What We're Reading

Published in 1966, Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson chronicles a year spent inside the Oakland chapter of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club, blending firsthand reporting, cultural criticism, and Thompson's signature voice into a portrait of postwar American myth-making.

Hell's Angels is the book that invented a genre. It won the vote, and it deserves its reputation.

Happy Reading!

About the Author

Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist and author whose work redefined what nonfiction reporting was allowed to do. Thompson embedded himself inside the stories he covered, not as a passive observer but as a participant whose own psychology became part of the material. His approach drew comparisons to Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer, but Thompson's voice was always his own: corrosive, funny, and unwilling to let the myth stand unchallenged. Hell's Angels was his first book and remains one of the most important works of American journalism ever published.

Reading and Discussion Schedule

Week 1: Sunday, June 8th | Chapters 1 to 5 (through page 68)

Week 2: Sunday, June 15th | Chapters 6 to 9 (pages 69 to 136)

Week 3: Sunday, June 22nd | Chapters 10 to 14 (pages 137 to 204)

Week 4: Sunday, June 29th | Chapters 15 to 18 (pages 205 to 271)

Note: Links to live calls will be posted in the Discord server 30 minutes before each call in the corresponding discussion thread for that week.

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Interviews & excerpts

Hunter S. Thompson Meets A Hell's Angel (1967)

The Hell's Angels: Hunter S. Thompson Interview