With the same drug-addled alacrity and jaundiced wit that made Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a hilarious hit, Hunter S. Thompson turns his savage eye and gonzo heart to the repellent and seductive race for President.He deconstructs the 1972 campaigns of idealist George McGovern and political hack Richard Nixon, ending up with a political vision that is eerily prophetic.A classic!
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With the same drug-addled alacrity and jaundiced wit that made Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a hilarious hit, Hunter S. Thompson turns his savage eye and gonzo heart to the repellent and seductive race for President. He deconstructs the 1972 campaigns of idealist George McGovern and political hack Richard Nixon, ending up with a political vision that is eerily prophetic. A classic!
Review
'The best stuff on the campaign I've read anywhere.' Nicholas Von Hoffman, Washington Post 'Obscene, horrid, repellent ! driving, urgent, candid, searing ! a fascinating, compelling book!' New York Post 'Hunter S. Thompson is the most creatively crazy and vulnerable of the New Journalists. His books are brilliant and honorable and valuable ! the literary equivalent of Cubism: all rules are broken.' Kurt Vonnegut Jr 'Gaze in awe ! Hunter Thompson does in his own mad way betray a profound democratic concern for the polity. And in its own mad way, it's darned refreshing.' New York Times 'Shocks you into laughter.' Detroit Free Press 'Unnerving!' Newsweek
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Hunter Thompson would despise me. I am a conservative Reaganite. I thought Dick Nixon a brilliant President. I think the Lord Jesus Christ saves my soul. Whereas I despise Michael Moore and do not think he speaks the truth, I admire Hunter Thompson, who is probably a lot closer to Moore's politics than mine. It is not just the passage of time that heals divisions, it is more than that. If I were to analyze Hunter's political nostrums, I would probably find much that I know to be wrong, and that Hunter had enough education and knowledge available to him to know it was wrong but he wrote it anyway. Still, whatever visceral reaction I have to Moore I do not have for Hunter.
I guess humnor must be why. Hunter is absolutely inconoclastic. He is side-splitting. He never smiles, and his writing has no funniness in it. I picture him writing out of dread and hate, yet it magically transforms itself into laughs when my eyes meet his words and transfer to my brain. Forgive my bad attempt to get into his head and "explain" Hunter. It's all I can do to try.
This book is phenomenal. It contains events that are different from any descriptions ever. Others have novelized reality, but nobody splits the difference like Hunter. Hunter's supposed on-scene reportage of Edmund Muskie coming unglued in the New Hampshire snow, Frank Mankiewiczs' furious (drug induced?) ramblings, the one-on-one with Nixon himelf, leaves the reader exhausted in an effort to separate reality from fantasy. Hunter is like the great con man who uses Truth to augment his lies. This is not calling Hunter a liar, it is just an example. The fact that I don't see this as lies is telling, and separates Hunter and his times from the current political climate, in which his spawn, if you will, the likes of Moore and Al Franken, try to make Hunteresque points but leave themselves exposed as obfuscators instead. The answer is that Thompson is just so much better than almost all other writers that he cannot be duplicated or even imitated. To try is pointless. Many, inclduing myself, have tried to be the "next Jim Murray," but like Murray nobody can be Hunter, either.
STEVEN TRAVERS(...)
By Pete
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't really like american politics and I'm not sure what I was expecting with this one but its just Hunter talking politics.
Maybe I'd be a bit more enthralled if I had lived in that time period or maybe even been American, but I gave up on this book by the forth chapter. It's not the same as the rest of his writing. Its drier and I feel like there is a lot of stuff that you needed to know and understand prior to reading. For example, he constantly just mentions politicians and something they did without going into detail or really explaining the purpose of the addition.
I felt out of the loop. Maybe this book is amazing if you have some grasp of the '72 election, but I don't so it wasn't.
Maybe I'd be a bit more enthralled if I had lived in that time period or maybe even been American, but I gave up on this book by the forth chapter. It's not the same as the rest of his writing. Its drier and I feel like there is a lot of stuff that you needed to know and understand prior to reading. For example, he constantly just mentions politicians and something they did without going into detail or really explaining the purpose of the addition.
I felt out of the loop. Maybe this book is amazing if you have some grasp of the '72 election, but I don't so it wasn't.
By Andrew Thorn
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Although not as thrilling as Hell's Angels and not as profound as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, F+L: on the campaign trail '72 does offer a brilliant analysis of the frenzied, unpredictable nature of American politics. With the McGovern/Nixon presidential race as its focus, this book gives the reader an insider's unflinching view of a year out with the candidates as they crisscrossed the USA. Unfortunately, Thompson takes some of the transcribed dialogue sections a bit too far and the inclusion of many irrelevant details was not necessary. The book should have been properly edited and cut down by about 100-150 pages. But having said that, the word for word transcription of an interview with George McGovern near the end of the book is priceless! What insight! The last 20 pages or so - the "Editor's conversation" - is also very good. If any foreigners want an understanding of the American campaign process, THIS IS THE BOOK TO READ. From no one but Thompson will you get such a realistic account. Gonzo journalism at its twisted peak, perhaps. Excessive at times, but worth the time and effort. Thompson's writing is more penetrating and entertaining than that of any tradional political journalist, period. Hell, you've got to give this guy credit. He's an original! The "football conversation" with Richard Nixon in New Hampshire and the "Sheridan"/Jerry Rubin incident on Muskie's Florida train are both hilarious!
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
THANKS!
The item was shipped off twice due to the negligence of the postal service, and it STILL arrived faster than most books I had ordered.
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Published on Feb 13 2011 by Sharbies
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Finest Political Journalism Ever Printed
This is probably my favorite example of political journalism, in that it is informative, insightful, but never dull. Read more
Published on July 5 2004 by drew
5.0 out of 5 stars
On the trail of McGovern
For all his gonzo journalism, Thompson has a very keen eye for politics, even if he backed McGovern in '72. Read more
Published on April 13 2004 by James Ferguson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Greatness
This book is so interesting. It was really detailed which made it nearly impossible to stop reading. I like how weird and satirical this book was. Read more
Published on Mar 25 2004 by Olive
5.0 out of 5 stars
George W. Bush is our Richard Nixon
Does history repeat its self? All I can say is that Hunter wrote this book coming out of the liberal 60's which rounded out in a big bummer with Richard Nixon winning. Read more
Published on Feb 22 2004 by Hippie Smell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh so relevant
This is a must read! The comparisons this book draws to the current political climate of the USA and the upcoming 2004 presidential elections to the 1972 campaign and election is... Read more
Published on Jan 30 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great political education
Hunter s. Thompson defies all normal journalism precedents and presents the campaigning process in the most straightforward style possible. Read more
Published on Nov 12 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Plus ca change...
Hunter S. Thompson has always been a great writer, with his breathless prose and over-the-top commentary he could never be accused of pulling his punches or shying away from... Read more
Published on Oct 29 2003 by kendall lopere
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best study of modern American politics in practice
Most political science texts are pedantic, dry, and boring. This one is not. The author is known for gonzo journalism; an essentially free association form of writing aided by... Read more
Published on Sep 24 2003 by Jerald R Lovell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible book
There are very few books about political campaigns that show passion - for the manic process, for the evil media handicapping that occurs, and ultimately for a candidate that the... Read more
Published on July 26 2003 by C Peters
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