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noahpech's review against another edition
3.25
There are some troubling things about the authors dealings with the subject matter, which is common throughout Thompson's work, but I am still a fan.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Racial slurs
robkil96's review against another edition
3.0
While Thompson certainly doesn't sugar coat or glorify the actions of the Angels, his treatment of gang r*pe committed often by this group is not great.
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Minor: Violence
everyonespal's review against another edition
3.5
This book shows it’s age.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs
bababooeybababooey's review
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Car accident, Cursing, Gore, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Hate crime, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
corvuscorax's review against another edition
2.5
One afternoon as I sat in the El Adobe and watched an Angel sell a handful of barbiturate pills to a brace of pimply punks no more than sixteen I realized that the roots of this act were not in any time-honoured American myth but right beneath my feet in a new kind of society that is only beginning to take shape. To see the Hell's Angels as caretakers of the old 'individualist' tradition 'that made this country great' is only a painless way to get around seeing them for what they really are - not some romantic leftover, hut the first wave of a future that nothing in our history has prepared us to cope with. The Angels are prototypes.
This was a thrilling example of long-term subjective journalism, something that Thompson excels at. A deep-dive into the way of life of motorist outlaws in California, this does a spectacular job at rendering not only the facts, but the creed that drove these people towards the way of life they chose. Fuelled by alcohol, drugs and wild sexual impulses, the Angels seem to be a menacing and captivating legion of rebels that will stop at nothing to satisfy their base urges. Thompson manages to reveal the ugly truth beneath the paranoia manifested by ordinary Americans at the 'menace', and when the mask drops all that is behind it is a sick fascination with those that were able to create a life so completely detached from "white picket fence" goals as to be threatening merely through the questions they raised in the minds of idle suburban fathers.
There were bits and pieces that were very insightful, particularly in the 22nd chapter, but on the whole the reporting seemed to be a bit too unstructured, too intimate. Maybe the story would have benefitted from being a little bit leaner, and the editing on this feels a bit too lenient - there are certainly parts that could have disappeared without fundamentally altering the story. The chapters about their views on women and Black people were hard to stomach, perhaps because of their graphic depictions of violence. Still, I read this quite quickly and it made me curious about "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", because Thompson really seems to shine when gripping the underbelly of the American dream and throwing it on the butcher's table.
Graphic: Rape, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Car accident, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual content
petrolfox's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Homophobia, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexism