There was so much press concerning Hunter S. Thompson's suicide and subsequent cannon-ization, I thought I would read one of his books. I picked "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".
I recall having read another Hunter S. Thompson book in the distant past and being completely unimpressed. My theory is that I was too young or too uptight when I read it.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's very hard for me to imagine people actually ingesting this amount of drugs and living. For some reason reading the crazy stream of weirdness writing really worked for me. BTW, I have no desire to try and replicate the experience myself although I admit it does sound like it might be fun to trash a rental car.
It's one of those curious books that has one fulcrum paragraph that jumps out at you as being the most important thing the book has to say.
"All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped create ... a generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old-mystic fallacy of Acid Culture: the desperate assumption that somebody -- or at least some force -- is tending that Light at the end of the tunnel."
Hunter S. Thompson, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Hear of the American Dream"
Acid use aside, we all try to buy "peace and understanding" and most of us find out that what we bought isn't what we expected it to be. You can replace the word "acid" with religion, consumerism, sex, power or any other experience people seek intending to buy their happiness and peace for three buck a hit.
I liked the book a lot, your results may vary.
The book is illustrated by Ralph Steadman whose works grace my favorite cafe, Hell's Kitchen.
