The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson [Paperback]

Michael Cleverly (Author), Bob Braudis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2008

Warning!*

This book contains the following:

Unsafe use of powerful firearms in combination with explosives

Cultivation of illegal crops

Impressionable minors being exposed to illicit activities

Piloting of automobiles under impaired conditions

Transporting large sums of cash across national borders

*Stunts performed in this book were undertaken by professionals. Do not attempt them at home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to the couple of old Woody Creek buddies of Hunter S. Thompson's (aka Doc) who compiled this ramshackle selection of anecdotes about the gonzo practitioner, the kitchen at Doc's was the favored place for conversation since the living room had devolved into a squalid, fetid, pigsty. Thompson's legend as a fire-breathing, vituperative hellion had spread far and wide—due in no small part to his own self-promotion of it—but many old-time residents of the Colorado mountain town where he holed up for several decades were fiercely protective of their resident hell-raiser. That attitude is clearly represented by this book's pair of authors, an artist and a sheriff, who relate numerous tales of paranoid and wanton destruction (often involving cocaine, firearms and too many glasses of Chivas) with the same indulgence one reserves for a dangerously eccentric relative. The book keeps the stargazing to a minimum and mostly presents Thompson the man—one who was fortunate he could write because he comes off here as pretty useless at day-to-day life. The authors recount everything from Thompson's invention of shotgun golf to the reason he needed all those peacocks around. While Cleverly and Braudis try to puncture the media myth of Thompson the Indestructible (on his aborted attempt at covering Vietnam, they sardonically note that he seemed to only like danger when he was the most dangerous person in the room), it's a gentle ribbing; we should all have friends as generous and forgiving as Thompson clearly did. (Feb.)
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Review

“A pleasant addition to Thompsoniana.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Down to its last detail...a work that surely would have inspired Thompson to fire off a letter of approval—rather than a few rounds from a firearm.” (Camden Courier-Post )

“A tale of the smart, amusing and passionate soul behind the Gonzo mask....a must read.” (Loren Jenkins, Pulitzer Prize winning journlist and Senior Foreign Editor for National Public Radio )

“This is the real Hunter S. Thompson. No friends knew him better than Cleverly and Braudis.” (Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of EINSTEIN: His Life and Universe )

“This book is hilarious and heart-breaking and hard to put down.” (William McKeen, author of OUTLAW JOURNALIST and HIGHWAY 61 )

“Parlor gossip with a Gonzo twist. It’s an essential installment in the Hunter figure legend that continues to grow. (Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and editor of the Hunter S. Thompson letters collections THE PROUD HIGHWAY and FEAR AND LOATHING IN AMERICA. )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (February 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006115928X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061159282
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Decent..., April 7, 2008

By 

Justin W. Meeker (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson (Paperback)

A good read, though relatively short and unambitious. I found the stories entertaining through I had heard most of them before. A much shorter, more concise edition of Hunter S. Thompson stories than some others that I have read (namely Ralph Steadman's HST Biography, "The Joke's Over", possibly the most dry and mundane book I've ever read. Ralph should stick to his day job, which he is quite proficient at...) Anyway, a good book, but not outstanding. I would recommend buying this only if you are a die-hard HST fan who needs everything ever written by him or about him to feel complete...like me.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting only slightly entertaining, February 25, 2008

By 

Kristy Caley (Grain Valley, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson (Paperback)

I am a big fan of Hunter Thompson, but this is not Hunter Thompson. The writers try to give a glimpse of Thompson in his private environment, problem is Hunter did this better than anyone else. The authors may have had good intentions, but it feels like they are just trying to cash in on Hunter THompsons fame. Let Hunter rest in peace...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Personal recollections of HST, August 8, 2008

By 

Pen happy teacher - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson (Paperback)

The men who wrote this knew Thompson personally, so there's plenty of inner details about life on Owl Farm and the ways of the good doctor. Some of the stories I loved as they caught the man's feral energy, others carry a weight of sadness with them as they show a great talent winding down and ready to leave this earth.

Would I recommend it? Oh yes, in fact I read it in a couple of sittings.

Sherlock Holmes and the Flying Zombie Death Monkeys