself is the Beginning of a Lifelong Romance (1995)
See also
- Legal history of cannabis in the United States
- Gonzales v. Raich
- Health issues and the effects of cannabis
- Cannabis legalization in the United States
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lehman-Haupt, Christopher (June 26, 2000). "Peter McWilliams Dies at 50; An Author of Self-Help Books". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Rosenzweig, David (June 17, 2000) "Peter McWilliams; Backed Medical Use of Marijuana" Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Sokol, Al (July 4, 1994). "The 'shame' of depression That's how many people see it. 'Women sit down and cry. Men go out and get drunk,' says one sufferer. But ignoring it will often just make things worse". Toronto Star. p. C1.
- ISBN 978-0-345-24096-5.
- ^ a b c "Author Peter McWilliams; Marijuana Proponent". The Washington Post. June 18, 2000.
- ISBN 093158034X.
- ^ Buckley, Jr., William F. (June 24, 2000). "Life cut short – over a forbidden toke". Houston Chronicle. p. 36.