Rating:  Summary: Three can write a sentence if two are restraining the author Review: There are almost no books about the of the Hells Angels, and little can be known except for that provided by questionable sources (e.g. members turned informant). It is difficult to guage the accuracy of events in this book, as LaVigne doesn't say how he obtains his information. However, it provides a balance of other books such as Hunter Thompson's 1966 "saga" and Sonny Barger's entertaining autobiography. It also includes recent activities by the HAMC in Canada and Northeastern US.LaVigne's style is bizarre. Much of the book is written in a strange present tense spotlighting the author's callous and misogynistic arrogance. The rest can speak for itself. Consider the following two sentences from pages 41-2: "New York sweats electric day-glow decadence in 1967 in anticipation of the summer of love. The Electric Circus disco short-cricuits optic nerves with strobe lights and baffles the ears with onslaughts of sound". I looked to see if it was originally published in another language, but no translator is credited. Savvy readers will recall that the "summer of love" was already over by 1967. Most of us couldn't have graduated high school writing like this. Just the same, there are few sources that look at the behind-the-scenes Hells Angels. Because I am seriously interested in antisociality, I still recommend it.
Rating:  Summary: An interesting look into the angels world. Review: This book is both informative as well as a thrill to read. It gives the reader an indepth look into the most famous motorcycle club in the world. regardless of the authors opinion. I will continue to SUPPORT my local HELLS ANGELS M.C. this is a group of men who do not take disrespect lightly and they take care of buissness.they simply LIVE THE LIFE THEY LOVE AND LOVE THE LIFE THEY LIVE. What more can you expect?
Rating:  Summary: Informative; yet dis-jointed and un-substantiated w/ no bio. Review: This book is full of information and is interesting, but there is no data given to substantiate the authors statistics and absolutely nothing on the author to authenticate his credibility. Looks to be pieced from police records, but even that is hard to tell because of repitition (albeit from apparently different perspectives)and some items seem not to be in chronilogical order which confuse. I have been involved with, and still exposed to 1%'ers though, and do not have much trouble accepting Lavigne's description of the outlaw biker's life style. Especially the transition from flambouant, visable, hell-raising party animals of the 50's & 60's, to the "underground" hard-core, drug-related businessmen of the 80's & 90's. The recent influx of "wanna-be's" could take real value from this book if they would only believe that a lot of it is probably true, and decide if they have what it takes to be part of this lifestyle. Did not hteir mothers tell them "not to play with fire'?
Rating:  Summary: Three can read the book if two can stay awake Review: This book is poorly written. While the information is interesting, it is dated and extremely hard to follow at times. It reads like a rough draft of ideas. The information in the book is very out of date to say the least. If all one wants to do is look into the history of the club, this might be a good book if it were written with more professionalism. The way that it is written now, it has few redeeming qualities. One would have to read certain pages several times to try and understand what the author was trying to convey. Over all, it is dated and very difficult to follow even for a biker who understands what the author is writing about.
Rating:  Summary: How is Yves alive still? Review: This book names names, dates and explicit crimes committed by the Angels. How the hell he has escaped an assassination is well beyond my understanding! This book will keep you fascinated about the biker lifestyle and wanting to read more about it. Every one of my freinds has read this book and we discuss it frequently! HA RULE!
Rating:  Summary: Mr. Lavigne's Wild Ride Review: This book was recommended to me by a CHP officer as a good resource for MC clubs' criminal history. If this is what passes for a good resource, I'd say the MC Gang-True Crime genre is ripe for a real history written by a real life honest to goodness writer. After finishing this book, initiation in the Hell's Angels almost looks refreshing. First the good: it held interest, was a fast read, and had interesting 'facts' (the reader has to assume this is either true or not, as the author doesn't cite any specific text except, apparently, what he read in the newspapers). However, I have to wonder if it held interest because of how awfully it was written, thus affecting a sort of voyeuristic "Where is he going with this?" kind of feeling. As to it being a fast read, I can't really account for this, as it often felt as though the whole book was the same first-draft page reprinted 339 times and shipped to the book store. I don't know if Lavigne was going for his own 'style' here or not, a la Hemingway. What I do know is that writing a history of anything written entirely in present tense is enough to make me want to stop shaving and bathing and beat people up as I ride around on a bike trying to forget the whole experience. When did this brilliant idea surface? It's very irritating and the book suffers tremendously for it. Also, I'm not sure anyone, including the author, reread or edited this book beyond the first draft. It seems like every 3,4,5 pages some bit of information is repeated as though it was a new thought. Very often this repetition is almost a complete letter-for-letter copy of a previous paragraph. And another thing: could Lavigne compare MORE things to genitalia? Jeez, it's like he writes sentences around some 8th grader playground vocabulary in a way he just MUST have thought a tough guy would talk. You just start feeling embarrassed for him after awhile. Although Lavigne claims to dislike motorcycle gangs and ostensibly writes this book to 'expose' them, he writes as though he was some Hell's Angels rejected prospect who writes a poison pen book to get back at those mean guys, but down deep he still pines away for them. Messy, unsubstantiated (though probably mostly true), overwrought, reaching, ultimately a disappointment. This is the book that, in getting published as is, makes struggling writers who are ten times better bang their heads on the walls in frustration.
Rating:  Summary: A good book if you know nothing of the outlaw biker life. Review: Yves Lavigne did one hell of a job in researching this book. He accuratley describes events and details in the lives of the Angels from the beginning into the eighties. He tells of the terror reigned by the Angels, but is very light to touch on the subject of the fundraisers and benefits that the Angels host. The book tells of many events in the underworld, giving names and dates and horrifying pictures of crime scenes. It shows exactly what the Angels can do, when provoked. All around, a good book to learn about the "other side". Well written and full of information.
Rating:  Summary: Crudity aside, a good documentary Review: Yves Lavigne's unrelenting vulgarity takes away from what is otherwise an informative and well researched first-person account of the growth of the Hell's Angels growth from 50's rebels to 60's cause celebre to modern day mafia. Their ability to enforce omerta (the code of silence)among their members, at least in this account, makes them more effective, and more dangerous, than La Cosa Nostra. How much of this admittedly entertaining tale is truth and how much is fantasy? Only Mr. Lavigne and the Hell's Angels know with any certainty.
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