Fear And Loathing In America: The Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist (Thompson, Hunter S. Gonzo Letters, V. 2.) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Douglas Brinkley (Editor), David Halberstam (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The years that were covered in these letters," says Thompson, "were like riding on a bullet train... with no sleep and no wires to hang on to." Apparently he hung onto his typewriter, though, churning out not only his drugged-up, wigged-out road book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and similarly outrageous articles for Rolling Stone but also for letter after lengthy letter, in the same white-hot, turbo-charged style. Thompson altered permanently the nature of political journalism by injecting into his reportage the personal and the pathological, and this second volume of letters reads like rehearsals for his more public utterances, almost every page ringing with the sound of gunfire, revving motorcycle engines and partying that began at a level where most partying ends. What may surprise readers is the sweetness of much of the writing. While Thompson's correspondents include a virtual who's who of the era, from Tom Wolfe and Kurt Vonnegut to Jimmy Carter and George McGovern, he wrote to his fans like a kind if slightly deranged uncle, trying to convince one not to join the Hell's Angels, offering a second help with her term paper. Despite the occasional lollipop, however, Thompson's strong suit is still invective, of which he remains the unsurpassed master. It's been 30 years since his series of sulfurous missives to a local Colorado TV station for showing only "the cheapest, meanest swill" and to mail-order companies that dared send the journalist from hell what he deemed shabby merchandise, but surely Thompson's name still provokes shudders at the Alaska Sleeping Bag Company and elsewhere. B&w photos. (Dec. 13)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The earlier volume of Thompson letters, The Proud Highway (1997), surprised many readers with its revealing glimpses into the making of a notorious journalist; moreover, those letters did not disappoint for they are as audacious as their author. With this second of a planned three-volume set of letters, the original gonzo journalist's "testament to his life and times" covers the period in which Thompson's seminal pieces were published or, at least, well into the making. During this period, Thompson was reporting on the political scene for Rolling Stone , which would yield his highly original road book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972); falling deeper into politics and increasing his knowledge of that world, which he pulled together for Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ; and running his own crazy political race for sheriff in Aspen, Colorado, where, as publicity has it, he still lives in a "fortified compound" (shades of Garry Trudeau's Duke in his Doonesbury comic strip; incidentally, readers discover letters here, too, that reveal that at one point Thompson considered suing Trudeau for libel). Often the correspondence is so eventful that it impresses one as being fictitious, as with the letters between Thompson and Oscar Zeta Acosta, the Chicano activist/lawyer and model for Thompson's 300-pound Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in Las Vegas . And then there are the painful letters between writer and publisher, particularly Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone and Jim Silberman of Random House, that trace the hard road many original writers travel to merely survive. The cast of characters is impressive, politicians such as Gary Hart and George McGovern, friends and colleagues such as cartoonist Ralph Steadman and writer William Kennedy. Summarily, Hunter's life and times are our life and times, and, oh, how wicked we've been. Bonnie Smothers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 758 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (December 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068487315X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684873152
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #505,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unwitting Autobiography..., November 29, 2000

By	Monkey Knuckle Asteroid (the quitters never win department....) - See all my reviews

Considering there are at least 5 biographies floating around about Hunter S. Thompson, and he doesn't seem the type to write an autobiography, this is the closest thing we will ever get. Picking up where Volume I left off, Fear and Loathing in America is a complete reversal of fortune from its predecessor.

Whereas Volume I documented the lament and poverty of Thompson as a young, struggling writer, dealing with the rigors of hustling a career in journalism or literature without working a "real job"--this volume covers Thompson in his shining glory years. Fresh off the success of Hells Angels, he conquers with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail. Not only that, but it covers everything in-between, providing a much-needed counterpoint to the extreme surreal elements of his gonzo journalism, showing us the facts that exists outside the books and the articles.

Thompson almost always portrays himself as the smirking, all-knowing, invulnerable watcher of things. Even when writing from his own point of view, he becomes the omniscient narrator and the cruel god watching over the world he is describing. Very rarely does he get really personal and revealing in his writing, nor does he need to.

This volume is filled with personal correspondence, journalistic entries about Thompson's life and times. And his writing here is just as solid as it is in any of his books. His ability to bend language and make it bark and snarl at the end of his leash is what makes Thompson an irreplacable American writer, and a perfect vehicle to have documented the turbulence of the last 4 decades. This volume of letters is the perfect companion to the flash and bang of his books, giving us an altogether different point of view of Thompson's life and lets us make our own conclusions about how much life imitates art and helps us realize that it works the other way 'round as well.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some of the funniest reading ever..., January 5, 2004

By	Christian Hunter "Christian hunter" (Austin, TX and Santa Barbara, CA,) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fear and Loathing in America : The Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist (Paperback)

...'course you'll have to work for it. This is a massive book that in my opinion isn't meant to be plowed through, but rather enjoyed from time to time.

A complition of his letters written over a decade or so (during his rise from a relatively obscure journalist/writer to cult hero) most every letter is interesting in one way or another, some are so funny that you'll be laughing about them for days.

HST's humor is unmatched in my opinion by any writer I've read. This book is an extraordinarily private, very insightful, often hilarious glimpse into one of America's most interesting social figures.

Enjoy...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bible of Gonzo, April 11, 2001

By	K. Bloom "[e-mail]" (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fear and Loathing In America : Signed Limited Leatherbound Edition (Leather Bound)

This is a special, limited edition of Hunter S. Thompsons' Fear and Loathing in America. To see more reviews of this title, look it up under the regular hardcover edition. What makes this edition so special is the signature, spelled out "H.S. Thompson" on the book itself, rather than on a bookplate. There are a number of instances in the past where the Doctor signed a bookplate "HST", or even a front page, yet even these are extremely uncommon. Collectors may note that full signature Hunter S. Thompson works are very, very rare indeed, and sell for up to $2900.00.

According to a Simon & Schuster rep, there are only 300 of the special signed edition in existence. It is a reddish, leather-bound volume with the knife-and-fist Gonzo trademark imprinted on the front cover. The edges are gilt, making this edition look rather more like a bible then other, more familiar Steadman covers. Obviously designed for the dedicated fan of an American legend, this edition will occupy a prize position on your bookshelf, next to other HST works that you would be wise not to lend out.