The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics

Author : C. S. Lewis Number of Pages : 752 Release Date : 2007-02-06 Publisher : HarperOne List Price : $26.99 Amazon Price : $15.15 Used Price : $15.61

Product Description

Seven Spiritual Masterworks by C. S. Lewis

This classic collection includes C. S. Lewis's most important spiritual works:

Mere Christianity
The Screwtape Letters
The Great Divorce
The Problem of Pain
Miracles
A Grief Observed
The Abolition of Man

Customer reviews

Great Piece of Literature! by .. Mike Glassmyer (Hastings, NE USA)
This book is amazing. In the opening pages, C.L. Lewis grabs the reader and pulls them in!

If you are looking to be swept up... by .. Olivia A. Robles (modesto, ca)
And you are an avid reader of CS Lewis you will not be disappointed at this collection of truths. He makes one feel a sense of obligation to be a better person, a more informed soul and a true desire to share in the journey of knowing such salvation. From start to finish the origin of his storytelling can only be described as breathtaking!

C.S.L. Sig Cla by .. Sherman E. Good (Indiana, PA USA)
Excellent format, however a bit oversized for my library. Lewis has been a favorite for a long time. Good to have the entire Classics in one volume.

Great All in one Book by .. Kyle Neterer (Carmel, IN)
this book is great because it is all in one, and also has a nice clear font with a good size. The actual writings of CS Lewis are amazing.

This book is HUGE! by .. C. Gonzalez (Lamar, CO USA)
I usually know when my husband is asleep when he drops his book, which usually lands on my head. As he climbed in bed with this HUGE text-book sized book, he said to me, "Been nice knowin' ya."
It's neat to have all CS Lewis' books together in one place, but this thing really is huge. Too heavy to hold to read comfortably unless you're at a desk and it's laying flat. Or maybe if you're sitting up and it can lay in your lap. But for snuggly bedtime reading, no go. (Except it will put you to sleep since it takes so much concentration to understand Lewis' deepth of thinking.)

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Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)

Author : Hunter S. Thompson Number of Pages : 288 Release Date : 1999-12-07 Publisher : Modern Library List Price : $21.95 Amazon Price : $12.62 Used Price : $12.99

Product Description

The author's harrowing and critically acclaimed first book chronicles his year riding with the Hell's Angels and other motorcycle gangs, an "experiment" that ended when he was beaten nearly to death by a group of Angels. 20,000 first printing. NYT.

Customer reviews

Another Point of View of HAMC by .. J. Wilkins ()
At a literary level I would give this book 5 stars. It's well written in an unusual, yet interesting style. The combination of first and third person accounts within the book keep it from getting too tedious. I also think that Thompson made a valiant (if somewhat ineffective) effort to be objective in his observations and show both sides of most stories. Unfortunately, one could tell this attempt at objectivity was unsuccessful at times as displayed by his apparent friendship with several of the Angels through the course of his research. In his defense, it's probably pretty difficult to live and party with these guys for a sustained period of time without some emotional attachment.

With respect to the content, I guess I expected more detailed personal first hand experiences rather than summaries of historical events so I pulled 1 star away for that. To be fair, Thompson added some notes regarding the Angels' side of the story, but nonetheless I felt a bit deceived as I expected the book to be all first hand knowledge given that he had supposedly ridden with the Angels for a year. I was also disappointed that his version of "riding" with the Angels consisted of riding to their hangouts on a bike, but for longer runs such as Bass Lake he took his car - how lame is that?

One curiosity was the post script which referred to an event (which I won't divulge out of respect for the readers who haven't yet read the book) which took place after he wrote the book. According to Hunter's account, the event came out of the blue with no provocation at all. I find that somewhat suspicious and would be interested in knowing a little more detail on what precipitated that particular event. Perhaps it is as he described, but I just got the feeling that there was more to it than met the eye.

All in all, if one is truly interested in the subject matter I feel the book is worth the read because it's considered by some a classic, but more importantly because it contains another angle not addressed in other books recounting HAMC history and events. (namely Sonny Barger's Hells Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club, which I am reading now and so far have found to be a bit one sided and self indulgent, but that's another review yet to be written...).

Quick and Fast by .. C. Duhon ()
My book was delivered as promised and on time. I will definitely order again in the future.

Not enough Hunter by .. Josh P S (USA)
"Hell's Angels" lacks some of the personal edge and Gonzo reporting style that I expect from Thompson. It is fun in parts, but overall it's too objective. After a few chapters, I found myself thinking, "I get it, these guys are burnouts and misfits, and I don't need be told any more minor stories about their antics." I can't be satisfied with this book as a piece of historical journalism either because there is so much post-1966 Hell's Angels history. Altamont and other important events occurred after the book was written, so I feel like I still don't have a good handle on the Hell's Angels' full significance in American culture. The thing I will remember the most from the book is the quote by Samuel Johnson, "He who makes himself a beast gets rid of the pain of being a man." This quote succinctly describes a core motivation of the Hell's Angels and others who know the pleasure of fringe lifestyles and behavior.

Brilliant writing about a grtty reality in American culture. by .. Murray B. Gardiner (Montreal)
I highly reccommend this gritty book. It is a very real feeling honest expose of the cult of the outlaw bikers, how the American media reacts to and manufactures disinfomaiton. It is a story of the sorry truth of the patholoy of the underclass of American society. One of Thompson's best.

Hunter at his best by .. G. Walker (Circle, Alaska)
This is a wonderful republishing effort in hardback with a great photo of Hunter on its cover - a tribute to Thompson's literary accomplishment and treatment of the Hells Angels when they were truly a cultural attraction.

Hunter's writing is clear, fast-paced, insightful, hysterial, and damning with just a bit of the Thompson humor to get the real point across. There's not be a book on the Times and the Angels since to match it.

Great addition to the library - thanks, Dr. Thompson - RIP

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I.O.U.S.A.: One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt.

Author : Addison Wiggin Number of Pages : 288 Publisher : Wiley List Price : $19.95 Amazon Price : $8.75 Used Price : $10.71

Product Description

The United States has been spending its way deeper and deeper into the red, and saddling future generations with the mess—but who's paying attention?
To answer that question, the companion book to the critically acclaimed documentary I.O.U.S.A. talks with some of the most revered voices in the nation, including Warren Buffett; former Treasury Secretaries Paul O’Neill and Robert Rubin; Pete Peterson, CEO of The Blackstone Group; Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas); and bestselling Empire of Debt author Bill Bonner.
Armed with these interviews, historical references, and damning statistics, the book takes a lively and entertaining romp through the four deficits the nation faces: the budget deficit, the personal savings deficit, the trade deficit—and what former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, who resigned abruptly in 2008 over Congress’s lack of action, calls the “leadership deficit” in Washington.
Defiantly non-partisan, the empowering solutions outlined in these pages are a must-read for any American who wants to help change “business-as-usual” in Washington as a new administration heads towards the Oval Office. “We the People” can get our politicians to stop spending, promote responsible economic programs, and hand our children and grandchildren the secure future they deserve.

Customer reviews

Heard most of it by now, but still worth a look by .. Herb Hunter (Baghdad)
This book was written right at the cusp of the current financial mess, making it very timely for those seeking one explanation as to why things are the way they are, and why they may not improve. The trouble is, anybody who reads Addison Wiggins web site (Daily Reckoning) or similar sites would already know most of what's in this book. Those who don't would still have heard most of the story by now. Most of the explanation part is contained in the front half of the book. The US owes tons of money, social security, medicare and every other entitlement program are going to go bust sooner than we think, etc.

The more useful part of the book is the second half, showcasing interviews with various financial people and politicians offering their explanations and opinions. In particular, I found those of Steve Forbes and Arthur Laffer to be most enlightening, while Robert Rubin put some serious spin on Clinton's administration, Warren Buffet sounded more like a politician looking for a vote, and Alan Greenspan acted like he had nothing to do with the situation at all. Moreover, not long after the release of this book, Greenspan essentially admitted in front of Congress that he was significantly responsible for the current financial mess before running off the stage. Buffet also changed his tune, later softening his approach shortly after the release of the IOUSA movie, probably after catching flack from his team over at Berkshire Hathaway and not wanting to scare everybody, realizing just how bad the markets would be for the foreseeable future.

The book is good, but not great. It could have been even better with a less deferential approach to questioning the various guests commentators. Many of them were too easily let off the hook, in some cases flat out contradicting themselves. If you want a primer on what the country is facing in terms of debt and financial obligations, go for it, but there are probably better choices.

Hope is not a strategy by .. William Whipple III (Middletown, Delaware)
The authors "reverse engineered" this book from the documentary film I.O.U.S.A. that debuted (first cut) at the Sundance Film festival in early 2008 and opened (final form) at theaters around the country on August 21.

The film was in turn conceived of as a way to publicize the message of an earlier book, "Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis," William Bonner and Addison Wiggin, John Wiley & Sons (2006). See my review, which was lukewarm because the authors offered no solutions for the problems they diagnosed. (I prefer solutions to gloom and doom.)

Along the way, U.S. Comptroller General David Walker (now president and CEO of the Peterson Foundation) and Robert Bixby, President of the Concord Coalition became involved in the film and Walker wrote a foreword for the companion book.

Walker and Bixby were the prime movers of the Fiscal Wakeup Tour (2005-2008), by the way, which conducted town hall meetings in more than 30 states (primarily on university campuses). The film shows them in action as part of the effort to put a human face on issues of "dry" economic policy. Also, Walker's thinking about four U.S. deficits (budget, savings, trade, and leadership) became the structural framework for the film.

Given this complex background (book - tour - film - book 2), it is hardly surprising that the I.O.U.S.A. book lacks cohesiveness. So far as the "we are in a crisis that must be dealt with very soon" message is concerned, I would recommend the film instead. It is still showing in theaters, and will hopefully come out on DVD one of these days.

That being said, the personal views and motivations of many of the financial and government people who appeared in the film are neatly captured, both in the text (a brief 94 pages) and in appended interviews (166 pages) that put the comments in context and are easier to follow. The witnesses (if that's the right word) are Alice Rivlin, William Bonner, Robert Rubin, Peter G. Peterson, Ron Paul, Paul Volcker, Alan Greenspan, Warren Buffet, James Areddy, Paul O'Neill, Arthur Laffler, and Steve Forbes, and their views are well worth pondering.

As might be expected, I.O.U.S.A. draws a parallel between the economic ills that the authors and others have been predicting for some time and the subprime crisis and oil price spike leading us into recession situation that began in 2007 and is still in progress. "With any luck, we'll make fiscal responsibility hip in Washington again and inject the themes of the book and the film into the national conversation well before and long after the 2008 election."

Unfortunately, things appear to be headed in a different direction right now, with dramatically eased money policy and a trillion dollar deficit in store for fiscal year 2009. Time to write another book, maybe starting from scratch this time.

I Owe Who? An Agenda in the Making! by .. Nelson A. Smith ()
While there is some interesting information here, I found the book sketchy and ominous in more ways than one. It offers an "objective view from all sides," which in the U.S. today means from far right to right to center right. Who is to blame for our debts? Oh, politicians, of course. There is no mention of the "starve the beast" doctrine of intentionally bankrupting governments. No mention of the many well-connected financiers eagerly manufacturing and pushing debt. There are no liberals or leftists to balance out the raving nuts like Arthur Laffer, Steve Forbes, and Ron Paul. The latter was a frightening revelation to me, a true libertarian Hayek-model Austrian government trasher. (If we could just get rid of governments, a benign force called "market pricing" will harmonize the world and we will be free!).

Laffer and Forbes are simply guys who come up with scientific reasons why the rich should be richer. Forbes was born rich, is rich, and wants to be richer, so at least he is rational. Laffer is utterly immune to any sort of evidence, not a scientist but a scientistic ideologue like the old Stalinists. He is deeply concerned about attempts to tax the rich and proves why it mustn't ever, ever be done! (For God's sake, people, don't touch the rich! Everything will collapse!) Well, it's a sure way to make a good living. Rich people will pay a lot for that kind of science.

The basic drift of the book seems to be that we can't afford social security and medicare. The problems are complex and difficult and nearly unfixable. Unless...pssst, we just drop those big, unfunded entitlements. Just one painful whack and capitalism is back in business! Several speakers make the case that it is "immoral" to lay such a burden on the future generations. This is when the background message hit me...

Capitalism has always managed to subdivide what should be unified economic class interests into warring factions. Thus, rich white males and poor white males could unite in their antipathy to poor blacks and the liberals that help them. The main subdivision is into national groups, the illusion that "We Americans" all share a single economic interest in the "American Economy," though economies don't stop at borders. It is clear that the banks who have recently "united" with the taxpayers to rescue the "American Economy" have no necessary interest in the welfare of the nation. What this book suggests is that the next division will be generational. Ron Paul can rally young people to liberate themselves from the immoral burden of the welfare state and refuse to pay taxes to the old boomer middle class trying to rob them.

Ever since FDR there has been a nearly violent cadre of Americans (Bushes among them) trying to end social security, which they regard as socialist theft of their capital. This book may be well-intentioned, but it also lends itself to this dark cause. In reality, the social trust money is already gone. The right wingers are now groping for the right words to declare the deed over and done. They will find many useful quotes herein.

Can't wait to see the film documentary DVD by .. Enlightened Wealth Institute (Las Vegas, NV)
The powerful people interviewed in this book really astounded me. It is a case of 'what do we do now' after reading this book and essential reading to really understand how America got to its current financial turmoil today.

IOUSA by .. Richard J. Tichenor (Fullerton Ca.)
Very worth while .Very informative , Has a great deal of information that more americans need to have in order that additional questions will be asked of our elected officials,in reguard to getting the national spending and budget in balance .

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Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

Author : Ulysses S. Grant Number of Pages : 544 Publisher : Cosimo Classics List Price : $19.95 Amazon Price : $17.95 Used Price : $24.63

Product Description

Completed just days before his death and hailed by Mark Twain as "the most remarkable work of its kind since the Commentaries of Julius Caesar," this is the now-legendary autobiography of ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT (1822-1885), 18th president of the United States and the Union general who led the North to victory in the Civil War. Though Grant opens with tales of his boyhood, his education at West Point, and his early military career in the Mexican-American war of the 1840s, it is Grant's intimate observations on the conduct of the Civil War, which make up the bulk of the work, that have made this required reading for history students, military strategists, and Civil War buffs alike. This unabridged edition features all the material that was originally published in two volumes in 1885 and 1886, including maps, illustrations, and the text of Grant's July 1865 report to Washington on the state of the armies under his command.

Customer reviews

Clear Vision of an Executive by .. Frank A. Melfa (North Bergen, NJ United States)
I didn't become engrossed in the Civil War until I visited the Grant/Lee exhibit at the New York Historical Society this summer. There I first saw Grant's Personal Memoirs book displayed. It is an unbelievable, first-hand interpretation of war, leadership, and politics. I'm amazed at Grant's personal relationships with the southern generals, many that he knew from West Point and later fought against. One of my favorite quotes in the book, "The natural disposition of most people is to clothe a commander of a large army whom they do not know, with almost superhuman abilities. A large part of the National army, for instance, and most of the press of the country, clothed General Lee with just such qualities, but I had known him personally, and knew that he was mortal; and it was just as well that I felt this." page 116. Grant starts his book with the Mexican War where he gained experience fighting battles which eventually proves to serve him well in the Civil War. He provides his opinion of the war, southern politics and his feelings towards other generals. I love when he evaluates the actions and performances of generals on both sides just like a business executive would of employees and superiors. For example, Grant was almost arrested for not following orders of the commanding General Halleck. This reminds me of office politics we face during our business lives. Grant clearly lets the reader know his displeasure with Halleck whom he eventually outranks. He lets you know which generals were soldiers and which were not up to the task of fighting. Like Jim Collins in the book Good to Great, Grant tells you about effective generals that were humble. Of General Taylor he writes, ...he never made any great show or parade, either in uniform or retinue...he was known to every soldier in his army, and was respected by all." page 63. Of General Howard from the south, "It occured to me at once that Harris had been as much afraid of me as I had been of him...From that event to the close of the war, I never experienced trepidation upon confronting an enemy...I never forgot that he had as much reason to fear my forces as I had his. This lesson was valuable." page 149. Grant humbly lets the reader know how he was able to win battles, get promoted, and end the war. Basically, most generals on both sides were hesitant to attack where Grant attacked any chance he got. Page 35, "One of my superstitions had always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, not to turn back, or stop until the thing intended was accomplished." President Lincoln eventually recognizes these qualities in Grant and makes in the top general of all the Union armies. Grant had a clear vision and plan and executed it quickly once he had the power to do it. You may be wondering why I gave it a 4 rather than a 5. Sometimes Grant gets into way too much detail about different things where the story and chapter drags on. But if you are patient, you will get by all of this and appreciate the intimacy and first hand experience of one of the most effective generals in US history.

If you only read one book on the Union war effort, read this one by .. William S. Grass (Plano Texas, USA)
This is the amazing memoir by U.S. Grant, who rose from obscurity at the outbreak of the war to be the Union's brightest military light. It is slightly apologetic in tone, but much less so than it could have been, considering the degree of scrutiny Grant's command decisions had endured. Among his few regrets are the assaults upon Vicksburg and Cold Harbor.

One telling anecdote comes from his early life, when he went to buy a colt from a Mr. Ralston. Upon arrival he tells Ralston, "Papa says I may offer you twenty dollars for the colt, but if you won't take that, I am to offer twenty-two and a half, and if you won't take that, to give you twenty-five." As the child is father to the man, so is the horse trader father to the general.

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by .. Connie J. Jacobson ()
Very detailed and complete rendition of the chronology of his personal life as well as his military life. I learned details of both aspects of this era in history.

U S Grant Personal Memoirs by .. J Burton (San Antonio, TX USA)
Written by the dying hand of one of the chosen men of his time. For any scholar of Grant, Civil War or Military History, these readings are a must. Grant's military genius was without equal. Had his superiors, early on, had his keen foresight, the Civil War could have ended a year or two earlier. Another great read is "Grant" by Jean Smith.

Simplicity of character is sometimes the highest form by .. Jeff Kelleher (San Diego, CA)
Grant finished this lengthy memoir on the eve of his death from throat cancer. Impoverished at the time, the ex-President made his wife rich from the proceeds. Simple, straightforward, earnest narrative, sometimes ironic, sometimes colorful, always unpretentious. Inevitably self-justifying, but candid nonetheless.

The most memorable anecdote describes his first action in the 1861-65 war. Although he was a combat veteran of the Mexican War fourteen years earlier, he was scared, almost frozen, as he led his men against the enemy position. When he arrived, the enemy had evacuated. "The reb commander was as scared as I was. It was a lesson that served me well for the next four years."

Excellent general's-eye descriptions of the battles for Fort Donaldson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Cold Harbor. His proudest contribution to the Union victory seems to be his strategy of "coordinated attack". He believed the early rebel success was due to the fragmentation of the National fources, which allowed the outmanned rebels to concentrate on one fragment at a time.

Grant is full of forthright and fascinating judgments: he revered Lincoln and Sherman, detested Hallek, disliked Stanton but respected him.

Civil war buff? Don't neglect this.

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Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson

Author : Corey Seymour Edition : Reprint Number of Pages : 512 Publisher : Back Bay Books List Price : $15.99 Amazon Price : $9.12 Used Price : $9.47

Product Description

Hailed everywhere as a brilliant biography, GONZO is a startling portrait of Hunter S. Thompson, the genius who spent a lifetime channeling his energy and insight into such landmark works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas--and revolutionized the art of writing. In their own words, an incredible array of stars--Sonny Barger, Jack Nicholson, Ralph Steadman, Jimmy Buffett, Anjelica Huston, Marilyn Manson, Jimmy Carter, and many more--bring into vivid focus Thompson's creative frenzies, love affairs, drug use, and, ultimately, his tragic suicide. As Thompson was fond of saying, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."

"Gonzo...is no hagiography, and it is in its unflinching look at this singular character in American letters as fearless-if not more so-as anything Thompson ever dared write....The most comprehensive picture of Thompson so far, and...likely the best we'll ever get." --Patrick Beach, Austin American-Statesman

"A fond and exhilarating look back at the wild man of American journalism, put together by a couple of guys who were pretty close to him." --Billy Heller, New York Post

Customer reviews

Mourning the Loss of the Last Great Hippie by .. M. Khan (USA)
I received this book as a B-Day present, and took my time reading it. As it does deserve careful attention.

In the last few years, I have been doing some searching to find evidence of the great American Experience in an existentialist way. This book more than satisfied the questions that call into question whether we as Americans are living the lives of delusion, that all of this...the economics, status as international monster, the excess and addictions really make us out to be anything other than a poor caricature of the nation we are meant to be.

So here is our anti-hero, our protagonist. What made the man stir? Was there a core to this being at all? I read the first review here, a re-publishing of the Anita Thompson note to Jann Wenner. It was a convincing enough gesture...who but his last partner could really assess the significance of the man, and does this book in fact do justice to the man. I thought, that this book must then be another idolotrous homage to a person who amused more than changed the world in which he lived. It was a difficult bias to overcome, and admittedly, it made me cynical as well.

Over the course of the reading however, I realized that Jann Wenner did Hunter a great service and give him a great credibility by exposing his limitations as a person, and that the choice of format for the book as a running documentary through chronological time, chronicled by dozens of admirers, friends, acquintances et al. This approch in fact, brought greater perspective to the character of Hunter S. Thompson. whom I now believe was one of the last hippes to actually impart something meaningful.

Let's consder the subtext here of the book. We see the evolution of Hunter in all its awkward unravelings starting from his youth. In many ways, Hunter was like the Holden Caufield of his day, only he knew how to have fun. What was that worth anyway, you may ask. When you have grown accustomed to the antics that made up his stage persona, you realize that it has taken dozens of people, hundreds of pages just to talk about this guy. Whatever your thoughts or impressions, that in itself is an achievement. But in terms of significance, we again realize that Hunter revived and gave noteriety to the fact that writing itself can be an artform. More important than the facts themselves, (as typically the measure of a journalist), Hunter managed to weave a fictional, hyperbolic and comical interpretation of reality in order to lift and polish the essential, more intuitive meaning of the matter at hand, whatever that happened to be.

So what if this man stopped growing at the age of 17. For every decade that he lived, he aged one-year. And perhaps as the anti-hero of the story he wrote through a variety of books, essay's and columns, he struggled to keep his sense of adolescent entitlements. He started off as a narcissitic teenager, graduated on to being the motley renegade, serious student of local politics, party-crashing celebrity and icon, and then, as he had to graduate and face the world where he could no longer run amuck....took his own life upon realizing that the game was up. In an epic warrior story, he send himself away when he can no longer carry on the great fight.

Most artists do little but dimension a problem. Some drawn to the absurdity, others enjoy the ranting that gives them release. Hunter, sought to impart of philosophy for the underdog. "Don't take any guff from these swine." For him, I gather it was about the righteous struggle and he didn't mind enjoying himself along the way.

We see then, that Hunter did in fact carry forth the great works of authors that inspired him including Hemingway, Conrad, Fitzgerald, Wolfe and others. His method, albeit grotesque and shocking were humanistic pieces in that, at the heart of it all was coping with the fear and loathing. Hunter understood that journalism had exposed the hypocrisy of Nixon and the corruption in the establishment. He never forgave the people who inherited the torch of the idealistic tradition that is American by origin. This infidelity caused him great concern and he was patriotic to the end.

The book does a phenomenal job of sharing Hunter from those who loved and tolerated him. It shows us that in fact our country had spawned great talent in the way of the early 20th century authors, some American had further developed the art of writing, a powerful force for implementing change at the fundamental level. That Hunter was an American, complex by nature as a teenager in denial of the responsibilities ahead, had in spirit at least inspired others to recognize that it isn't necessarily what your doing as much as it is about how you go about doing it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and think that the contributers did a great service of bringing out the Hunter that meant something to them, rather than limit the mans significance to that of a pimple on the a$$ of the American Dream.

The Reality of Hunter S. Thompson for all to read by .. armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota)
Hunter Thompson (HST) was born and raised hell in Louisville, Kentucky. His incorrigible ways led him to the military via a criminal judge's orders. Many of his childhood and college friends made a living by the written word and, after fulfilling his enlistment agreement, Thompson joined them. Only, his way was different.

It seems that Thompson looked at the world through a kaleidoscope, stopping occasionally to pull his eye away and see a reality he didn't know how to change. The need for change he put into words in a way only he knew. Drugs were a part of his life from an early age-and whether he did them because life was crazy, or he made life crazy by taking them-is open to opinion. Either way, drug use influenced, and impeded, his writing.

Friends, editors, movie stars, a small-town sheriff, wives, a son, assistants and cocktail waitresses all had stories to tell. Some make you thankful you didn't have to deal with the troubled and troublesome man. Others illuminate his intelligence and sense of humor. The writer, who could be both fearless and fearsome, was vocal when greed and politics stood in the way of world order as he saw it.

The list of celebrities he encountered and befriended is long and varied: Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Jimmy Buffet, Sean Penn, Ed Bradley, and George McGovern, just to name a few, and all have stories of HST. While the drugs may have fueled his stream-of-consciousness writing, it also interfered with his relationships. A fair-minded man at heart, Thompson could be abusive and a serious irritation when his mood of the hour didn't match the task of the day.

Contributors to the book have many impressions of the writer. So many opinions that it is evident Thompson was a complex man who influenced, affected and stimulated all who encountered him. Gonzo, The Life of Hunter S. Thompson reads like a published wake, recorded so no one forgets the bigger-than-life, flying-by-the-seat-of-his-pants outrageous man. The story is definitely worth the price of the ticket.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

GONZO by .. Michael J. Bates (cornelius,oregon usa)
I haven't finished the book yet but it is very capitvating.I think that Hunter was a very interesting man.I look forward to reading everything there is about him & everything he wrote.thanks mjb

A must read for Thompson fans by .. Jeffrey J. Jackson (Eau Claire, WI USA)
If you're a fan of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, then this is a must read. Although it unveils some sides of the journalist that aren't pretty, this book gives the reader a great sense of Thompson's personal life and a chance to find out how real all of his stories were.

A Profile of Extremity by .. Daniel Raphael ()
This biography of the journalist/writer Hunter S. Thompson clearly shows a man who was by turns sociopathic, assaultive, hilarious, obnoxious, incoherent, and brilliant--and this was to his friends! What amazes me is that he had so many friends, ones who stuck with him and still harbored affection for him, long after break-ups, divorces, and betrayals large and small. Somehow, there was enough in this creator of a new brand of journalism--with the author as necessary and intentional part of the events as they unfolded--to engender loyalty and forgiveness among a wide range of people. That he was multiply addicted to drugs (alcohol notable among them) was central to his lifestyle. In itself, this is hardly unique, but I can't recall another personality who indulged on an everyday basis to the extent that he did...and still be able to function.

Unsurprisingly, over time, he wasn't--and his real genius imploded in a caricature of himself. At this point, his many friends seem more enablers in his suicidal extremes than anything else. The book is structured as reminscences by people who knew Thompson at various stages of his life. This provides an interesting and quasi-objective view of the man, as enough different perceptions and experiences are brought in, that no one image or "take" predominates over the others. That said, there is remarkable agreement among the various voices recorded in the book, especially with regard to Thompson's brilliance and his self-destructiveness.

This book strikes me as an honest and clear accounting of Hunter S. Thompson's life. At many points through the reading of this book, I laughed out loud; whatever else he was, Thompson had unparalleled chutzpah--who else would have gone to a fancy restaurant with an ultra-rich person he'd never met, and bring along his own "dinner"...in the form of a maggot-ridden piece of liver?

Related Search : hunter s , gonzo life , thompson