Rating: 
Summary: Behind the Gonzo
Review: I will skip all the adjectives and hyperbole that usually accompany any description of Hunter S. Thompson. Suffice to say that there is no other like him, anywhere in the world. Devotees of The Doc will be fascinated by this glimpse inside his personal life and creative process, including his never-ending struggles with editors and bean-counters, his relationship with his family, and his unusual correspondences with a broad spectrum of characters ranging from Pat Buchanan to Chicano activist Oscar Zeta Acosta. Those who worship Thomspon as a demi-god or deride him as a cartoonish acid casualty would find a great deal of evidence in this book to debunk their assumptions -- but it's likely that few of those people would bother to slog their way through these missives, some of which are quite lengthy and esoteric. Nevertheless, the true initate will find it difficult to put this book down, and will be heartened by the abundance of evidence that despite his public persona, Thompson is indeed a complex, multi-dimensional man with a great capacity for reflection, compassion, patriotism, and -- yes -- morality. This is the second volume of selected correspondence to and from Thompson, and is more historically significant than the previous volume in that it chronicles the demise of the 60s counterculture, the '72 Presidential campaign, Watergate, and the genesis of "gonzo journalism." I have read only pieces of the first volume, so I am at a loss to compare the two; but if the first volume is anywhere near the quality of this one, I would recommend it as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Anyone wanting to know the evolution of Fear & Loathing...
Review: I'm a contemporary American Lit. scholar, and for any literature scholar, primary documents are of utmost importance when determining relevant interpretations and plausable meanings for pieces. Here, in the second volume of Thompson's letters, you are able to get a glimpse of how Thompson constructs the public image of madness and depravity, all the while maintaining his reflective distance from the material he's writing. Within these covers you can see the arduous revision process as Thompson struggles with the work-in-progress of his best known book, _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_. He considers it a "failed experiment in Gonzo journalism," but that's what makes it great. The revision process makes so many good writers into great writers (I have in mind most of the great Maxwell Perkins' disciples - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, Ring Lardner, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, et al.) This book, and the first collection of his letters, _The Proud Highway_, are essential to anyone who wants to know more about the REAL Hunter S. Thompson, and the method behind the madness.
Rating:
Summary: Should Be Enshrined!
Review: Just finished this and it should be enshrined in the Smithsonian as either(or both)the best:
1. Example of linguistic diarrhea ever committed to paper.
2. Argument FOR drug control laws ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Should Be Enshrined!
Review: Just finished this and it should be enshrined in the Smithsonian as either(or both)the best:
1. Example of linguistic diarrhea ever committed to paper.
2. Argument FOR drug control laws ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Get to know Thompson behind-the-scenes at his peak
Review: OK, I'll be the first to admit Hunter S. Thompson isn't as well versed in the art of prose writing of, well, let's say a Rauol Duke or Sebastian Owl. But he's pretty decent nonetheless. This second installment of letters lets the reader see the thought process Doc Thompson employed whilst writing his "classics"; and his biting, bitter humor is well-included in these personal scribes. This is Da Bomb, folks. I write this review in good faith--despite the fact that Thompson owes me $5 (US). Now, five bucks isn't gonna break anyone's back. But I won it fair and square from him in a shooting contest on motorcycles when I met him on the road on the way to a local tavern in Colorado. When we got to the tavern he conveniently forgot about it. So I slashed one of his tires as I left the place. So I guess we're even on that account. Oh well ... if ya like Thompson, you'll love this. If you're "new" to Thompson you may want to read the aforementioned "classics" so you may relate better to what Thompson writes about in this volume. OK?
Rating:
Summary: Prophetic
Review: Rather than go on about the good doctor's "twisted" or "demented" genious, which is well documented (and definitely warranted), I will only say that I find his social and politcal insight amazingly accurate. His social commentary is as valuable today as it was to friends and collegues in the late sixties/early seveties. Other than some choice letters to fans and associated "enemies", the rant about the Duke is my favorite, as it says the most about a large part of US culture.
Rating:
Summary: An incisive glimpse into the Great Gonzo One
Review: The main reason I've always enjoyed Hunter S. Thompson is his utter refusal to be nice. He tells it like it is, and to hell with the consequences. "Fear And Loathing In America," a collection of Dr. Thompson's correspondence between 1968 and 1976, will have the reader running back to their bookcase for another look at "Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas" and, possibly his best work, "Fear and Loathing On The Campaign Trail," which despite having been written nearly thirty years ago resonates as loudly and as truthfully today as it did in 1972. Fans of the Doctor will welcome yet another glimpse into the heated mind of arguably the greatest counterculture journalist ever. My only complaint--editor Douglas Brinkley must think Thompson's audience isn't too bright, because when anyone's name is brought up he has to stick in a footnote explaining who they are. Some of them are helpful, but . . . um, Mr. Brinkley, I think most people know who Hitler and J. Edgar Hoover are . . .
Rating:
Summary: An incisive glimpse into the Great Gonzo One
Review: The main reason I've always enjoyed Hunter S. Thompson is his utter refusal to be nice. He tells it like it is, and to hell with the consequences. "Fear And Loathing In America," a collection of Dr. Thompson's correspondence between 1968 and 1976, will have the reader running back to their bookcase for another look at "Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas" and, possibly his best work, "Fear and Loathing On The Campaign Trail," which despite having been written nearly thirty years ago resonates as loudly and as truthfully today as it did in 1972. Fans of the Doctor will welcome yet another glimpse into the heated mind of arguably the greatest counterculture journalist ever. My only complaint--editor Douglas Brinkley must think Thompson's audience isn't too bright, because when anyone's name is brought up he has to stick in a footnote explaining who they are. Some of them are helpful, but . . . um, Mr. Brinkley, I think most people know who Hitler and J. Edgar Hoover are . . .
Rating:
Summary: FEAR AND LOATHING IN AMERICA
Review: THE MORE I READ THIS BOOK, THE MORE CLEAR THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM IS.
Rating:
Summary: Letters from the Doctor
Review: The second volume of letters from Hunter S. Thompson takes us through the period in his career take he exploded as the most famous (or infamous) journalist in the country. Most of Dr. Thompson's writings are in the first person and personally revealing, so the fact we get to read his personal correspondence isn't as revealing as it maybe for other journalists. That being said, these letters are full of the insightful commentary that Dr. Thompson is noted for. He can skewer people with the best of them, but amongst his rants lay a sharp sense of humor. This collection is highly entertaining and worth a read.
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