Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club
by Ralph “Sonny” Barger
with Keith and Kent Zimmerman

There have been numerous books written about outlaw motorcycle gangs from the perspective of law enforcement officers, experts, and even former members who “turned” and assisted federal agents in prosecuting these groups. But what of the actual members of these groups? What do the members have to say about themselves? And by members I don’t mean those who have testified against the groups or infiltrated them. How do these people see themselves and what are their goals? Those are the very same questions I had in mind when I first picked up this book.

As the founder of the Oakland, California charter of the Hell’s Angels, Sonny Barger is perhaps one of the most well-known motorcycle club members of all time. Not only has he appeared in movies centering around the Hell’s Angels, he’s also been a source of information for several movies that utilized motorcycles in them. Then of course there are the various incidents that were splashed across newspapers everywhere. As a result, one would expect to really get an understanding of the club and their many exploits.

Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club opens up with an introduction from the author discussing the release and promotion of his book. Barger shares a few anecdotes from the book signing tour – all of which help to set the pace of the coming tale and let you know exactly what to expect from the rest of the book. A blunt and bold retelling of some of the most infamous Hell’s Angels escapades and an honest recollection of Barger’s life from his earliest memories. Barger’s style easily draws the reader in from the get go and holds onto them until the last page is turned. I found Barger’s style to be not only amusing, but also mildly shocking and highly entertaining and informative. Some readers will find Hell’s Angel to be offensive, insulting, and derogatory; there is no question about that, and certainly Mr. Barger makes no apologies for it either.

For example, Barger has no qualms speaking about drug use, sex, and violence in the club. The author does not gloss over fights and instead details how they went down: every blow and every expletive that was uttered. As such, I would not recommend this book for anyone below the age of eighteen or those with a sensitive constitution. In short, the book is anything but politically correct. Despite this fact, I was engrossed in the book from beginning to end. Hell’s Angel provided a wealth of information about the Hell’s Angels, Sonny Barger, motorcycle clubs [in general], and motorcycle-riding and repair as well.

Readers, no doubt, are curious as to whether or not Barger’s depiction of the Hell’s Angels is the “true” and accurate version or if it is an attempt to merely paint the Angel’s as the misunderstood victims. Barger does not sugarcoat or gloss over things, however, neither does he attempt to disprove the claims made against the Angels either. Barger merely provides his version of the events, some of which has rarely (if ever) been told from the perspective of a Hell’s Angel member. Such as the rioting and stabbing at the 1969 Rolling Stones free concert at Altamont. In short, Hell’s Angels provides a counter-argument to information already readily available about the Hell’s Angels and encourages readers to come to their own conclusions. That is not to say that the book is not without bias though. There is a great deal of author bias, all of which is easily distinguishable from the facts of the story and provides yet another source of amusement for the reader.

Joana’s Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)