Gonzo journalist and literary roustabout Hunter S. Thompson flies with
the angels--Hell's Angels, that is--in this short work of nonfiction.
"California, Labor Day weekend . . . early, with ocean fog still in the
streets, outlaw motorcyclists wearing chains, shades and greasy Levis
roll out from damp garages, all-night diners and cast-off one-night pads
in Frisco, Hollywood, Berdoo and East Oakland, heading for the Monterey
peninsula, north of Big Sur. . . The Menace is loose again."
Thus begins Hunter S. Thompson's vivid account of his experiences with
California's most notorious motorcycle gang, the Hell's Angels. In the
mid-1960s, Thompson spent almost two years living with the controversial
Angels, cycling up and down the coast, reveling in the anarchic spirit
of their clan, and, as befits their name, raising hell. His book
successfully captures a singular moment in American history, when the
biker lifestyle was first defined, and when such countercultural
movements were electrifying and horrifying America. Thompson, the
creator of Gonzo journalism, writes with his usual bravado, energy, and
brutal honesty, and with a nuanced and incisive eye; as The New Yorker
pointed out, "For all its uninhibited and sardonic humor, Thompson's
book is a thoughtful piece of work." As illuminating now as when
originally published in 1967, Hell's Angels is a gripping portrait,
and the best account we have of the truth behind an American legend.
