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Review of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson

First appearing as two articles published in the magazine Rolling Stones in 1971 before becoming a book the following year, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas has since become the number one book for understanding counterculture. Born out of Hunter S. Thompson being assigned to cover two different events in Las Vegas that year — hence why the book is split into two parts — Thompson turned a boring and standard assignment into one of the most beloved novels ever written.

The book was written in 1971, one year after Thompson founded Gonzo journalism through his famous article “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved” for the short-lived left-wing Scanlan’s Monthly (so short-lived in only produced eight issues and was only in print for ten months). Gonzo journalism is a form of journalism that focuses more on the people — most notably the author of the story — as opposed to older forms of journalism which focus mostly on the events. Gonzo journalism makes the author part of the story, while traditional journalism is about the author telling the story.