Customer Reviews

A Wayward Angel: The Full-Story of the Hell's Angels by the Former Vice-President of the Oakland Chapter

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This book reveals the secrets and lifestyles of the notorious Hells Angels that for so long have been shrouded in scandal, mystery and fear. Written by an ex Hells Angel himself, Wethern recounts his lifestyle with the Angels from the first beginnings of the gangs operation in California, his friendship with well known gang president Sonny, orgies, criminal activity and the rapid decline of the gang and Wethern himself as drugs became the way of life and huge source of power and income. Wethern, now hidden somewhere in the states with new identity for him and his family in fear of his life as a result of co-operating with police and officials and giving informatiuon and indeed writing this book that blows the lid on the activities of a gang that is unmerciless in it's punishment of offenders, it's disregard for police, women and just about anything, but that is fiercely loyal to the brotherhood of gang members and loyalty to the president at all costs. In what would seem an act of clearing his conscience Wethern tells his tale in a way that exposes the reader to not only the innner workings of this secret gang, but also the brokenness, regret and fear that comes from living the life of a wayward angel.

Unlike Yves Levigne, who denegrates the Hells Angels in every book he writes, yet makes a ton of money doing it without having the cajones to live it, George was an OG in the Hells Angels. I remember reading in the papers when he jammed pencils in his eyes in penitance for his turning state's evidence. But, whether you agree with his actions(turning states evidence) or disagree(because you don't rat out your friends), the fact remains George lived it, which only an Angel can do. There are some pro's and con's considering everyone wants to put their best foot forward. But, it is fairly written in that he doesn't try to hide too much about his actions or the club's. A very interesting read for those who would like to know more about the early days of the Hells Angels.

George Wethern may appear to be "coming clean" in this book, but just like in every book written by ex-OMG'ers, the bravado as he describes his days with the HAMC is a bit of a turn-off. As Sonny Barger used to say, "Why do they lie about us? The truth is bad enough." Well, neither Sonny nor George seems capable of just laying it out there for us to see in some un-trumped-up manner. At least Sonny's books don't purport to be tell-alls. What is Wethern's excuse?

This book really fell apart at the end. Wethern took a wrong turn. Rather than talking at length about the details of his cooperation with authorities, and his feelings about his "ex-brothers" as well as their feelings for him, he spends little time on it. Instead, we are treated to page upon page of trailer park-esque writings between him and his wife. Who cares?

I also believe that the book was not particularly well edited.

Still, this is sort of a landmark writing because it blows a little lustre off the mystique, and there is not a lot out there by ex-insiders that purports to tell any truth. I do recommend "Under and Alone" by William Queen if you want a little more honesty about what it's like "inside."

As for Wethern's being a "rat", the people in question were all criminals to some degree anyway, so why get hung up on that? I do like the brotherhood aspect of OMGs and I am not particularly fond of rats, but there are reasons why George turned. Wethern was not the only one to not live up to the "brotherhood" ideal.

No great discoveries here. Wethern tells about how much the Hells Angels partied and used drugs in the 70's and the beginning of methamphetamine distribution. The book drags and bogs down. I recommend Under and Alone instead of this book.

As someone who has spent considerable time reading about OMG's and getting to know some of the people who ride with them, I can honestly say this book could have been more in depth and more revealing, had the author chosen that route. However, he doesn't reveal anything that most people who are educated on OMG's don't already know. Also, the book really doesn't offer anything up to date on where the author is now and what he's been doing with his life since writing this book. A much better inside look at OMG's is offered in more recent books, most notably UNDER AND ALONE by William Queen. For folks who aren't acqainted with the one percenter lifestyle, this book might be informative, but for those of us who are, it was just more of the same.

I,am having a hard time keeping my interest in this book about the angels. I really do not care about his school days and he makes the angels sound pretty tame,also he must of had a dictionary on hand for a lot of the word would not be in the angels vocabulary or mine. The only thing I can say is take a chance if you cannot find another book on the angels.After reading ( under and alone) William Queen this angel book is really boring. TR

I read this book with fairly high expectations, since I had already read Sonny Barger's account of the Hells Angels. Certainly I expected a very different perspective from Barger's, and that is exactly what you will find. Wethern gives an excellent account of his days with the Hells Angels, but this book is seriously flawed. How? The "co-writer" Vincent Colnett intrudes on the tale. He has taken Wethern's story and written it in the first person, as if George Wethern were telling the tale. That should have worked fine, but the problem is that Colnett tries so hard to show how clever and educated he is that he does Wethern's story a disservice through the intrusive nature of his language.

Only occasionally does the monologue sound like the reader would imagine Wethern to sound. Throughout most of the book, the ideas are expressed in a way that a university English major would write. It grates on the nerves to read the first hundred pages of this book. Just when an anecdote gets interesting, Colnett's overly ornamental vocabulary intrudes. If a real Hells Angel ever spoke the way Colnett writes Wethern's monologue, he'd probably get cracked with a pool cue.

I have to wonder what Wethern's publisher was thinking. Why wasn't this book re-edited before publication to make it ring more 'true' language-wise? After all the things Wethern and his family have gone through, they deserve more than this; at the very least the publisher could have assigned a writer who wouldn't have stepped all over the material with his hackneyed prose.

Do read this book, but read Sonny Barger's book before or in conjunction with it. Through both of them, you'll be able to piece together something more complete. And Barger's book sounds the way you would imagine that a Hells Angel speaks.

This book is essentially George Wethern's autobiography from his days as vice-president of the Oakland, California Hell's Angels.

The story of any organization is like a jigsaw puzzle. You have to find this piece, examine it, and place it here; find that piece, examine it, and place it there. Finally, when all the pieces are in place, you have a picture, an understanding. George's book is essentially a piece of the puzzle known as the Hell's Angels.

George writes about his association with the Angels, his drug use and other illegal activities right up to the time he is arrested by the feds and tries to save his and his family's asses by testifying against his fellow Angels and entering the Witness Protection Program. Is George a rat for squealing on his friends or did he do the right thing? You'll have to decide this for yourself.

The book seems detailed, is graphic and hard-hitting. It certainly holds your attention. Will the full and complete story of the Angels ever be known? Perhaps, but only to those who were there and did that.

This is a very interesting look at the drug world and counter-culture of the Red and White. The book drags a bit in a few areas but that may be because it is real life, not a fictionalized version. The main characters in the book have all either done their time for crimes listed, gained immunity for them, or just flat died! The book is all about happenings in the 1960s and up through early 1970's, nothing current or remotely current. It is a great companion to Sonn Barger's book, Hell's Angel.

One evening recently my ol'lady and I were at a freinds house and the subject of the club came up. As I was sharing one of my stories growing up in Oakland's Fruitvale area riding around and partying with some of my freindly club members. My buddies wife handed me this fairly large book and said I must read it. I did and just couldn't put it down untill my alarm went off the next morning. This would even make as great movie like Easy Rider.