Exploring the Subculture of Las Vegas in Fear and Loathing by Hunter S. Thompson

sadie repinski: i bought this book for my friend in prison. ive only got to watch the movie so far, but always wanted to read the book, so when my friend asked if i could send him a book, I chose this one because i figured, being stuck in a prison, this book would help keep his mind distracted, and it definitely did. (:

United States on Dec 12, 2023

Mad_Captain: This is one if the few books that genuinely made me sad when I finished it. Knowing the backstories of the real-life counterparts and their fate and struggle in a world that was so different and seemingly better, only a few years prior, makes it so intense and real.

While its drug infused scenario paired with whacky situations and dialogue is a strange enough setup, it is in the end more about chasing after something that just isn't there anymore and the inability to really understand the reason why.

Germany on Dec 12, 2023

Zed Lambrecht: This is one of the worst books I have ever read. Why give it 4 stars? Because it is so bad, somewhat like watching a horrible old horror or science fiction movie. The characters are superficial losers. The story lacks a significant theme. Most of the events that occur are dull and duds.
I read this a long time ago when it was a cult novel and bought it again to serve as a model for NaNoWriMo. I mistakenly believed I could invent a rambling story of similar nonsense to meet the 50,000 word goal of NaNo.
From a writer's standpoint, I think this a valuable book to read. You can't have good writing without bad writing. You should be able to find this as a fantastic example of awful and what next to no one will recommend.

United States on Dec 02, 2023

Charlie: The book was pretty funny and made for good discussion amongst my book club

Canada on Nov 23, 2023

Lynn: I’m going to admit to doing my review years after having read this the last time. I will also admit that some of the humor that I found to be “wet my pants” funny was lost on me as I read it in my maturity as opposed to when I was in my twenties. It was still one of the most uniquely humorous and timely books that I ever read from 1971.

Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney, who was in reality Oscar Zeta Acosta who was forever memorialized in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” as Dr. Gonzo, his Samoan attorney. According to Thompson, the 1971 book was the first time he himself had used the term “Gonzo Journalism”, although another journalist gave his work that moniker on the 68 campaign trail. The book is almost entirely drug culture related humor, although the signs of the times are liberally distributed throughout the book, such as Vietnam and Nixon. Obviously, most of the book was highly fictionalized, although Thompson himself admitted to doing all manner of recreational drugs while he was writing.

In the book, Thompson and Dr, Gonzo go on a drug fueled safari through Las Vegas, envisioning terrors real and and unreal as both Vegas and hallucinogenics...

United States on Nov 21, 2023

Kindle Customer: Worth a read as long as you keep your expectations low. There is some gems in the slurry like his insights on how Vegas is run, and the drug addled thoughts. There was far more potential that is not realised, but it is a quick read. Wouldn't it be great to take the author in a time machine to today so he could try a part two????

Canada on Sep 13, 2023

Victoria Share: A wild ride that’s both hilarious and pathetic. No lesson or moral to be found in these pages. It’s like sugar for the brain.

Canada on Jul 21, 2023

Ana Claudia Braga Carneiro: Fundamental para analisar a importância do inconformismo social e político proposto por Hunter S. Thompson; sendo uma excelente análise do que se encontra abaixo do tecido social norte-americano desde a década de 60 até hoje. Também rende ótimas risadas.

Brazil on Feb 04, 2023

Walter E. Kurtz: This book is something of a landmark. Although Hunter S. Thompson wrote books before and published hundreds of articles, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was the first one to achieve success and make his name famous. It is also this book that made the concept of Gonzo journalism popular. In fact, the very term "Gonzo journalism" was coined for the very first time in this very book.

What is Gonzo journalism? Thompson was a journalist in the sense that he wrote articles for magazines and newspapers and was sent on assignments to cover various events. However, he did not like to think of himself as a journalist because he disagreed with the whole concept of journalistic objectivity. He believed that it is a myth and, in any case, should not exist even if it were possible. His alternative was Gonzo journalism which, in his own words, means "telling it as it is". Gonzo journalists frequently and openly add their emotions to the stories.

For example, a mainstream journalist covering some politician's speech will say that the politician said this and that. A Gonzo journalist will also narrate what was said in the speech, but he might also add that the speech was stupid and...

United States on Apr 12, 2012