zoracious's review against another edition
4.0
To put it simply, there is something for everyone to like in this book.
Published in 2007 by Anita Thompson, the late wife of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, the book is at once a memoir, advice book (I purposely avoid that phrase 'self-help' here), mission statement, and, for Anita Thompson, a way to exorcise the demons she has been dealing with since Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide in 2005.
So first, the aspect of memoir. Even those who were suspicious of young Anita Thompson's 'intentions' with their beloved Hunter can find something scintillating in this small volume's voyeuristic viewpoint into the Thompson home at Owl Farm, for who left could really know it best? As if to answer this, Anita Thompson very tactfully lends her pages to the words of others as well, close friends, compatriots, and sometimes enemies of Hunter himself, to contribute their voices as well (these including Kurt Vonnegut, Bob Dylan, Benecio del Toro, Lyle Lovett and Bill Murray).
This however, is presented with a caveat, one that both Anita Thompson and Douglas Brinkley (who writes the foreword) make clear: This is not a book about sex, drugs and rock and roll. Though these may make appearances indirectly, Thompson's goal is to show Hunter as the man she knew him to be - someone caught up in politics, human connections, and changing the world, one word and act at a time.
The insights into the way Hunter's mind works are fascinating - he seemed a man of boundless energy, throwing himself whole-heartedly into causes which he then would try to rally the world behind. His monomania was fed through rivulets of deeper meaning, and Thompson manages to depict this skillfully with select anecdotes that are at once charming, nostalgic, and sometimes all too amusing.
As for advice, Anita passes a lot of it on, hers being a volume that she says is meant to teach readers what Hunter taught her, simplified into seven illuminating lessons. This verges on the almost too simplistic aphorisms that have blanketed the self-help market today (e.g., "It's Wrong When It Stops Being Fun"), but is seemingly refreshed by the legend behind the man who said it, and to the people he is often saying it to. Hunter S. Thompson, presented in full technicolor and with not a little bit of awe, is a figure enraptured by these life lessons, and it doesn't take much convincing to see that they worked for him (and Anita Thompson as well it seems) in their own sometimes unexpected ways.
It is, however, with Anita Thompson's own writing that interestingly enough does justice to the writer that passed before her. Hers is simple and unadorned speech, straightforward (Lesson 5's title is "Truth is Easier") and never apologetic (lesson 7!).
More notably, hers is the often heartbreaking, sometimes even too honest, voice of a woman who has lost her best friend, and the reader is invited to mourn along with her, but then also to move on, and to see that the world Hunter S. Thompson has left behind is one that is still worth living, and worth living well.
"Everyone fumbles. What matters is the recovery." - An oft-quoted phrase, said by Hunter S. Thompson. The Gonzo Way is a book that is Anita Thompson's attempt at recovery, and she manages to pull it off with courage, fun and pure honesty.
Published in 2007 by Anita Thompson, the late wife of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, the book is at once a memoir, advice book (I purposely avoid that phrase 'self-help' here), mission statement, and, for Anita Thompson, a way to exorcise the demons she has been dealing with since Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide in 2005.
So first, the aspect of memoir. Even those who were suspicious of young Anita Thompson's 'intentions' with their beloved Hunter can find something scintillating in this small volume's voyeuristic viewpoint into the Thompson home at Owl Farm, for who left could really know it best? As if to answer this, Anita Thompson very tactfully lends her pages to the words of others as well, close friends, compatriots, and sometimes enemies of Hunter himself, to contribute their voices as well (these including Kurt Vonnegut, Bob Dylan, Benecio del Toro, Lyle Lovett and Bill Murray).
This however, is presented with a caveat, one that both Anita Thompson and Douglas Brinkley (who writes the foreword) make clear: This is not a book about sex, drugs and rock and roll. Though these may make appearances indirectly, Thompson's goal is to show Hunter as the man she knew him to be - someone caught up in politics, human connections, and changing the world, one word and act at a time.
The insights into the way Hunter's mind works are fascinating - he seemed a man of boundless energy, throwing himself whole-heartedly into causes which he then would try to rally the world behind. His monomania was fed through rivulets of deeper meaning, and Thompson manages to depict this skillfully with select anecdotes that are at once charming, nostalgic, and sometimes all too amusing.
As for advice, Anita passes a lot of it on, hers being a volume that she says is meant to teach readers what Hunter taught her, simplified into seven illuminating lessons. This verges on the almost too simplistic aphorisms that have blanketed the self-help market today (e.g., "It's Wrong When It Stops Being Fun"), but is seemingly refreshed by the legend behind the man who said it, and to the people he is often saying it to. Hunter S. Thompson, presented in full technicolor and with not a little bit of awe, is a figure enraptured by these life lessons, and it doesn't take much convincing to see that they worked for him (and Anita Thompson as well it seems) in their own sometimes unexpected ways.
It is, however, with Anita Thompson's own writing that interestingly enough does justice to the writer that passed before her. Hers is simple and unadorned speech, straightforward (Lesson 5's title is "Truth is Easier") and never apologetic (lesson 7!).
More notably, hers is the often heartbreaking, sometimes even too honest, voice of a woman who has lost her best friend, and the reader is invited to mourn along with her, but then also to move on, and to see that the world Hunter S. Thompson has left behind is one that is still worth living, and worth living well.
"Everyone fumbles. What matters is the recovery." - An oft-quoted phrase, said by Hunter S. Thompson. The Gonzo Way is a book that is Anita Thompson's attempt at recovery, and she manages to pull it off with courage, fun and pure honesty.
culturenator's review against another edition
4.0
A heartfelt account of Anita Thompson's time with Hunter, this book concentrates on the time since they met until after his death. It shows a unique perspective on the good ol Doctor and his ways and is very, very different to anything else I've read or watched about him. I can see why it might prove unpopular with hardcore HST fans, but I felt this account humanised him from the self confessed character he became to a lot of people. Definitely worth a read.
billyr35's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful tales and life lessons from Hunter S Thompson as told by his young widow.
Not every HST fan will appreciate the more lucid stories and advice - likewise some of those who are not fans of Hunters famous drug fulled musings will love this little gem. The litte red book of Gonzo.
In short: buy the ticket, take the ride. You will not regret it.
Not every HST fan will appreciate the more lucid stories and advice - likewise some of those who are not fans of Hunters famous drug fulled musings will love this little gem. The litte red book of Gonzo.
In short: buy the ticket, take the ride. You will not regret it.
malarki's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Drug use
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