Product Description
The open road, a well-tuned machine, and a fine “old lady” hanging on to your back. That’s freedom. That’s living.Sonny Barger is the number one spokesman for the outlaw biker life. And what stories he has to tell — freewheeling, bare-knuckle tales of brawls and battles, brotherhood, amazing adventures, crazy quests, and the inevitable classic scrapes with “John Law.”The most colorful legends and unforgettable characters of biker lore come alive here: including bad… More >>
#1 by Samuel J. Williams on July 2, 2010 - 7:15 pm
I was excited when this came out, as I was going through a bit of hero worship regarding bikers. Of course, now years later and a motorcyclist myself, my awe of this life-style has paled.
Barger has to be given credit for where it is due. He’s managed to make money of the Hell’s Angels for fifty years now. That’s pretty impressive. And to be willing to openly discuss portions of his life in that society takes guts. However, this book falls short in many areas.
One, the few stories that relate to the Hell’s Angels are over-the-top. It’s just too hard to believe these exploits.
Two, the non-Hell’s Angels stories aren’t any better. The picture painted of bikers throughout this book is that they are greasy, dirty, smelly and disgusting. Even the women profiled here are portrayed as little more than tramps.
Three, we’re subjected to Barger’s attempt at fiction. Atleast it’s only boring, unlike his actual fiction book (DEAD IN FIVE HEARTBEATS), which is a fictionalization of his autobiography with some preposterous action sequences thrown in.
So, if you’re really into juvenille biker stories, this is up your alley. If not, but you want to explore this genre, there are plenty of better books available.
Rating: 3 / 5
#2 by S. Brooks on July 2, 2010 - 7:24 pm
Was expecting to read something interesting about the self-proclaimed “legend,” but it was a collection of stories whose truth was always questioned, EVEN BY THE BOOK ITSELF. The foreword warned that not all the stories were true. Then, after a more-interesting story, the next story sharted with “Now this story is true, I swear it…” Lame.
There are much more interesting motorcycle stories (and better writing) on the ‘Net. This book was filled with swear words thrown in the oddest places, there was no flow between the stories, the characters were confusing, maybe they needed the money and hurried the book to market, I dunno.
The Zimmermans’ first book on Sonny was much better, in spite of Sonny coming across as narcissistic as he did.
Rating: 1 / 5
#3 by Anonymous on July 2, 2010 - 8:03 pm
Throughout the book, Sonny talks about one of the Oakland Chapters members, who he referrs to as Cincinatti. Now, whether this person is himself or not, I think that this person has imbibed in way too many foreign substances. There’s multiple stories of running around and talking to ghosts, taking ghosts for rides on their motorcycles, then hooking the ghost up with ol’ ladies in the ghost world, etc. There were other typical Sonny Barger hidden slams about other clubs selling their old ladies in houses of ill repute, when in reality, it’s much more believable were it to have been a confession. Either way, I really like the quote from Freewheelin Frank in his own book (a 60’s paperback, now out of print) where he Quotes Sonny as saying: “When I make money from the patches on my back, I will no longer be a Hell’s Angel”. Bravo. And to think, ghosts riding on your motorcycle, eh?
Rating: 2 / 5
#4 by "Sid" on July 2, 2010 - 8:10 pm
This collection of stories from the most famous 1%’er is a must read!!! Everyone who rides for the sense of freedom and escape it provides, will enjoy each and every chapter in this book. Simple stories speak columes of what riding free is all about. For those who are dreaming of riding, make sure this is your first stop in researching the idea. From the hilarious to the humbling, this book is meaningful and well written. Thanks Sonny for another great contribution!
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Anonymous on July 2, 2010 - 11:00 pm
I agree 100% with the review questioning whether Sonny ran out of material; sure looks that way. The major problem with the book is that, except for a few very good passages (which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of one) it is just not interesting (then again, I almost dropped it back to 1 after reading one completely disgusting story about a biker’s first success with the girl of his dreams; did they really have to include this?).In his ongoing attempt to clean up the biker 1%er image, portraying them as basically good guys who raise a little hell once in a while rather than real outlaws, Barger is forced to abandon what I’m sure would be infinitely more interesting stories. Overall really not worth the time or money.
Rating: 2 / 5