Customer Reviews

Riding on the Edge: A Motorcycle Outlaw's Tale

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Riding on the Edge" is, IMHO, the finest work of 1%er biker literature on the stands today. Written by an Old School biker and original member of the Pagans MC, this is a thoughtful, respectful and captivating story of what it was like to be a 1960s motorcycle outlaw.

Written by John Hall, today a professional journalist and academic, Hall's book eclipses Sonny Barger's very successful effort (Hell's Angel) and, when compared, makes a mockery of Ruben "Doc" Cavazo's recent book about himself (oh, and the Mongols MC, too).

"Riding" is a wonderful read with the best outlaw biker book cover on the stands to date. Well worth the purchase.

In 2006 John Hall's literary agent James Fitzgerald of New York contacted us about the book. At that time Fitzgerald was informed that John Hall in fact did not have authorization to write, print or publish any thing about the Pagan's MC. John Hall has never contacted the club at all to seek authorization. The book is interesting to read for the most part, however it is by no means a acurate and true account of the 1 1/2 years that John Hall was a member of the club. Not only is it an exageration of his own status and position within the club, but also certain alleged events written of in the book are totally fictional and never happened. For the most part he dropped names of men that are dead now, however others are still alive and atest to the false nature of this personal account of John Hall. John Hall was nothing more than a spoke in a wheel. John Hall is not a original member of the club and does not have the respect or honor that position would grant.
Pagan Ronnie 1%
Pagan's MC

I think this book was as good as the Sonny Barger book, Hell's Angel if not better.
Very gritty and realistic and man, John Hall is a very good writer as well. He kept me reading and reading on.

This is a very GOOD book, well written and well documented.The style is even better than an other all-time icon, Hells Angels by H.Thompson.It is worth every euro I paid for it.As an european biker I get a better look at the history of 1%-America in years. Most of the publications were always about the HAMC and now more books are published about the other clubs:giving a more balanced look at these matters.Truly an outstanding piece of work.

I'm not sure I can say that John Hall is a better writer than Hunter S. Thompson, as another reviewer has done, but he's in the general ballpark, which is saying a lot since I think Thompson was one of the finest American writers of the 20th century. This is one hell of a book.

This is certainly the most well-written book by an ex-insider that was close to or at the top of one of the major 1% clubs. John Hall is a literate guy who seems to borrow some of his style from Hunter S. Thompson among others. Unlike some of the drivel that is being pumped out by some real and imagined ex-outlaws, Hall's work is superbly readable.

The only knock I have on it, and it's a Catch-22 endured by all authors in Hall's position, is that he really isn't in a position to tell us what we want to hear about some of the more "outlaw" aspects of his life with the club. He isn't going to implicate himself or others. Doc Cavazos' book about the Mongols has the same issue - there are stories to tell, but what can he do without harming his brothers? In this vein, I would say that Sonny Barger's book "Hells Angel" comes the closest to getting at the "meat." But Sonny has a huge advantage because of the ability to allude to untold published articles, stories, books, truths, untruths, etc. about the Hells Angels. There is so much out there for Sonny to address that he doesn't run the risk of exposing anything new. John Hall doesn't have that luxury.

In addition, Hall, like Cavazos, exhibits very little ego in this writing. This makes for what seems to be pretty honest, if a bit bland, account of the life as a club leader.

Also, I would have to say that the knock Hall tosses in at the end about people like Yves Lavigne and Anthony Tait is a bit clumsy, because it is out of place. But he is dead on.

This is your book if you want to experience real writing while getting an excellent account of the development of the Pagans as a club, and maybe a little history of the people and culture of eastern Pennsylvania thrown in as a bonus!

There is very little in regards to books on the PAGANS MC, so I thought I would give this a shot. Its decent, but at times deviates into a "we partied here," "we partied there" memoir. Probably could have been edited better as there are a lot of names that make it difficult to follow who the writer is talking about.

Terribly slow at first, but progressively you'll enjoy the ride. The author is writing 40 years after the events and apparently can boast a remarkable memory; his writing at times was very much like an action novel. Once I muscled through the first third of the story, I started to cruise along and was increasingly engrossed, not so much because I wondered if the Pagans MC survived, but because I pondered how the author might make his exit.

This book completed my self-designed "trilogy" on the Mongols, Hell's Angels and Pagans. This was the last biker book I'll be reviewing and my "Sons of Anarchy" phase has now run its course. But this was definitely a solid choice to finish with.

One complaint: over-priced in hardback, so wait for the paperback and save your greenbacks for an oil change.

This book is probably the most intelligent and well-written account I have ever read about the motorcycle club lifestyle. The author begins each chapter with a passage from Norse mythology and presents a detailed account of the colorful characters that formed his circle of friends during the late 60's. I especially liked the vivid description of that bygone era of hard drinking blue collar types and their palpable sense of freedom (sometimes licentiousness) that we in the modern nanny state can barely understand. I also liked some of the inadvertent social commentary about the the decline of of our county's industrial heartland and the clashing social mores of that time.

I did not give this book five stars because the author leaves much unsaid. First,
what happened to the Pagan's (specifically his chapter and the others on Long Island)? He relates the fate of some individual members, but doesn't expound much upon that MC's longevity nor the membership that followed his departure. Second, he doesn't provide any information about his incarceration or his reinvention as a college professor. Perhaps, he is saving that for another book. Lastly, he gives a muted appeal to his former brothers for understanding in his account of events. Is he, in the parlance of the MC's, "Out in Bad/Good Standings"? One of the reviews in this forum, suggests that his parting may have been less than amicable.

In any event, the author tells an interesting tale and tells it well. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to know about the east coast's largest native outlaw MC.

I thought this was a pretty good book. Along the lines of books like The Original Wild Ones about the Boozefighters, and Barger's book, Hells Angel in that the author relates his experiences in the early days of his club, in this case the Pagans. Although the time frame here is much shorter, not a life-long story.
If I had to criticize I'd say it ends kind of abruptly leaving the reader wondering what happened to the author as well as some of the other characters, but if you liked the two books mentioned above you'll like this one.