Best HST book.
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This book is quite frankly the best Hunter S. Thompson book I have ever read.
The book is comprised of many different stories (most of which are taken from his other books.) and is basically a 'best of' his work which are rolled into this one book.
It includes such excerpts from Hells Angels, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, The Rum Diary, Kingdom Of Fear and many others.
If your a big HST fan like myself then get this book you won't be disappointed- it would be an ideal first read of his work because you get a taste of everything.
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Hilarious and insightful
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Thompson's overview of the USA from(approx)1965 to 1977,with some earlier material written while travelling around South America.It's great,but you'll need to know a bit about US politics and contemporary US history-as it's journalism,it assumes the reader has some knowledge of what was happening at that time in the USA.
The downfall of Nixon,the begining of the west coast counter culture(hippies,Hell's Angels,the Diggers,psychedelia),the rise of Carter,his adventures with a crazed chicano lawyer(later to be the base of "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas")-all here in it's gory details.
The funniest sequences are when Thompson discovers that he isn't on Nixon's Enemies List,and his description of President Johnson allegedly ordering the spreading of rumours about another candidate to the effect that Johnson's opponent was in the habit of enjoying sex with farmyard animals.
If you're offended by colloquial English,drugs,radical politics,human sexuality,rock music or honesty,go elsewhere.Otherwise you'll have a whale of a time.
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The king of Gonzo...
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Well, I wouldn't suggest that you buy this book if you are unaquainted with Thompson's work, you should buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then, if you like that, buy The Great Shark Hunt. I say that because I have offered The Great Shark Hunt to people who haven't read any Thompson and they were put off by its sheer length and the content of some of the articles.
The reason I like this book is because it is pretty open-ended, because the book is a collection of articles you can read the ones that interest you and skip the ones that don't grab you. There is no reason why you should read it straight from cover-to-cover.
There is some pure gold in here, including excerpts from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the infamous The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved (considered to be Thompson's first gonzo article) and many other gems.
I'd say, buy this, but only if you are sure you like Thompson because it isn't the best means of getting started on him. To sum it up in one line; If you love Hunter S. Thompson's work, you'll love this...
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History repeats itself
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"When the going gets weird, the weird go pro."-Hunter S. Thompson In a time of political peril and rancor in our countries capitol this book speaks volumes. Hunter S. Thompson provides many snapshots into the American political system with this book. It is not a complete narrative. Rather this book is filled with high lights of Thompson's journalistic works. It is a collection of articles written for the "Rolling Stone," and various other publications. Due undoubtedly to my youth, I have found the current state of America to be very disturbing. Reading this book has given me a chance to take a deep breath because the problems our country is facing are not new. They are just the same old problems we have always had. If you are a person that likes to "Bush Bash," this book will give you plenty of new ammunition. Thompson's rants about Nixon are very similar to the things I have heard said about President Bush. Unfortunately, for all of us, the parallels are mostly negative. If President Clinton was a new John F. Kennedy, then "The Great Shark Hunt" has led me to believe President Bush is a new Richard M. Nixon.
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An hounorable role model
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My dad gave me this book to read, I ...eventually obliged. I am glad I did. I have quotes from it on my walls. It is filled with drugs and (so called) depravity. Politics however also plays a vital role. I apreciate the comparisons between drug addicts and politics addicts. It is an under exposed and highly damaging affliction, to society and the individual. HST's writing style cannot fail to draw one in but like all good psychoactives, it leaves you a desperate for more!
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada