Hell's Angels

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.

Nothing beats an author willing to immerse himself into an outlaw world to get their perspective – until that world starts to literally beat the writer. Hunter Thompson’s first book is more of a journalistic work, examining the infamous biker gang from the inside than what would follow (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and so on.) He is very much part of the action at riotous parties, on bar stools, and alongside at motorcycle runs, but his first-person narration is an effective tool for revealing the Hell's Angels as independent people and as a fraternal organization. The writer… show more.

As a young kid suddenly fascinated by bikes, reading this for the first time was a truly formative experience for me and Hunter S Thompson’s 1966 classic has to be the starting point for anyone wanting to read about outlaw bikers. If you’re at all interested in reading about outlaw bikers you will have read this already, and if you haven’t, well don’t do anything else until you have.

From the father of ‘gonzo journalism’ this is the story of Thompson’s close association with the 1960’s Californian Hell's Angels which helped spread their reputation worldwide. A truly wild ride that… show more.