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    Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
    Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
    Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
    Audiobook10 hours

    Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga

    Written by Hunter S. Thompson

    Narrated by Scott Sowers

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas author Hunter S. Thompson rocked the literary world with his mind-bending style of Gonzo journalism. First published in 1966, Hell's Angels is Thompson's up-close and personal look at the infamous motorcycle gang during the time when its moniker was most feared. "[Thompson's] language is brilliant . [he] has presented us with a close view of a world most of us would never dare encounter."-New York Times
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 13, 2012
    ISBN9781464048982
    Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
    Author

    Hunter S. Thompson

    Hunter S. Thompson is one of the great cultural figures of his generation. His writing spawned a whole genre (gonzo journalism) and myriad imitators, but he remained the first and the finest – a cult figure whose legacy and influence live on.

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    Reviews for Hell's Angels

    4/5

    1,005 ratings21 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Smart, thoughtful, and some razor sharp writing. The ending will curl your hair.
    • 5/5
      Perhaps a little dated at this point but I found it a compelling story and well narrated
    • 3/5
      getting burnt
    • 5/5
      This was, through and through, a great piece of writing and an amazing chronicle of non-fiction by Hunter S. Thompson. The writing was vivid, descriptive, electrifying, and insightful and provided entertainment and knowledge on multiple levels- providing an optimal reading experience that resounded with force and keen insight on the topic that Thompson wrote so expertly about. This is a great book, for American literary enthusiasts and non-fiction admirers alike, and I recommend that all interested read it. You will not waste your time- not one bit.4.75 stars!
    • 2/5
      The impression I get from reading this is that Thompson was quite happy to find excuses and rationalise the violence, rape, gang rape, racism and criminality of the Hell's Angels until such time as they beat the crap out of him over an unidentifiable slight. At which point he suddenly was able to identify they were going no where fast, the lifestyle was in no way glamorous and very much a dead end leaving people if not dead, then for dead, with one example being a person having a mouthful of rotten teeth but no money for a dentist. Suddenly the freewheeling lifestyle isn't so great when you have no money to fix your teeth.Frankly this book didn't do much for me and I found the way in which Thompson said being gang raped was the girls fault at Monterey for having gone to the beach was pretty appalling, even if they were consenting to one or even two blokes, that's not a green light for twenty by any means.It was interesting in so much as it was a glimpse into 1960 motorcycle culture, yet every observation is tainted through Thompson's fanboyish rose coloured glasses.
    • 4/5
      A fascinating book for many reasons. It's an early and tamer Hunter Thompson. There are glimpses of gonzo journalism, but it is just budding. It's a nice document of the birth of the Hell's Angels as a national phenomenon. Wasn't it at Altamont where the Rolling Stones hired the Hell's Angels for security and like somebody got killed? I forget the details. It'd be fascinating to see the those later chapters of the story Thompson tells here.Thompson covers quite a few facets of the Hell's Angels phenomenon: sex, drugs, motorcycles, etc. He characterizes the difference between.. the word hippy does not appear here - it must not have been current in 1966. But sex, drugs, and shaggy hair were certainly common features of hippies and Hell's Angels. Thompson explains: hippies were fighting the past, Angels were fighting the future. They were both fighting the present. Someplace I read about this book as a foreshadowing of the Trump phenomenon. After reading the book, that still seems on target. I watched a video interview with Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate for President in the 2020 election. Yang spent a lot of time talking about how robots have displaced many jobs and will displace a lot more in the coming decade. Thompson says that Angels have jobs that will soon be performed by machines. This book is a nice historical document, a colorful snapshot of a moment in history.
    • 1/5
      Thompson's writing is not aging well; he thinks the Hell’s Angels are pathetic and have been made that way by the lack of room in America for anything but a certain square path to acceptable masculinity. But his empathy extends only so far. (Here there’s a lot of rape.) The narrative begins with the Hell’s Angels’ rise to national prominence when two gang rapes were reported at a meetup. Thompson then tells us that one victim was African-American and another was a pregnant white girl, both of which apparently mean that they didn’t get raped. And later, he explains that the charges were dropped, and that they probably consented to the first few men and then freaked out, which both also apparently mean that there was no rape. Later, he asserts that all women secretly are at least curious about what it would be like to be raped, and that it’s easy to convict a man for rape of a lower-class woman because she’s not ashamed to reveal the crime the way an upper-class woman is. Then he says that, though he didn’t see any rapes at his Hell’s Angels hangouts, he did see disturbing behavior, such as multiple men having sex with a woman who was too drunk to stand up. Women also appear in a few other roles, such as his hoity-toity neighbor who was scared by the presence of multiple Hell’s Angels in his apartment/on the sidewalk at all hours, which was silly of her because the one time his guests shot out the windows of his apartment (1) that wasn’t the Hell’s Angels and (2) they didn’t hit anything.
    • 5/5
      Elated to discover that Thompson was rather prolific - a whole career of musings and observations to devour! And so many intriguing literary references to track down. Fraternizing with the Angels whilst their popularity/notoriety dramatically increased, he... eloquently calls the media/police/politicians out on their rampant bullshit while refraining from romanticizing the dregs of society/humanity that make up Hell's Angels. Motorcycle clubs were on the verge of extinction before the general public became entranced following a widely publicized distortion of a run - he's conscious throughout of their simultaneous fascination and revulsion. Sooooooo goooooood."There is an important difference between the words 'loser' and 'outlaw'. One is passive and the other is active, and the main reasons the Angels are such good copy is that they are acting out the day-dreams of millions of losers who don't wear any defiant insignia and who don't know how to be outlaws. The streets of every city are thronged with men who would pay all the money they could get their hands on to be transformed - even for a day - into hairy, hard-fisted brutes who walk over cops, extort free drinks from terrified bartenders and thunder out of town on big motorcycles after raping the banker's daughter. Even people who think the Angels should all be put to sleep find it easy to identify with them. They command a fascination, however reluctant, that borders on psychic masturbation."Anyone got a motorcycle I can borrow? His description of riding is still giving me cravings.
    • 3/5
      There were two things that struck me the most while reading this book.

      The first is in regards to Hunter Thompson, and his other books that I've read. I think, somehow, I am reading his books in reverse order than I should. The first Thompson book I read was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (which I mostly read because the movie made of it had my lovely Johnny Depp). After reading that book, I was astonished by his abilities to take as many drugs, and drink as much alcohol as his did...and still live. I came away baffled. Then I read The Rum Diaries--which I think happened before his (in)famous Vegas trip, and really is a tale of how much of an alcoholic he was. (Fun book though.) Now, reading his account of the Hell's Angels, I can see that yes, the rumors are true, he WAS a journalist (not just a lush). It's like stepping back in time--I can see his journalistic qualities, and therefore read his writings in a whole new light. Of course in this book, he does win the affection of the Angels by drinking a lot, but focus of the book is investigating something else, not his own lurid tales and adventures.

      The second thing that stood out to me was in regards to Pledged, a book that was set to 'uncover' the secrets of sororities. Over and over again, I couldn't help but notice how much more flattering Thompson's depiction of Hell's Angels--who by all means are dirty, drink a lot, fight a lot, and have no problems taking down whoever gets in their way--as much more favorable that binge-drinking sorority girls. Reading this book, I feel that the author of Pledged was attempting to do what Thompson succeeded in doing: investigating and reporting truthfully upon a fraternal organization. Not all of Thompson's comments were favorable to the Angels, but neither did he make them out to be the plague on humanity than the Pledged author did. (Can't remember her name, and she is so not worth my time to look it up...)

      Overall, the topic was interesting, and Thompson's writing was entertaining, but I feel as if he stretched it farther than it should have been. By pae 180, I felt as if I knew everything I needed...but the book kept going another 80 pages where I didn't feel like I learned much new information. I can only read about fights and mamas and drinking so long before I'm over it. But in general a worthwhile read.
    • 4/5
      This is the first long non-fiction piece by Hunter S. Thompson, the gonzo genius of American journalism. It was written and published from such a different world than the 1960's that it might be from a different mind altogether. But it is a good book about the evolution of a group of hobby cyclists into a collection of divergent personalities demonstrating a penchant for very anti-social behaviour. It's worth the read, even if the narrator may not have been exactly as he describes himself in the book.
    • 2/5
      This one reads as a long, painfully long, regular newspaper article. Not at all like the imaginative and fluid text on Fear&Loathing or The Kentucky Derby. So be advised.
    • 5/5
      Terrific proto-gonzo with a Grizzly-man style ending. It's a bit of a slow burn, but I don't mind. The occasional weird reference hits you from left field and makes your mind fuzzy. It's a fun read, and at this point, it's even a bit of American history.
    • 5/5
      Read this in adolescence.
    • 4/5
      A comprehensive, breezily-told account of the outlaw motorcycle gang. Thompson remains as objective as possible, balancing hard statistical facts, recorded interviews and anecdotes, and sociological theory. These three elements are held together by direct, light prose, conveyed in Thompson's distinctive tone. There are overriding themes but this seems to be a work without a firm thesis statement -- beyond perhaps the simple "The Hell's Angels exist." Even so, this is an excellent book -- quick, informative, and entertaining.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting and gives readers a glimpse into the sentiments of Hunter S. Thompson that fueled his desire and creation of Gonzo journalism. He very articulately chronicles the inability of the media to responsibly report on the Hell's Angels. In certain instances, it is obvious that his repulsion for the blatant lies by the media and government officials marks the beginning of the creation of Gonzo journalism that lies in the future (such as on pages 224-225). He is only embellishing was has already been embellished.
    • 3/5
      I read this when I was heavy into my HST stage and it was a good book. Still is, just not all that intriguing. Some of the stories, especially those about the biker runs he'd go on where it was like week long benders with these insane bikers were worthwhile.It dragged on at parts, but overall was still entertaining.
    • 5/5
      My Rating: A+My Review:This book is a great study of a sometimes mystifying and often intriguing group of people Hunter S. Thompson does not romanticize the Hell's Angels, nor does he portray them as anything other than what they are. He does however, write in a way that keeps you begging for more. he paints a vivid picture, which proves his talents to me mostly because I have nothing to draw from when it comes to this time period except for re-runs on Nick-at-Night.The only issue I had with this book was really my issue more than the authors. The titles of the three sections seemed a bit misleading, but other than that this was a wonderful book. I highly recommend it to those even a little bit interested in the Hell's Angels or even Mr. Thompson himself.
    • 4/5
      A fascinating glimpse at the most infamous motorcycle gang in history. Hunter Thompson weaves the tale as only he can. A perspective on the group you won't get from they themselves, those who extol them, or those who loathe them. Uniquely original. Some of Thompson's best work.
    • 5/5
      Thompson's first book still stands as one of the most original and exciting pieces of journalism written in the last century. (Then again, everything he ever wrote is great, as far as I'm concerned.)While lacking the frenetic, trademark Gonzo style of his later works, this is still an amazing look at one of the truly outsider cultures of our society.
    • 5/5
      It's a shame that most people associated Hunter Thompson with "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", as "Hell's Angels" is a vastly superior book in every way. Whereas "Fear..." was a failed attempt at Gonzo journalism, this book is an unqualified success. Thompson goes to great lengths to show the true nature of the bikers, and how their behavior compares to American values. This is a beautiful story, and I highly recommend it as a way to get into Hunter's writings.
    • 4/5
      Hell's Angels is Hunter S. Thomson's entertaining gonzo journalistic take in the mood of the Chicago school of sociology looking at outsider behaviour. Tagging (and partying) along with the Hell's Angels, he notes their acts good and bad. In one chapter, the Angels seem like urban heroes, in the next they are thugs. He defends the Angels against public hypocrisy and minimizes their deviant behaviour.Next, he presents the Angels' involvement in brawls, violence, drug-trafficking and rape. At the end of the book, he drifts away from the Angels after having been beaten up.In contrast to scientific work, he never clarifies his position. He switches between being an insider and an outsider without coming to a clear verdict. He feels both attracted to and repulsed by their strange mix of fascistic brotherhood on wheels.