2. The following is not a full book review; expect that later
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The word “seminal” is described by Mirriam-Webster as both “of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen,” and also as “containing or contributing the seeds of later development (creative, original).” The words stems originally from the Latin “seminalis” meaning “semen seed.” In other words: Birth; growth; change.
Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, was a seminal 1967 classic by Hunter S. Thompson, the father of Gonzo Journalism. (“The Rum Diary” was in draft form and written prior but worked on for years and not published until much later.) It was HST’s first book. It’s ironic in a beautiful way that, concurrent with the so-called hippie Summer of Love—my parents’ generation—out came the literary demon-semen of the wild, raucous ride that was the sordid tale of the California Hell’s Angels.
I can’t recall when exactly I first read Hell’s Angels, but my memory tells me it was long, long ago, somewhere around age 23. Vaguely, I can picture myself reading an old hardback version in the musty Mesa Community College library, the school I attended for a while back in those days—circa 2005, 2006—when I lived in San Diego. When I recall that first read I seem to recollect a sense of manic boredom and also diabolical interest, all intermingled.
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