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Summary: impact on culture and journalistic inventiveness
Review: this is the book that set the standard for repairing the old standard. Inner observation combined with the world we think we know out side. The beauty is in the humanity that is exspossed in its blend of excess and reflection. Honesty is allways best when all angles are seen- And here,at times,all at once. Hop aboard and see how the Men seperate themselves from the Swine!
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Summary: A funny (albeit sick) drug enduced romp through Las Vegas.
Review: I can say, with a fair amount of certainty, that this is one of the most unusual and disturbing books I have ever read. It is one of those books that makes perfect sense when one is reading it. But, when one puts the book down, the single lingering thought is, "What the hell?" For an entire year of school now, I have listened to my English teacher---who I now believe to be slightly disturbed---rave about the literary accomplishment of Hunter S. Thomson and his unbelievable creation, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Finally, I gave in to pressure and read the book. Thomson describes the effects of the various substances he and his attorney abuse clearly enough that the reader can imagine what it feels like to chew a blotter sheet of acid, or inhale an ether soaked rag. The best descriptive scene however, comes at the end of the book, where "Raoul Duke" is starting to burn out when all the drugs evacuate his body. When I read his description of withdrawal, I felt sick. Never has a book done this effective of a job describing anything. Though I will not deny that it is written in a unique, clear, and unbelievable voice, I feel that the book is kinda sick. When excerpts were read to the class, the book sounded funny. Two guys, stuck between the death of the hippies and birth of the yuppies get hyped up on three hundred dollars worth of various controlled narcotics, and have a crazy hallucination packed romp through the glitz and glitter that comprise Las Vegas. However, when I got home and began to read the book, it seemed less funny and more scary. "There were people like this allowed loose at one point in time?" I found I was asking myself. As I got further into the book, I began asking, "Are there still people like this loose?" I found that I didn't much like the answer to either of the questions. At certain points the drug induced antics of "Raoul Duke" and "Dr. Gonzo" passed the point of funny and crossed the thin line of ! federal and state laws. For example, the drugged kidnaping and raping of Lucy, a confused girl from Montana with a Streisand obsession. Some parts of this story are just plain sick and wrong. Okay, okay, I liked the part when they scared the crap out of the hitchhiker. I laughed when they convinced the narcotics cop from Georgia that there were satanistic psychos on a hunt for a pineal gland chopping off peoples' heads left and right, but come on, there was a line crossed.
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Summary: To: A Reader
Review: This book is not a farce, but in fact it is nonfiction, therefore making the second half of the book reasonable. There is a story about the horror ("The horror! The horror") of the so-called American dream, and what the heart of American culture is/was like. There is a truth in all the drug-haze, but the actual scripts (letters, napkins, etc..) was actual far worse (or better if you like hard-core drug images) I loved it, so get the facts before you call it a farce
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Summary: Hunter does it again
Review: After seeing the movie, 5 years after reading the book for the first time, i realize what a great work this is. Dr. Thompson not only entertains us, but there is a scary story underneath it all telling us what is wrong with our country, or what was wrong at the time. Towards the end, the book start to tail off, but nonetheless, it is still one of the best books ever written by thompson. The reader gets the feeling that they are along side him throughout all of his perverse escapades. Once the book is picked up, it is hard to put back down.
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Summary: The Magnum Opus of Gonzo Journalism
Review: When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.William J. Kennedy in his foreword to _The Proud Highway_ (another HST book I'd recommend) said that _F&L in LV_ was "nothing more than a pack of lies, which of course is the classic definition of fiction." Whether or not HST ever did anything like this is largely irrevelant. Gonzo Journalism is the ultimate in "reporter participation:" it is more than getting your feet wet in the story, it's diving in head-first, without checking the depth of the pool beforehand. Instead of trying to maintain some myth of objectivity, Gonzo rolls around in its personal persepective and subjectivity -- it is an account of one person's experiences with the news; not necessarily the news itself. Therein lies it's beauty, even if, properly speaking, F&L is indeed "fiction:" the pack of lies winds up being far more insightful than any truth could be. F&L in LV is a good paced book, never slow, and gives you a more accurate flavor of drug overindulgence than many other druggy books out there now. The insights into the anti-drug culture are particularly sharp especially nowadays. This book is an absolute must-read. (I'd even go as far as to say that it should be taught in the schools somehow, to the sufficently mature.) Find a copy somehow and sit down and READ IT. You will thank me later.
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Summary: A savage portrait of the American Dream.
Review: Hunter S. Thompson reveals the very heart of the American Dream in both it's stated form and the form which is practiced by most Americans. The opposition between the constant American proclamations of the desire for freedom and the consistent practice of accepting enlavement whether it be to corporate America or the status quo forms the foundation of this novel. As Raoul Duke, Thompson stretches his freedom beyond the bounds of popular acceptance to what appears to be insanity while those around him exist in day to day routines which do not allow for enjoyment or imagination. The very absurdity of Duke's actions and the nonchalant way in which he often perpetrates them without incident shows how blinded are those around him to anything but that which they expect to see.
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Summary: You've seen the movie/ read the book; Go Do the Other Now!
Review: Wow, OK, so what, is this is a movie review? Maybe, and maybe it's also a book review. I'm thinking many people will now think, gee I plunked down my 5-8 bucks to see the movie, should I read the book? YES! YES! YES! Of course you should! You were in the theater watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when all the rest of the world was watching Godzilla! Clearly, you have an interest, now indulge it. You'll be rewarded. Johnny Depp vs. oh what's that saps name in Zilla, oh, Matthew Broderick or whatever. Anyway, I thought Depp was great as Hunter Thompson, and you do need now to read the book to become fully immersed in his world. And of course, the other way around, if you're thinking of reading the book, or have read the book, should you also see the movie? YES YES YES! By all means, God, get you out there to a decent theater while it's still playing! What a fun film, yes, a tad gross at times, yes, a tad depresssing at times, but after all this was Real Life...well, OK Real Life augmented by delusions, insanity, drugs, blah blah...yada yada yada. It's a great movie, a fine tribute to Gonzo, Hunter, and kudos to Terry Gilliam for making this movie. A friend of mine with whom we grew up in the midst of what written and filmed, saw the flick this weekend. We laughed, hooted, and howled our way throughout. Surprisingly, the GOD DAMNED BATS left us alone, though the empty bottles made an awful racket rolling down toward the screen!
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Summary: A Book You'll Never Forget
Review: I read this book about 5 years ago and to this day I have never read anything anywhere near as entertaining. The movie version is just as good.
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Summary: A PORTRAIT OF THE BEAUTIFUL WASTELANDS OF HUMAN EXCESS
Review: Never had I read Mr. Thompson's before my reading it last night. All of it. Granted it is not an overly long book, but to continue on to tackle the last 70 pages at 4:20 in the morning was a big decision. Hunter S. Thompson throws you aboard his cherry red convertable and you sit so you see yourself in the rear view mirror. And although you fear what comes next, you stay seated and wonder...Will you run out of gas?....Or win the race?
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Summary: The most entertaining 200 pages ever.
Review: Where has this book been all my life? Is the question I asked myself once I finished this hilarious "trip" into the true meaning of the so called "American Dream." This is Gonzo Journalism at it's peak of genius. Hunter S. Thompson has surely taken your brain and mashed it with his to make you understand exactly what he was going through at this time. As for the new movie, genius director Terry Gilliam has taken this book and has created what would be an equal companion. Johnny Depp's impersonation of writer Hunter S. Thompson is one of the most hilarious and talented performances by an actor in a while. Benicio Del Toro also deserves great gratitude for his performance as Thompson's accompanying attorney, Dr. Gonzo.
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