I have recently dabbled in a little non-fiction, which for the most part I do not do, and found that I have a great appreciation for Hunter S. Thompson. For those of you that are not familiar with Thompson he is probably best known for writing the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which spawned the movie with Johnny Depp.
I have previously read his book The Rum Diaries, and it had a particular feel that was reminiscent of Hemingway. The story itself was not as good as Hemingway, but it definitely had the same rhythmic feel and social undertones of The Sun Also Rises. So ultimately he is a great writer, but his fiction leaves something to be desired. His non-fiction on the other hand is PHENOMENAL.
He rose to popularity with writing articles about outlaw motorcycle clubs that eventually landed him his first book deal, and Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs was born. This was the in the 60's so the Hells Angels were a different group than they are today. Thompson hung out with them for a year and recounts all of the parties and craziness that went on back then. The book is incredibly well written, and is a crazy ride.
The way Thompson lived his life was absolutely crazy and was a truly writer/rock star lifestyle. This guy was nuts. His biography makes all other writers look like choir boys, even the most notorious like Fitzgerald and all of the other members of the expatriate movement. The amazing thing about Thompson's story was the fact that it took place on American soil, and was not something that was exactly a secret. There were drugs and parties galore, and somewhere along the way some amazing stories were written. For those of you that are fans of politics apparently Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 has been hailed as one of the best accounts of American politics that was ever written. I myself have no idea how our political system works and have a basic understanding that America uses something along the lines of democracy, but that is about the extent of my knowledge. So needless to say this book would probably be over my head, but I would recommend Hunter S. Thompson to any reader. If you are more of a fiction person Rum Diaries good but his non-fiction was the bees knees. So check him out.
You know, from what you've allowed me to read of the book you were buying (so, a few pages), I really loved his writing style. This, however, is a bit at odds with my distaste of the rock star, devil-may-care lifestyle. I'm sure I'll pick up one of his books one day, because his writing looked brilliant. If I can get past not caring so much about the subject-matter.
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