Books › Fear and Loathing
Fear and Loathing
On the Campaign Trail '72
First published 1973 · 506 pages
A manic, sweat-soaked joyride through the dark and absurd underbelly of the American political machine.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like being strapped into the passenger seat of a speeding car driven by a brilliant, paranoid madman. It is a propulsive, sweat-soaked descent into the absurdity of the American political machine, fueled by wild tangents, chemical stimulants, and a profound, underlying outrage. The prose is a hyper-verbal assault—profane, hilarious, and shockingly perceptive—capturing the exhaustion and manic energy of the campaign trail better than any straight journalism ever could. You are immersed in a gritty, smoke-filled atmosphere of hotel bars, missed deadlines, and shattered idealism. It will delight political junkies, cynics, and anyone who loves watching a master of gonzo journalism tear the polite facade off of democracy to reveal the bizarre, churning gears underneath.
- Mood
- chaotic
- paranoid
- exhausted
- gritty
- Tone
- cynical
- manic
- irreverent
- outraged
- satirical
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- the death of the American Dream · political absurdity · media complicity · disillusionment · the spectacle of power
- The writing
- Frenetic, hyper-verbal, and wildly hyperbolic, blending razor-sharp political insight with profane, hallucinatory tangents.
- The arc
- Moves from a manic, chaotic energy into a deep, bitter exhaustion as the reality of the political machine crushes countercultural idealism.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave dark humor, political cynicism, and the raw, unfiltered energy of counterculture journalism.
Content notes
- substance abuse
- strong language
- dated cultural references
About the book
Thompson, fresh from the spooky gig with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, agreed to cover the late presidential campaign for Rolling Stone from the primaries on, armed only with an eye for gnostic drill, an ear for byzantine bullshit, and a pen aimed pointedly at the political gonads of every event and aspirant who crossed his mad path from New Hampshire (mainly watching McGovern "do his thing -- which was pleasant, or at least vaguely uplifting, but not what you'd call a real jerk-around") to Florida where he was barred from the Muskie camp over the Boohoo incident which is so unbelievable it must be read (later Dr. Thompson exposed Big Ed as an Ibogaine addict), on through "this goddamn mess" to California, the conventions, the election (the latter new chapters not previously published in RS), and the November reaffirmation of fear and loathing. (Kirkus Reviews)
Description from Open Library.
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