Hell's Angel - by Sonny Barger (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The only authorized, authentic book about the Hell's Angels by founding member, Sonny Barger.

Hell's Angel chronicles the origins and rise of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club through the eyes of its founding member. Sonny Barger started the Oakland chapter of the Hell's Angels in the late 50s with a loose-knit group of high school dropouts and social outcasts. Bonded by the love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, they formed a cadre of hard-driving hombres and answered the call of the open road.

Hell's Angel is not only a story of motorcycles, it is a tale of loyalty and betrayal, subcultures and brotherhood and freedom. It is Sonny's fight for personal freedom and his right to exist with a band of individuals who choose a life outside the law.

This raw, firsthand account lays bare the code of the world's most famous motorcycle club:

• True Crime Memoir: Told in his own words, Sonny Barger recounts the events that defined a generation and made the Hell's Angels a symbol of rebellion.
• American Outlaws: Discover the story behind the Oakland chapter's formation from a loose-knit group of social outcasts into a disciplined cadre bonded by the open road.
• Brotherhood and Betrayal: A gritty look at the fierce loyalty, rigid code, and brutal consequences that held the club together--and sometimes tore it apart.
• Counterculture History: Go inside the sizzle of the acid-drenched sixties, the clashes with the law, and the fight for personal freedom that shook the establishment.

From the Back Cover

The only authorized, authentic book about the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club by founding member, Sonny Barger--featuring a brand new introduction

Narrated by the visionary founding member, Hell's Angel provides a fascinating all-access pass to the secret world of the notorious Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. Sonny Barger recounts the birth of the original Oakland Hell's Angels and the four turbulent decades that followed. Hell's Angel also chronicles the way the HAMC revolutionized the look of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle and built what has become a worldwide bike-riding fraternity, a beacon for freedom-seekers the world over.

Dozens of photos, including many from private collections and from noted photographers, provide visual documentation to this extraordinary tale. Never simply a story about motorcycles, colorful characters, and high-speed thrills, Hell's Angel is the ultimate outlaw's tale of loyalty and betrayal, subcultures and brotherhood, and the real price of freedom.

Review Quotes

"Maybe the baddest man on two wheels." - Rolling Stone

"Hell's Angel chieftain Ralph 'Sonny' Barger has led one interesting, bad-to-the-bone life." - Seattle Times

"Barger's autobiography is about as subtle as a kick in the groin, and that's what's so refreshing about it." - San Francisco Chronicle

"One of the best books of the year." - Maxim

"The hombre who gave you motorcycle culture...The biker style that Barger originated remains timeless." - Chicago Tribune

"Not your ordinary book...A peek at another side of America." - Tulsa World

"A ripping good read...as gripping a tale as you would expect from the most famous pack of all time." - New Times Los Angeles

"Barger paints an engrossing picture of a distinctive subculture that receives precious little literary attention." - Booklist