3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A worthy history of Gonzo and the good Doctor,
June 6, 2004
This review is from: Fear and Loathing: The Strange and Terrible Saga of Hunter S. Thompson (Paperback)
This unauthorized biography artfully captures the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson, the father of Gonzo journalism. It covers his early years in Kentucky, his early life as a foreign correspondant and his later collaboration with the artist Ralph Steadman.
The book generally presents Thompson is a positive light, but it doesn't pull punches in how Hunter treated his wives, or the fictional aspects of Gonzo journalism. Indeed, he cites examples of "If it's not true, it should be" and where Hunter writes the most truthful political articles, even if they are not the most accurate. Indeed, much of the biography is about how Hunter inserts himself into the story, in essence creating it. This act of "the observer impacting the observed" is both a key problem with science, and a key pillar of Gonzo journalism.
After reading the book, you will in turn read his other works with more insight. Where does the author come from? How much is fact versus fiction? What is his spiritual link with Hemmingway? I hope you enjoy the answers as much as I have.
The one weak point is that the book has aged. Hunter S. Thompson has re-emerged in the past several years with more brushes with the law (shooting his assistant) and a job writing for ESPN magazine. It would have been interesting to get Mr. Perry's viewpoints on this.
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Fear and Loathing: The Strange and Terrible Saga of Hunter S. Thompson
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