It was a fascinating ride into the lifestyle, origins and mass-media phenomenon that the Hells Angels became during the mid-'60s. Written with great style, Thompson's words are very accessible and easy to read.
And because he spent a year hanging out with the Angels on their various trips and skirmishes with the law, we get a highly detailed look as to who they were, and what motivated them.
It's also an interesting critique of the mass media and how newspapers and magazines of the time whipped up sensationalist stories about the Angels, which were very often completely inaccurate.
From the father of 'gonzo journalism', Hunter S. Thompson's research for Hell's Angels involved more than a year of close association with the outlaws who burned a path through 1960s America, resulting in a masterpiece of underground reportage published in Penguin Modern Classics.
'A phalanx of motorcycles cam roaring over the hill from the west ... the noise was like a landslide, or a wing of bombers passing over. Even knowing the Angels I couldn't quite handle what I was seeing.'
Huge bikes, filthy denim and an aura of barely contained violence; the Hell's Angels could paralyse whole towns with…
The first few chapters describe the process of finding and restoring an ancient wooden house, deep in a lost valley on Shikoku. I would have been quite happy had the entire book been about Kerr's adventures of time spent working and living at this house. But instead he dives into many other areas of Japanese life and culture: Kabuki, Calligraphy, Tea Ceremony, etc.
I liked how he uses personal anecdotes to illustrate what might be quite dry passages about arts and religion; or working for a large US real estate company in Tokyo, which was also very insightful. Kerr does not hold back on his criticism of Japan. He lambasts the destruction of nature and the homogenisation of certain arts and crafts.
Overall, this is a very interesting book, written by someone uniquely positioned in terms of his fluency in Japanese, his exceptional knowledge of Japanese arts and crafts, and his many decades of residing in Japan. Few Western authors are this well-qualified.
An enchanting and fascinating insight into Japanese landscape, culture, history and future.
Originally written in Japanese, this passionate, vividly personal book draws on the author's experiences in Japan over thirty years. Alex Kerr brings to life the ritualized world of Kabuki, retraces his initiation into Tokyo's boardrooms during the heady Bubble Years, and tells the story of the hidden valley that became his home.
But the book is not just a love letter. Haunted throughout by nostalgia for the Japan of old, Kerr's book is part paean to that great country and culture, part epitaph in the face of contemporary…
It’s an excellent account of the rise of Slovenian climbers during a golden era in the 1970s and ‘80s, who quickly became some of the most respected alpinists in the world. Amongst stories of avalanches, in-fighting, and frostbite, we also get a good feel for Slovenia’s culture and history, especially during World War 2 and the post-war period.
Although Alpine Warriors will appeal most to those interested in adventures at altitude, it covers more than just mountains. There’s enough background and insight into the country to satisfy any Slovenia fan, even if you’re not a keen mountain climber yourself.
This is a book that helps you understand more about the Slovenian love for high places and what drives so many Slovenes to venture there. It's a fascinating, well-written account that will please both Alpinists, and Slovenia-fans.
Although Yugoslavia managed to avoid becoming involved in WWII until 1941, German armies invaded in April of that year and the Yugoslavian defense collapsed in less than two weeks. The state of Slovenia was split up amongst Germany, Hungary and Italy. Partisan groups, under the leadership of Josip Tito, managed to liberate the state by 1945, and then began a period of relative calm, under the benevolent rule of Tito. A Communist, he began to distance himself from the Soviet Union, looking to western economic models as Yugoslavia struggled to rebuild. During the thirty years following the war, a Yugoslavian…
My book is the true story of an Englishman seduced by Slovenia. In the wake of a breakup, he seeks refuge in his hinterland house, but what was meant as a pitstop becomes life-changing when he decides to stay.
Along the way, he meets a colorful cross-section of Slovene society: from dormouse hunters, moonshine makers, beekeepers, and bitcoin miners to a man who swam the Amazon and a hilltop matriarch who teaches him the meaning of being 'priden.' Struggling with Slovene, a language with grammar so complex it can cause brain damage, and battling bureaucracy, he explores the culture and characters of this underappreciated ex-Yugoslav republic, its wild beauty, and its wild animals.
