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bokaj's review against another edition
3.0
3/5. More stars if not for my lack of focus reading it, as the moments of focus were quite enjoyable.
glorious_talk's review against another edition
4.0
Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 - Hunter S. Thompson
4/5
Hunter S. Thompson strikes again with absolute absurdity as he covers the 1972 presidential election in this collection of articles he wrote for the Rolling Stone magazine. Thompson dives deep into the chaos and confusion of the Democratic party primaries as they attempt to round up a candidate strong enough to defeat the incumbent Nixon (an effort in which they were ultimately unsuccessful). As with his other writings, Thompson's drug-fueled exploits and no-holds-barred character assessments blur the lines between reality and gonzo-journalism alternate universe of his own invention. Thompson's account of the election is probably among the most colorful (and most detached from reality), which made it interesting, but it was ultimately also a 481-page book about an election. Ultimately, it's a slog that I would recommend only for those interested in political science. If that doesn't apply, I would instead recommend "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" or, better yet, his article "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved."
4/5
Hunter S. Thompson strikes again with absolute absurdity as he covers the 1972 presidential election in this collection of articles he wrote for the Rolling Stone magazine. Thompson dives deep into the chaos and confusion of the Democratic party primaries as they attempt to round up a candidate strong enough to defeat the incumbent Nixon (an effort in which they were ultimately unsuccessful). As with his other writings, Thompson's drug-fueled exploits and no-holds-barred character assessments blur the lines between reality and gonzo-journalism alternate universe of his own invention. Thompson's account of the election is probably among the most colorful (and most detached from reality), which made it interesting, but it was ultimately also a 481-page book about an election. Ultimately, it's a slog that I would recommend only for those interested in political science. If that doesn't apply, I would instead recommend "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" or, better yet, his article "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved."
erika_teal_1414's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I could say this was a fun read but...yikes. If you want to get real sad about history repeating itself, here's an excellent way to do that. Hunter's writing is awesome, as always.
foggy1218's review against another edition
5.0
2023 reads, 6/12:
On the surface, this reads like a tamer version of [b:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas|7745|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas|Hunter S. Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394204569l/7745._SY75_.jpg|1309111], although with just as much gonzo, as this novel chronicles Thompson’s coverage of the 1972 democratic primaries and the resulting race between incumbent Nixon and nominee George McGovern. Within the text, Thompson throws in his own haphazard accounts of his time as Rolling Stones’ journalist for the Democratic party.
It starts off a little slow, because like any primary race, you spend the time meeting and learning about an entire cast of politicians. But things pick up as that cast dwindles and as Thompson gets closer to the Democratic and Republican primaries, then to the race between Nixon and McGovern, and finally the resulting aftermath. It was enlightening to see how, over the course of the novel, the campaign took a toll on Thompson (which he never hid from us, remarking “…the last thing I wanted to think about was the grim, inescapable spectre of two more frenzied months on the campaign trail”). To me, that perfectly reflected the fatigue we’ve all been having these past few elections.
Thompson gives us an up-close and personal look at the election, with some comprehensive political analysis and interviews, while also remarking on the danger of running for president and bashing the American political system. This work was described as “eerily prophetic,” and while there is no one-to-one analog between present and past politicians, I certainly agreed that entire concepts and commentaries in the campaign heavily reflected that of 2016 and 2020. Of course, that could just be the fact that some things never change.
“Jesus! Where will it end? How low do you have to stoop in this country to be President?”
On the surface, this reads like a tamer version of [b:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas|7745|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas|Hunter S. Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394204569l/7745._SY75_.jpg|1309111], although with just as much gonzo, as this novel chronicles Thompson’s coverage of the 1972 democratic primaries and the resulting race between incumbent Nixon and nominee George McGovern. Within the text, Thompson throws in his own haphazard accounts of his time as Rolling Stones’ journalist for the Democratic party.
“...back on the Campaign Trail… running late, as usual: left hand on the wheel and the other on the radio dial, seeking music, and a glass of iced Wild Turkey spilling into my crotch on every turn.”
It starts off a little slow, because like any primary race, you spend the time meeting and learning about an entire cast of politicians. But things pick up as that cast dwindles and as Thompson gets closer to the Democratic and Republican primaries, then to the race between Nixon and McGovern, and finally the resulting aftermath. It was enlightening to see how, over the course of the novel, the campaign took a toll on Thompson (which he never hid from us, remarking “…the last thing I wanted to think about was the grim, inescapable spectre of two more frenzied months on the campaign trail”). To me, that perfectly reflected the fatigue we’ve all been having these past few elections.
“Yes… and… uh, where were we? I have a bad tendency to rush off on mad tangents and pursue them for fifty or sixty pages that get so out of control that I end up burning them, for my own good.”
Thompson gives us an up-close and personal look at the election, with some comprehensive political analysis and interviews, while also remarking on the danger of running for president and bashing the American political system. This work was described as “eerily prophetic,” and while there is no one-to-one analog between present and past politicians, I certainly agreed that entire concepts and commentaries in the campaign heavily reflected that of 2016 and 2020. Of course, that could just be the fact that some things never change.
loonyboi's review against another edition
4.0
Shocking how much of this directly corresponds to the 2016 - and even 2020 - elections.
patrickmuto's review against another edition
4.0
Not having much political knowledge, I found this to be a really interesting look into the world of a presidential campaign. I relate to Hunter S Thompson's brand of cynicism, and I enjoyed how he applied it here. It was tough to follow at first since I didn't know anything about the '72 campaign and there were so many candidates, but that narrowed down pretty quickly and I caught up. I'd definitely recommend to anyone who wants some insight into the world of politics.
kurtadb's review against another edition
5.0
so far, this is an amazingly relevant book to be reading leading up to the election.