Book Review

533 Words2 Pages

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a 1971 novel written by Hunter S. Thompson, whose first claim to fame was the novel Hell's Angels. His blend of fiction and reality had become known as Gonzo journalism. The story centers around Raoul Duke and his attorney as they set on a drug-infused journey to Las Vegas in search of the American Dream. The plot was ispired by two real trips that the writer took to Las Vegas as a journalist for the Rolling Stone magazine. The book is considered an acknowledged classic. The plot opens with the protagonist, Raoul Duke - a sports newspaper tripping on LSD while setting off on a paid trip to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race that is about to be held in the Nevada desert. With him he takes his attorney, a shady Samoan character whose only purpose in the novel seems to be recommending drugs. The two use this opportunity to rent a convertible and drive off into the wilderness with a trunk full of narcotics. First they pick up a hitchhiker who is scared to ...

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