My Rating: A+

My Review:

This book is a great study of a sometimes mystifying and often intriguing group of people Hunter S. Thompson does not romanticize the Hell's Angels, nor does he portray them as anything other than what they are. He does however, write in a way that keeps you begging for more. he paints a vivid picture, which proves his talents to me mostly because I have nothing to draw from when it comes to this time period except for re-runs on Nick-at-Night.

The only issue I had with this book was really my issue more than the authors. The titles of the three sections seemed a bit misleading, but other than that this was a wonderful book. I highly recommend it to those even a little bit interested in the Hell's Angels or even Mr. Thompson himself. ( )

Hell’s Angels begins: California, Labor Day weekend . . . early, with ocean fog still in the streets, outlaw motorcyclists wearing chains, shades and greasy Levis roll out from damp garages, all-night diners and cast-off one-night pads in Frisco, Hollywood, Berdoo and East Oakland, heading for the Monterey peninsula, north of Big Sur… The Menace is loose again, the Hell’s Angels, the hundred-carat headline… With a start like that how could you help but be hooked? This is Hunter before Gonzo.

Hunter Thompson’s Hell’s Angels is a fantastically written profile of the outlaw motorcycle club from their postwar origins to their explosion on the public conscious in ’64-’65. It begins with the Angels gaining nation-wide attention via a fumbled rape trial and follows the surreal path that led to their interactions and then clashes with Ken Kesey and the counter-culture movement.

Hunter takes an odd stance here. He seems to oscillate between respecting their rebelliousness and really looking down on them as worthless losers. This sort of Yin-Yang of the Hell's Angels follows through the book. They are both repellent and attractive and Hunter does a very good job of sussing out why this is in writing that is compelling and often brilliant. Liberally sprinkled with quotes of contemporary articles, song lyrics and scraps of poetry that fit into the text without distracting.

Hell's Angels is a gritty, classic slice of reportage that manages to entertain in the way good fiction entertains with a gripping narrative and larger-than-life characters. ( )

Interesting to read a pre-gonzo Hunter Thompson. Hells Angels is still "New Journalism", but unlike later works, the text is well edited and well crafted. The book chronicles the California Hells Angels in 1966-1967, a period in which they were plucked from obscurity and became a media sensation after several high profile run-ins with the law. He shows how this media attention first revitalized their membership, and then threatened to destroy them. Thompson traces their history and roots back to the disenfranchised children of dust-bowl okies and a segment of World War II veterans who had no skills in the new economy that was emerging in the fifties and sixties. A very engaging read.

A fascinating glimpse at the most infamous motorcycle gang in history. Hunter Thompson weaves the tale as only he can. A perspective on the group you won't get from they themselves, those who extol them, or those who loathe them. Uniquely original. Some of Thompson's best work. ( )

Thompson's first book still stands as one of the most original and exciting pieces of journalism written in the last century. (Then again, everything he ever wrote is great, as far as I'm concerned.)

While lacking the frenetic, trademark Gonzo style of his later works, this is still an amazing look at one of the truly outsider cultures of our society. ( )

This is probably one of my favorite non-fiction books ever. It chronicles the media's role in the creation of the Hell's Angels -- the infamous biker gang that was on its way to extinction until press agencies and politicians began blaming them for society's ills, creating a more effective recruiting campaign than any gang had experienced before. Thompson goes on to describe his own personal experiences riding and partying with the Angels, as well as the currents that abruptly ended his relationship with them. The book is sociological, showing the influence of the press and painting a portrait of the Angels that is probably one of the most sympathetic from the time, as Thompson was one of the few journalists who allowed the Angels to critique his work. Thompson's writing style makes the book accessible to a wide audience and easy to read despite the density of insight and information. At the time of writing he had not perfected his famous gonzo style, which makes the book easier to follow than, for example, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

It's a shame that most people associated Hunter Thompson with "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", as "Hell's Angels" is a vastly superior book in every way. Whereas "Fear..." was a failed attempt at Gonzo journalism, this book is an unqualified success. Thompson goes to great lengths to show the true nature of the bikers, and how their behavior compares to American values. This is a beautiful story, and I highly recommend it as a way to get into Hunter's writings. ( )

Hell's Angels is Hunter S. Thomson's entertaining gonzo journalistic take in the mood of the Chicago school of sociology looking at outsider behaviour. Tagging (and partying) along with the Hell's Angels, he notes their acts good and bad. In one chapter, the Angels seem like urban heroes, in the next they are thugs. He defends the Angels against public hypocrisy and minimizes their deviant behaviour.Next, he presents the Angels' involvement in brawls, violence, drug-trafficking and rape. At the end of the book, he drifts away from the Angels after having been beaten up.

In contrast to scientific work, he never clarifies his position. He switches between being an insider and an outsider without coming to a clear verdict. He feels both attracted to and repulsed by their strange mix of fascistic brotherhood on wheels. ( )

This is Thompson’s first book-length work of journalism, and it would earn him death threats from the leather and tattoo set for the rest of his life. The first pages are extremely funny.