A southern gay college boy sets out for the Big Apple where a demonic Svengali lures the naïve student into the underworld of international drug smuggling. Upon arriving in Bombay, Louie ― now rechristened Eli ― detours to the mind-expanding ashram of guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Netflix's Wild, Wild Country) and explores new possibilities. Guided by a flawed moral compass, he's trapped in purgatory: Is it too late to walk away, or is he fated to follow in the nefarious footsteps of his father, Nick the Greek? Flew Too High tells the true epic journey of Louie Mandrapilias. Woven throughout his memoir is a proud heritage dating back to ancient Sparta, the struggle between his pious mother and rebel father, and the battle that rages on in the soul of their only son. Think Augusten Burroughs' Dry meets The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Flew Too High: A gay drug smuggler's transcendent odyssey in the heyday of Studio 54 by Louie Mandrapilias is a fascinating, deftly crafted, authentic, emotionally engaging, and simply riveting memoir that will fully compel the reader's full attention from start to finish. Of special and particular relevance to readers with an interest in LGBTQ life experiences and unique/unusual life stories, Flew Too High is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. —Midwest Book Review " Flew Too High is a fascinating story, well-told. At times harrowing, at times heartbreaking, and compelling throughout, it captures a moment in time and one young man's dangerous but unforgettable adventure." — Trudy Ring, The Advocate "Louie Mandrapilias offers an intimate and unfiltered look into his past in Flew Too High: A Gay Drug Smuggler's Transcendent Odyssey in the heyday of Studio 54 . With raw honesty, he invites readers into the turbulence of his youth, transporting us to the late 1970s, a time of self-discovery, rebellion, and excess. That summer, as he put it, he "let the wolf in when he came knocking." The result was a wild, intoxicating journey through sex, drugs, and an urgent search for identity, all set against the backdrop of a rapidly shifting cultural landscape. Memoirs often leave readers searching for the author's flaws, yet Mandrapilias offers them up freely. He does not shy away from his missteps but instead presents them with a level of self-awareness that is both admirable and deeply human. His account unfolds at a time when being openly gay was still fraught with danger and defiance, the echoes of Stonewall still fresh in the air. His story captures not just his own struggle but also the broader, unspoken battles of an era. One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its immersive storytelling. Mandrapilias paints his world so vividly that the reader feels transported to standing on the streets of New York, witnessing fleeting glances, whispered exchanges, and electric moments of both connection and isolation. His descriptions bring the 1970s to life, not just in setting but in language. The slang, the cadence of conversation, and the atmosphere all feel cinematic, yet undeniably real. For LGBTQ readers, Flew Too High resonates on a profound level. The unapologetic portrayal of raw, lived experiences makes this memoir not just a personal reflection but a cultural artifact. It's a time capsule of love, loss, indulgence, and self-acceptance, capturing both the recklessness of youth and the wisdom gained through it. Mandrapilias does not present a sanitized version of his past. He acknowledges the mistakes, the missteps, the moments of excess. Yet, none of it diminishes the journey, it enhances it. His story is one of self-discovery, of learning, of stumbling through the darkness in search of something real. Flew Too High is more than a memoir; it's a reckoning with the past, a tribute to survival, and a testament to the beauty of becoming." Rating: 5 Stars Literary Titan "The life of Louie Mandrapilias, whose name I would struggle to pronounce just as much as the many characters he meets, seems fictional the way it's portrayed in Flew Too High . The spiral of love and sex and drugs is real enough. We all probably know someone who's been caught in one (or even ourselves). Yet, it's the distance that spiral takes the author on, and the people he meets along the way who feel larger than life. Not many memoirs can create the same page-turning motivation as a thriller novel . Flew Too High did this in spades, especially when a green drug mule makes his first run. In what is perhaps the strongest praise, Mandrapilias won me over as a reader so well in the lead-up that I was rooting for the drugs to make it through customs somehow. Irreverently funny, just the right touch of self-deprecating, and outrageous enough to stay interesting, the author's voice sucked me in and kept me invested. The title was also a perfect choice. An allusion to Icarus both