The story is an account of Thompson and attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta’s trip to Las Vegas. They are referred to as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo respectively. Thompson was interviewing Acosta for a story he was working on for Rolling Stone. It was a story on the murder of Ruben Salazar by Los Angeles police during the National Chicano Moratorium March against the Vietnam War. Thompson was also supposed to write photo captions for a race in Las Vegas for Sports Illustrated. Thompson thought that if he got Acosta out of LA he would be more inclined to talk openly for the interview. Thompson was hired to write 250 words for the photo captions, but when he submitted what turned out to be a 2,500 word manuscript, Sports Illustrated “aggressively rejected” it. He then ended up having it featured in Rolling Stone before it was put out in novel form.

This book is one of my favorites of all time not just for its writing style, which I adore, but also for its overall meaning and themes which can get lost in all of the violence, drug use and insanity. This book is not for everyone and definitely not for the faint of heart. It is a screaming rollercoaster of insanity that eventually spirals out of control and crashes. It can be very ugly and depressing, but at the same time I still consider it one of the best things I’ve ever read.