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Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson, “smart hillbilly,” boy of the South, born and bred in Louisville, Kentucky, son of an insurance salesman and a stay-at-home mom, public school-educated, jailed at seventeen on a bogus petty robbery charge, member of the U.S. Air Force (Airmen Second Class), copy boy for Time, writer for The National Observer, et cetera. From the outset he was the Wild Man of American journalism with a journalistic appetite that touched on subjects that drove his sense of justice and intrigue, from biker gangs and 1960s counterculture to presidential campaigns and psychedelic drugs. He lived larger than life and pulled it up around him in a mad effort to make it as electric, anger-ridden, and drug-fueled as possible.
Now Juan Thompson tells the story of his father and of their getting to know each other during their forty-one fraught years together. He writes of the many dark times, of how far they ricocheted away from each other, and of how they found their way back before it was too late.
He writes of growing up in an old farmhouse in a narrow mountain valley outside of Aspen—Woody Creek, Colorado, a ranching community with Hereford cattle and clover fields . . . of the presence of guns in the house, the boxes of ammo on the kitchen shelves behind the glass doors of the country cabinets, where others might have placed china and knickknacks . . . of climbing on the back of Hunter’s Bultaco Matador trail motorcycle as a young boy, and father and son roaring up the dirt road, trailing a cloud of dust . . . of being taken to bars in town as a small boy, Hunter holding court while Juan crawled around under the bar stools, picking up change and taking his found loot to Carl’s Pharmacy to buy Archie comic books . . . of going with his parents as a baby to a Ken Kesey/Hells Angels party with dozens of people wandering around the forest in various stages of undress, stoned on pot, tripping on LSD . . .
He writes of his growing fear of his father; of the arguments between his parents reaching frightening levels; and of his finally fighting back, trying to protect his mother as the state troopers are called in to separate father and son. And of the inevitable—of mother and son driving west in their Datsun to make a new home, a new life, away from Hunter; of Juan’s first taste of what “normal” could feel like . . .
We see Juan going to Concord Academy, a stranger in a strange land, coming from a school that was a log cabin in the middle of hay fields, Juan without manners or socialization . . . going on to college at Tufts; spending a crucial week with his father; Hunter asking for Juan’s opinion of his writing; and he writes of their dirt biking on a hilltop overlooking Woody Creek Valley, acting as if all the horrible things that had happened between them had never taken place, and of being there, together, side by side . . .
And finally, movingly, he writes of their long, slow pull toward reconciliation . . . of Juan’s marriage and the birth of his own son; of watching Hunter love his grandson and Juan’s coming to understand how Hunter loved him; of Hunter’s growing illness, and Juan’s becoming both son and father to his father . . .
Now Juan Thompson tells the story of his father and of their getting to know each other during their forty-one fraught years together. He writes of the many dark times, of how far they ricocheted away from each other, and of how they found their way back before it was too late.
He writes of growing up in an old farmhouse in a narrow mountain valley outside of Aspen—Woody Creek, Colorado, a ranching community with Hereford cattle and clover fields . . . of the presence of guns in the house, the boxes of ammo on the kitchen shelves behind the glass doors of the country cabinets, where others might have placed china and knickknacks . . . of climbing on the back of Hunter’s Bultaco Matador trail motorcycle as a young boy, and father and son roaring up the dirt road, trailing a cloud of dust . . . of being taken to bars in town as a small boy, Hunter holding court while Juan crawled around under the bar stools, picking up change and taking his found loot to Carl’s Pharmacy to buy Archie comic books . . . of going with his parents as a baby to a Ken Kesey/Hells Angels party with dozens of people wandering around the forest in various stages of undress, stoned on pot, tripping on LSD . . .
He writes of his growing fear of his father; of the arguments between his parents reaching frightening levels; and of his finally fighting back, trying to protect his mother as the state troopers are called in to separate father and son. And of the inevitable—of mother and son driving west in their Datsun to make a new home, a new life, away from Hunter; of Juan’s first taste of what “normal” could feel like . . .
We see Juan going to Concord Academy, a stranger in a strange land, coming from a school that was a log cabin in the middle of hay fields, Juan without manners or socialization . . . going on to college at Tufts; spending a crucial week with his father; Hunter asking for Juan’s opinion of his writing; and he writes of their dirt biking on a hilltop overlooking Woody Creek Valley, acting as if all the horrible things that had happened between them had never taken place, and of being there, together, side by side . . .
And finally, movingly, he writes of their long, slow pull toward reconciliation . . . of Juan’s marriage and the birth of his own son; of watching Hunter love his grandson and Juan’s coming to understand how Hunter loved him; of Hunter’s growing illness, and Juan’s becoming both son and father to his father . . .
274 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
83 people are currently reading
1750 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
January 25, 2016
Let me first say that the this book appeals to me as a Hunter S. Thompson fan. People who aren't fans of his books may not find the story as compelling.
I miss Hunter S. Thompson. There is no one writing today who can talk about ugly realities the way he did. He is often quoted by the drug crowd as saying, "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." After reading this book I think its clear that they really didn't. His last few years he struggled to get the ESPN column out and those short essays rarely held the brilliance of his earlier works.
Despite having Hunter as a father Juan turned out fairly normal. He got to have some awesome adventures (sailing with Jimmy Buffet) but he also had to grow up with a man who drank a fifth of alcohol daily, was given to violent outbursts and could never be counted on to keep money for any length of time.
I like to think that Hunter could have given us so much more as a writer if he had ever sobered up but maybe he needed to be a monster to write about the terrible things in the world.
I miss Hunter S. Thompson. There is no one writing today who can talk about ugly realities the way he did. He is often quoted by the drug crowd as saying, "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." After reading this book I think its clear that they really didn't. His last few years he struggled to get the ESPN column out and those short essays rarely held the brilliance of his earlier works.
Despite having Hunter as a father Juan turned out fairly normal. He got to have some awesome adventures (sailing with Jimmy Buffet) but he also had to grow up with a man who drank a fifth of alcohol daily, was given to violent outbursts and could never be counted on to keep money for any length of time.
I like to think that Hunter could have given us so much more as a writer if he had ever sobered up but maybe he needed to be a monster to write about the terrible things in the world.
May 14, 2016
Juan Thompson’s memoir is a testament to his father, Hunter S. The son can write. He delivers a good book and the two good speeches contained in it. The book is on par with acclaimed writer Philip Roth’s ode to his father: Patrimony – or at least as how I remember it after 20+ years.
It comes as no surprise that Hunter Thompson was an absent parent and an abusive husband. His alcohol and drug fused narratives clearly come from experience.
Despite his parents’ addictions, messy divorce and unstable lifestyles, Juan turned out “normal”. They saw to it that his childhood was filled with interesting things to see and do. He sailed with Jimmy Buffet and traveled through his grandmother’s agency. His parents allowed him to choose his schools regardless of their ability to pay, and allowed him to change his mind.
Juan takes the reader through his complex emotions. They range from hating his father for the abuse he heaped on Sandy, (Juan calls his parents by their first names) even burning her clothes, to discomfort in attempts to communicate, to contentment in watching Hunter play with his grandson to accepting Hunter for being Hunter.
Knowing the personal story helps to inform how Hunter ended his life. It is one thing to know about it, but a far different thing to read, with a full background, his son’s firsthand account.
Highly recommended for those who read Hunter S. Thompson.
January 2, 2016
Even for the average child, it seems impossible to plumb the depths of our parents' lives. Just who are those mysterious individuals -- independent from our life, that is? Then imagine that your father is the famous (some would say, infamous) Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. If it defies the imagination to consider him a parental role model, you're on the right track with this memoir of his only son, Juan.
Not many of us have nearly the issues of fame and outlaw living to deal with in our own dysfunctional families, so try to conceive of a shy, sensitive boy overshadowed by the spotlight of his erratic father's lifestyle to cope with. It's a hard road for Juan Thompson. And it's perhaps not until he has his own son that he can fully appreciate that his own father did love him.
We've heard the nightmarish tales of celebrity children; we've seen the results come streaming out of the rehab clinics. Juan Thompson's life, for all of his challenges, ended up nothing like that of either of his parents. And yet perhaps that might indicate that Thompson Sr.'s parenting style must have worked on some level -- or is it reverse psychology in action?
Of course, the line is very fine between genius and madness, and that was never more true than with Hunter S. Thompson. It wasn't helped by the addition of a fifth of whiskey a day, an ongoing cocaine habit (as well as many other drugs), and a constant need for attention (there's no story more telling in this memoir than the time the power goes out briefly at the Thompson home). Somehow despite all that, he was a brilliant writer with a legion of friends, both famous and not.
Growing up in that household without resentment would be a miracle, but like most of us, wisdom and understanding come with age. Luckily, Juan was able to reconcile and perhaps get a glimpse of understanding into his father's life before he killed himself. However, this story's universal truth, to me anyway, seems to be that we can never truly know our parents. Our vision is too clouded. But that won't stop us from trying to understand, just who were they, really.
Not many of us have nearly the issues of fame and outlaw living to deal with in our own dysfunctional families, so try to conceive of a shy, sensitive boy overshadowed by the spotlight of his erratic father's lifestyle to cope with. It's a hard road for Juan Thompson. And it's perhaps not until he has his own son that he can fully appreciate that his own father did love him.
We've heard the nightmarish tales of celebrity children; we've seen the results come streaming out of the rehab clinics. Juan Thompson's life, for all of his challenges, ended up nothing like that of either of his parents. And yet perhaps that might indicate that Thompson Sr.'s parenting style must have worked on some level -- or is it reverse psychology in action?
Of course, the line is very fine between genius and madness, and that was never more true than with Hunter S. Thompson. It wasn't helped by the addition of a fifth of whiskey a day, an ongoing cocaine habit (as well as many other drugs), and a constant need for attention (there's no story more telling in this memoir than the time the power goes out briefly at the Thompson home). Somehow despite all that, he was a brilliant writer with a legion of friends, both famous and not.
Growing up in that household without resentment would be a miracle, but like most of us, wisdom and understanding come with age. Luckily, Juan was able to reconcile and perhaps get a glimpse of understanding into his father's life before he killed himself. However, this story's universal truth, to me anyway, seems to be that we can never truly know our parents. Our vision is too clouded. But that won't stop us from trying to understand, just who were they, really.
April 15, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir, it moved me, deeply. I read it along w the new book Freak Kingdom: Hunter S Thompson's Manic Ten-Year Crusade Against Fascism by Timothy Denevi. See my review on my BookTube channel: #BigHardBooks& Classics
July 8, 2017
This is by Juan Thompson, who is Hunter Thompson's son. If you don't know who Hunter Thompson is, one reference is the character "Duke" on Doonesbury comics, who was a caricature of Thompson. He was a writer, first a journalist. He wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He was a bigger than life man. Lets leave it at that so we can review the book. Juan does an excellent job of writing about his relationship as a son to his father. He does the same with his father to himself. I found two paragraphs in the book that stunned me with their ability to tell about how a son thinks of his father and the desire he has for his father to be satisfied with his son. This is actually two paragraphs that start on page 80 and finish on 82. These two paragraphs described my feelings to a "T" about how I feltn about my Dad as far as how could I make him happy with me. The second paragraph is on page 138 and 139. it tells about his father's being a sentimental man, who is thus a pack rat. He saves things he gets from friends or family, etc. because he "confers on objects the essence of a person, place, or event." that is a direct quote from the paragraph I am speaking about. I will keep a sweater my Mom gave me for over a decade longer than I will use it, because my Mom gave it to me. I think of her when I see it. I have done this with other things too. But mostly clothes. the point is that he tells about that in a very easy to understand, lacking extra words which muddle this anomaly, from front to back of this behavior in a paragraph that doesn't take 20 seconds to read. I was impressed enough about these two parts in the book that I put markers in those pages so I could look them up and tell everyone about them in here. The book is interesting and tells enough about Hunter Thompson that if you don't know who he is, you will after reading it. The tales of his lifestyle and the son (Juan) and family and friends are wild, down to earth, full of country common sense, and endearing. I enjoyed it fully.
February 28, 2016
Five stars for content, minus one star for organization.
I will consume pretty much anything that has to do with Hunter Thompson - if his publisher decided to be a greedy bastard and start putting out scanned copies of his grocery lists, I'd read them. So when this book came out I couldn't wait to start reading, and Juan did not disappoint. I feel a little bad for the guy because the world is forcing him to live in his father's shadow, writing tell-all books about his own childhood, but at the same time I want those stories, so I guess I'm part of the problem.
This book lifts the curtain on Hunter's private life, and it's a pretty important reminder that he was, indeed, a human being with problems running the gamut from drug and alcohol addiction (duh) to violent outbursts against his own family to a general inability to cope with the world in his later years. When someone is as big and as loved as Hunter Thompson, he's liable to become a legend and a demigod to the people who only know him from his stories, and Juan's account of his father brings him back down to the level of mortal.
Sure, there are still plenty of outrageous Hunter stories in the book - the man certainly did everything he could to cultivate that legendary persona, and in many respects it was deserved - but there are also tragedies and ugliness. All of it makes up the real Hunter Thompson, someone who was a bit of an enigma even to his own son, and this book is probably about as close as we'll ever get to knowing who he really was beneath the bravado and the brilliant writing.
One last note on the book, regarding that organizational star deduction: I don't know who edited this memoir, but they could have done a little more thorough job of it. The way the stories wildly shifted in chronology, from childhood in one paragraph to college in the next and then back to childhood was the only thing that detracted from the book.
I will consume pretty much anything that has to do with Hunter Thompson - if his publisher decided to be a greedy bastard and start putting out scanned copies of his grocery lists, I'd read them. So when this book came out I couldn't wait to start reading, and Juan did not disappoint. I feel a little bad for the guy because the world is forcing him to live in his father's shadow, writing tell-all books about his own childhood, but at the same time I want those stories, so I guess I'm part of the problem.
This book lifts the curtain on Hunter's private life, and it's a pretty important reminder that he was, indeed, a human being with problems running the gamut from drug and alcohol addiction (duh) to violent outbursts against his own family to a general inability to cope with the world in his later years. When someone is as big and as loved as Hunter Thompson, he's liable to become a legend and a demigod to the people who only know him from his stories, and Juan's account of his father brings him back down to the level of mortal.
Sure, there are still plenty of outrageous Hunter stories in the book - the man certainly did everything he could to cultivate that legendary persona, and in many respects it was deserved - but there are also tragedies and ugliness. All of it makes up the real Hunter Thompson, someone who was a bit of an enigma even to his own son, and this book is probably about as close as we'll ever get to knowing who he really was beneath the bravado and the brilliant writing.
One last note on the book, regarding that organizational star deduction: I don't know who edited this memoir, but they could have done a little more thorough job of it. The way the stories wildly shifted in chronology, from childhood in one paragraph to college in the next and then back to childhood was the only thing that detracted from the book.
March 29, 2016
This book suffers from a fundamental misapprehension. If you write a memoir about your life with Hunter S Thompson, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU!
I'm happy that he has come to terms with the life and death of his mercurial father, but I was really hoping for more insight and detail beyond the fact that HST was distant and volatile, he drank a lot and took a lot of drugs, he liked guns and, oh yes, he wrote pretty good.
I'm happy that he has come to terms with the life and death of his mercurial father, but I was really hoping for more insight and detail beyond the fact that HST was distant and volatile, he drank a lot and took a lot of drugs, he liked guns and, oh yes, he wrote pretty good.
February 1, 2016
Keep on telling yourself that stuff.
July 18, 2025
Touching and poignant, this is a wise, calm, reflective telling of what it was like to grow up with Hunter S. Thompson as a father. As a Gen X’er with a Boomer father - who unfortunately, bears some emotional resemblance to Hunter, this was a very relevant and relatable memoir.
If you’re a Hunter completist, or merely want to see another side of him, I fully recommend this book.
If you’re a Hunter completist, or merely want to see another side of him, I fully recommend this book.
May 30, 2024
Toliko stvari bih mogla da napišem o ovoj knjizi, ali ostaviću ih za svoj master rad. Prolila sam suze. Divno.
August 4, 2016
If you know HST and wonder what was missing from the dozen or so biographies and published stories and accounts, once you read this firsthand memoir from his son you'll realize his was the voice that was missing from the picture.
If you don't know HST but you know difficult narcissistic abusive alcoholic chemically dependent artist parents, famous or otherwise, then this is a beautiful story of trying to live under the shadow of one. Juan tries to balance the private distanced troubled father he had against the famous game changing highly praised writer the world thought he had. And he does so spectacularly, laying out their ever changing relationship with its up and downs and scares and successes.
This is a story of fathers and sons (and grandsons) as much as it is deep background on a well known personality and enjoyable on every level. As a HST fan I loved it just as a man with a father I loved it.
Glad Juan can write well and share his experience with so many of us fans that didn't know we were missing it.
If you don't know HST but you know difficult narcissistic abusive alcoholic chemically dependent artist parents, famous or otherwise, then this is a beautiful story of trying to live under the shadow of one. Juan tries to balance the private distanced troubled father he had against the famous game changing highly praised writer the world thought he had. And he does so spectacularly, laying out their ever changing relationship with its up and downs and scares and successes.
This is a story of fathers and sons (and grandsons) as much as it is deep background on a well known personality and enjoyable on every level. As a HST fan I loved it just as a man with a father I loved it.
Glad Juan can write well and share his experience with so many of us fans that didn't know we were missing it.
October 8, 2016
A well put together portrait of a complicated man and his relationship with his son. Juan Thompson did his own narration for the audiobook, which I appreciated. I saw Hunter Thompson speak when I was in college (though he was really late) and didn't get the best impression of him, though he was someone I admired. It was interesting to get more of a comprehensive idea of what he was really like.
May 16, 2021
I have always admired the genius of Dr. H.S.T.'s brilliant satire. But, his son Juan, the author of this book, saw an entirely different person. The author grew up hating and fearing his alcoholic, druggie, raging, adrenaline-junkie father. This book is a brutally-honest account of coming to terms with such a parent. As such, this story is interesting and informative even if you don't know or care for Hunter S. Thompson. It is an amazing tale of an incredible and chaotic childhood, and the painful process by which the author stabilizes his own life. He accepts the limits of what his father will do, and comes to recognize the love hidden within his famous dad. Most importantly, the author vows to bring up his own son in such as way that he knows his father loves him unconditionally.
May 16, 2017
Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson shows the complex relationship between Hunter and his son, Juan. Hunter was a writer and much more. Although he loved his son very much, didn’t have much time to spend with him. Juan shares stories from his childhood that involve his father, showing the kind of person his father was and how he changed as Juan grew up. It also shows how their relationship evolved over time, and how Juan’s image of him improved as he learned more about him. At one time, Juan hated his Hunter because he appeared at the time to be a horrible father and husband. However, after experiencing his own difficulties in life and having his own son to love, he gains insight and realizes he doesn’t want to give up his relationship with his father yet. Juan had enough patience to stay close to Hunter and to learn just how much his father really loved him.
I really liked how this book describes in detail life problems that don’t apply to them specifically. Many situations throughout the book can relate to anyone’s lives, and it might be comforting for some people to know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. There were some parts in this book that I with the author talked about more, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a story of changing relationships and the complex personality of a writer, not necessarily just fans of Hunter Thompson’s work.
I really liked how this book describes in detail life problems that don’t apply to them specifically. Many situations throughout the book can relate to anyone’s lives, and it might be comforting for some people to know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. There were some parts in this book that I with the author talked about more, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a story of changing relationships and the complex personality of a writer, not necessarily just fans of Hunter Thompson’s work.
March 19, 2017
Loved this book.
July 2, 2016
I knew HST killed himself with one of his beloved guns when his son and grandson were in the house for a visit. It happened in the semester I had a newly-obsessed student in my class. My student went out and bought the ROLLING STONE edition and we talked...he had a hard time balancing his love of HST's work, and the burden he placed on his son and grandson...I can still remember those conversations, deeply grounded in what we knew about the author himself.
So, this audible, read by Juan, was something I had to read. It did not disappoint. Juan told HIS story, but he told his father's too. With understanding and forgiveness.
His discussion of 'memoir' as a genre was spot-on, and I wished I was teaching again so I could share it with my students. Each chapter was divided into his life and his father's life. He did not spare the mercurial author from honest scrutiny, but he didn't idealize him either.
He spoke of the struggles, the violent break up of his parents' marriage, his own crippling shyness...he spoke of being alone, and feeling lonely...and being alone and NOT feeling lonely. He was probably not the son HST wanted...he DID enjoy guns, but it seemed they were mostly the link between the two...he watched his father wallow in drugs and alcohol and knew that would not be a part of his life...he was bookish and shy. While his father was always bigger than life.
Juan sheds light on his father's last years -- the hip surgery, the back surgery, the withdrawals from booze, the pain, and then the inability to think coherently enough to write. All of the later publications were compilations of earlier writing...HST could no longer write. Hemingway was one of his heroes, and both men slipped into that horrible space of not being capable of doing that which brought them fame...and comfort. Which brought them identity and confidence.
Juan tells us about that last day, and the days after. He has come to peace; he has forgiven. If he can, then I must too.
Honest and compassionate. The story of a difficult relationship made more difficult by the fame and booze and drugs.
I wish I was teaching so I could discuss this book with my HST fans, and give them another view of this brilliant, flawed man.
So, this audible, read by Juan, was something I had to read. It did not disappoint. Juan told HIS story, but he told his father's too. With understanding and forgiveness.
His discussion of 'memoir' as a genre was spot-on, and I wished I was teaching again so I could share it with my students. Each chapter was divided into his life and his father's life. He did not spare the mercurial author from honest scrutiny, but he didn't idealize him either.
He spoke of the struggles, the violent break up of his parents' marriage, his own crippling shyness...he spoke of being alone, and feeling lonely...and being alone and NOT feeling lonely. He was probably not the son HST wanted...he DID enjoy guns, but it seemed they were mostly the link between the two...he watched his father wallow in drugs and alcohol and knew that would not be a part of his life...he was bookish and shy. While his father was always bigger than life.
Juan sheds light on his father's last years -- the hip surgery, the back surgery, the withdrawals from booze, the pain, and then the inability to think coherently enough to write. All of the later publications were compilations of earlier writing...HST could no longer write. Hemingway was one of his heroes, and both men slipped into that horrible space of not being capable of doing that which brought them fame...and comfort. Which brought them identity and confidence.
Juan tells us about that last day, and the days after. He has come to peace; he has forgiven. If he can, then I must too.
Honest and compassionate. The story of a difficult relationship made more difficult by the fame and booze and drugs.
I wish I was teaching so I could discuss this book with my HST fans, and give them another view of this brilliant, flawed man.
December 15, 2015
Disclaimer: I received this ARC as part of the Goodreads First Reads program
Juan Thompson’s memoir of being Hunter’s, as he calls his father throughout, son, is aptly titled. It does indeed read like an ongoing story where the author searches for and repeatedly tries to convince himself of his father’s love. Thompson does not romanticize or gloss over his father’s legendary substance abuse, nor does he make excuses for his father’s abominable parenting. He reassures the reader that the way he was raised is not the way he chooses to raise his own son.
Thompson’s detailed memoir is gut wrenchingly honest. A son’s filial love is unconditional; even though Thompson, as an adult, tried to put limits on his father’s bad behavior, he kept returning, he never cut off contact, he put a great deal of effort into trying to understand Hunter. He seems to have spent much of life attempting to tell his father he loves him, and desperately hoping for his father to say “I love you.” Thompson acknowledges that memory is faulty. Did a particular incident truly happen, or is it a family myth, the result of hearing a story over the years? Readers hoping for a book showing another side to Hunter, a soft, loving paternal persona, will not get their wish. Thompson’s childhood contained the horror that one might imagine a child of Hunter’s would endure. He rather stumbled through adolescence and early adulthood, stating facts rather than casting blame.
The writing is smooth, the story told in chronological order. Thompson is adept at scenic description, and he makes Owl Farm come to life. To the extent that the madness of Hunter Thompson can be captured in words, his son is able to do so. He hints at anger when he describes his father’s death by suicide while his family was visiting, and the fact that his young son has now been deprived of a grandfather. It is as a grandfather that we finally see a glimpse of warmth and devotion.
Juan Thompson’s memoir of being Hunter’s, as he calls his father throughout, son, is aptly titled. It does indeed read like an ongoing story where the author searches for and repeatedly tries to convince himself of his father’s love. Thompson does not romanticize or gloss over his father’s legendary substance abuse, nor does he make excuses for his father’s abominable parenting. He reassures the reader that the way he was raised is not the way he chooses to raise his own son.
Thompson’s detailed memoir is gut wrenchingly honest. A son’s filial love is unconditional; even though Thompson, as an adult, tried to put limits on his father’s bad behavior, he kept returning, he never cut off contact, he put a great deal of effort into trying to understand Hunter. He seems to have spent much of life attempting to tell his father he loves him, and desperately hoping for his father to say “I love you.” Thompson acknowledges that memory is faulty. Did a particular incident truly happen, or is it a family myth, the result of hearing a story over the years? Readers hoping for a book showing another side to Hunter, a soft, loving paternal persona, will not get their wish. Thompson’s childhood contained the horror that one might imagine a child of Hunter’s would endure. He rather stumbled through adolescence and early adulthood, stating facts rather than casting blame.
The writing is smooth, the story told in chronological order. Thompson is adept at scenic description, and he makes Owl Farm come to life. To the extent that the madness of Hunter Thompson can be captured in words, his son is able to do so. He hints at anger when he describes his father’s death by suicide while his family was visiting, and the fact that his young son has now been deprived of a grandfather. It is as a grandfather that we finally see a glimpse of warmth and devotion.
February 25, 2016
From the memories and words of Hunter S. Thompson's son, comes Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson
This book shares the deepest secrets, darkest moments, and the challenge of learning to love a father that seems near impossible to love.
Hunter S. Thompson has always been one of my favorite writers, and a person that I will always admire. His son, Juan F. Thompson gave us all a beautiful and rare gift, a look at Hunter and his life from the inside.
Read this book.
In the words of Hunter S. Thompson:
"I learned a long time ago that reality was much weirder than anyone's imagination."
And the reality of this story will definitely surpass your imagination.
May 8, 2019
My reaction to this book would have been drastically different 10 years ago when I celebrated and worshipped drunk/addict assholes (eg Kerouac, Thompson, Bukowski). I no longer think Hunter s Thompson is the cool, outlaw rebel I used to.
I feel conflicted about this book. Juan learned to accept his father for who he was and what he could offer him (as his son) and his limitations. I don’t feel comfortable accepting it—I’m still mad at my father and NOT ready to accept him for who he is.
I’m glad I read this but it did challenge me! I see a lot of similarities in our fathers—though mine wasn’t a drunk/addict, he is/was a harsh, uncompromising, and unpredictable authoritarian with little emotional and physical availability...
I feel conflicted about this book. Juan learned to accept his father for who he was and what he could offer him (as his son) and his limitations. I don’t feel comfortable accepting it—I’m still mad at my father and NOT ready to accept him for who he is.
I’m glad I read this but it did challenge me! I see a lot of similarities in our fathers—though mine wasn’t a drunk/addict, he is/was a harsh, uncompromising, and unpredictable authoritarian with little emotional and physical availability...
April 18, 2016
Book Categories:
-- Book Published in 2016 (Popsugar 2016 List)
-- Book Published this year (Teacher list 2016)
I picked this book randomly at the library- I was not familiar with Hunter S. Thompson (of Gonzo journalism fame). This book is my jam-- a thoughtful memoir of a life fairly different from my own. I enjoyed reading the reflections on growing up in the shadow of a strong personality-- the struggles of a child of a celebrity/artist/alcoholic. The book is very well written and captures mood and the time period well.
-- Book Published in 2016 (Popsugar 2016 List)
-- Book Published this year (Teacher list 2016)
I picked this book randomly at the library- I was not familiar with Hunter S. Thompson (of Gonzo journalism fame). This book is my jam-- a thoughtful memoir of a life fairly different from my own. I enjoyed reading the reflections on growing up in the shadow of a strong personality-- the struggles of a child of a celebrity/artist/alcoholic. The book is very well written and captures mood and the time period well.
January 29, 2016
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I don't think I'd be that into Juan's writing style if he wasn't writing about growing up with HST but he put the book together well and the books rings pretty honest, at least as honest as a single person's perspective can be no matter how much they try to look broadly. It's some decent writing, but I have to admit that HST is still the main reason I'm interested. I don't think I can help that.
June 26, 2016
A very intimate account of Juan Thompson's tumultuous relationship with his father Hunter and worth a read for any Gonzo enthusiasts or anyone interested in well-written memoir. He pulls back the curtain on Hunter's public persona giving readers an honest telling of his father's faults and his desire to make up for them in his own way. Borrowing from the author, I will say it is a book full of humor and pathos.
January 1, 2016
Great book
January 19, 2016
A pretty unique perspective on Hunter S. Thompson from his son. A must for every HST fan, but fans of his writing (like me) may find yourselves less of a fan of HST the man.
December 11, 2016
Stories that invoke anger, laughter, and tears. Wonderful insight to a side of Hunter S. Thompson's life that cannot be found in his published writings.
January 18, 2022
I had trepidations about reading this book. Hunter S. Thompson was one of the large reasons for me leaving the groupthink of binary politics and from just swallowing what I'm supposed to think by some jackass in a suit shouting into a camera on TV that doesn't even believe in the dribble he/she is spewing. I knew that this book would pierce my image of the man I hold dearly in my political ethos part of the brain, but I'm glad I did.
This story affected me in two ways. One was a real life look at one of my heroes. The other was a look at life itself. First, the hero aspect. I knew HST was not the mythological cult hero that some might think and others only see. Any man is just a man, flaws and all. A large personality that seems to be larger than life usually outshines the flaws for someone looking from the outside, like a meteor coming from behind the sun. We only see the sun and then the meteor when it's ugly oblong figure smacks us on the face, leaving a crater in the bones of who we are and where we live.
HST was more a fireball than man. His radiance was also his weakness. Whatever traumas he experienced at a young age, grew as he got older. He was at many times, with his son, the author, self-centered, vicious with his words to tear someone down, and not able to show affection in a way that was needed for his son. This same rage driven personality was also the reason his words and affect on society was so biting and needed.
The second part that affected me was the human relationship part of this story. I grew up without a father or father figure. I know the ache to reach out and no one there to reach back. While Juan didn't lose his father until much later in his life, the sting was still there, or even more poignant due to the fact that he could see his father but could not depend on him most of the time growing up. It was heartwarming that he could later process that his father, HST, was a troubled man albeit brilliant. He was able to eek out a conciliatory relationship with him as he better understood the man under the dysfunction. Anyone reading my review that has a strained or non-existent connection with a troubled parent would find this book somewhat healing if they read it, even if you only had peripheral knowledge of the legendary author.
Overall, this book tugged on heartstrings and was a genuine look at a man so many hold dearly as a human instead of a caricature. It reminds us that we all fuck up and so do our heroes. We are mere mortals trying to make our way through the minefield we call life trying not to exact too much damage to ourselves or others. I'm glad Juan found piece and can hold his dad up as a hero, even with his many flaws and tragic ending.
4.5/5
This story affected me in two ways. One was a real life look at one of my heroes. The other was a look at life itself. First, the hero aspect. I knew HST was not the mythological cult hero that some might think and others only see. Any man is just a man, flaws and all. A large personality that seems to be larger than life usually outshines the flaws for someone looking from the outside, like a meteor coming from behind the sun. We only see the sun and then the meteor when it's ugly oblong figure smacks us on the face, leaving a crater in the bones of who we are and where we live.
HST was more a fireball than man. His radiance was also his weakness. Whatever traumas he experienced at a young age, grew as he got older. He was at many times, with his son, the author, self-centered, vicious with his words to tear someone down, and not able to show affection in a way that was needed for his son. This same rage driven personality was also the reason his words and affect on society was so biting and needed.
The second part that affected me was the human relationship part of this story. I grew up without a father or father figure. I know the ache to reach out and no one there to reach back. While Juan didn't lose his father until much later in his life, the sting was still there, or even more poignant due to the fact that he could see his father but could not depend on him most of the time growing up. It was heartwarming that he could later process that his father, HST, was a troubled man albeit brilliant. He was able to eek out a conciliatory relationship with him as he better understood the man under the dysfunction. Anyone reading my review that has a strained or non-existent connection with a troubled parent would find this book somewhat healing if they read it, even if you only had peripheral knowledge of the legendary author.
Overall, this book tugged on heartstrings and was a genuine look at a man so many hold dearly as a human instead of a caricature. It reminds us that we all fuck up and so do our heroes. We are mere mortals trying to make our way through the minefield we call life trying not to exact too much damage to ourselves or others. I'm glad Juan found piece and can hold his dad up as a hero, even with his many flaws and tragic ending.
4.5/5
October 27, 2019
As an observer of, and sometime participant in, the 1960s counter culture, I had expected to recognize the old times in the drugs, the politics, and craziness of the Hunter Thompson I knew when I was an editor of an underground paper that published one of Hunter's essays in its first edition. I remember the Rolling Stone days and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail. But I had no inkling of Hunter the Father that this story provides. The Morris chair, the Hoppe solvent for gun cleaning, starting a fire from scratch, the multi-layered bulletin boards with memorabilia, and the amazingly normal life his son lived at Owl Farm in Woody Creek in Colorado . . . most surprisingly resonated with me in Juan's well-told story of life with his talented, but difficult and volatile father.
As expected, the self-centered, drug taking, alcoholic, and very talented Thompson could be cruel both to his son and wife, but Juan also manages forgiveness, reconciliation and posthumous acceptance after Hunter killed himself. He dutifully carries out Hunter's wish to have his ashes shot from a cannon at an all-night funera bash. As he sifts through the father's life, the son comes to realize that the mostly-absent father provided for his son in unique ways - such as getting Jimmy Buffet to take him on a sailing cruise to act as a surrogate father, or making financial sacrifices to send him to school. The overriding theme, though is that many of these insights came only in hindsight. Choice of a school is a prime example.
Juan wanted to go east for "something completely different. I wanted to be elegant, rich, aristocractic and traditional." This choice, of course, was a bad one for a 15-year-old who showed up wearing jeans and a down vest when his classmates wore oxford button downs and penny loafers. Juan had gone to school in a log cabin with eight others who went back-packing, studied bomb making, and whose graduation gift was a small sapling.
Would Hunter have steered him in a different direction direction, had they been communicating at the time? At that point Juan both feared and loathed his father for his cruelty to the family, now broken up. Finally Hunter did agree to let him drop out and come home. In one of many disconnects, Juan only learned of his father's concerns for long after the fact. A situation that occurred frequently in their disjointed lives which are well-chronicled here.
As expected, the self-centered, drug taking, alcoholic, and very talented Thompson could be cruel both to his son and wife, but Juan also manages forgiveness, reconciliation and posthumous acceptance after Hunter killed himself. He dutifully carries out Hunter's wish to have his ashes shot from a cannon at an all-night funera bash. As he sifts through the father's life, the son comes to realize that the mostly-absent father provided for his son in unique ways - such as getting Jimmy Buffet to take him on a sailing cruise to act as a surrogate father, or making financial sacrifices to send him to school. The overriding theme, though is that many of these insights came only in hindsight. Choice of a school is a prime example.
Juan wanted to go east for "something completely different. I wanted to be elegant, rich, aristocractic and traditional." This choice, of course, was a bad one for a 15-year-old who showed up wearing jeans and a down vest when his classmates wore oxford button downs and penny loafers. Juan had gone to school in a log cabin with eight others who went back-packing, studied bomb making, and whose graduation gift was a small sapling.
Would Hunter have steered him in a different direction direction, had they been communicating at the time? At that point Juan both feared and loathed his father for his cruelty to the family, now broken up. Finally Hunter did agree to let him drop out and come home. In one of many disconnects, Juan only learned of his father's concerns for long after the fact. A situation that occurred frequently in their disjointed lives which are well-chronicled here.
September 4, 2018
Many of us were fascinated by the life and works of Hunter S. Thompson. He had a wide fan base and constituencies that included gun nuts, sports fans, druggies and political junkies. He was original, brilliant, and a troubled alcoholic. And he had a son named Juan, who could not have been more different than his dad. Shy, awkward and temperate, Juan struggled with the angry and narcissistic man who sired him. He went through extremes of emotion, loved and hated his father, but never completely disengaged. Stories I Tell Myself is a terrific memoir about a father and son. Juan Thompson writes in an articulate straightforward prose that while unlike Hunter’s in almost every way, finds common ground with its searing honesty. Never self-indulgent, Juan Thompson doesn’t sugar coat his father’s abusive rants and alcoholic deterioration. At the same time, he describes the gradual rebuilding of quiet and loving relationship; solidified by the birth of Hunter’s grandson and ended by Hunter’s suicide. Juan Thompson has now distinguished himself among writers of memoirs. Highly recommended over a quiet glass of beer.
September 22, 2024
How do you rate the story of a man laying his relationship with his famous and to some, infamous, father bare? How many stars is their stilted, fractured, and tenuous relationship worth?
Like many, I came to this memoir as a fan of HST's work. My teen years were spent inhaling everything he wrote, from Hell's Angles to obscure, out-of-print articles. I had no rose-colored glasses as to my perception of him as a man, though. A great writer, yes. A man I would want to be my father? No.
This feels like a memoir that Juan deeply needed to write to untangle his complicated feelings about his larger-than-life father. Like his father, he doesn't shy away from the ugly parts of his story. It becomes clear that Hunter loved his son however clumsily; it was apparent in Hunter's actions even while Juan himself was still struggling to recognize it. But, is it truly love when it's bundled with booze, cocaine, and an angry, erratic personality? Only Juan can really answer that.
This book is sad, it's healing, and it's a bookend to Hunter's life. I'm grateful to Juan for, in his search for closure, giving us a little bit of closure too.
Like many, I came to this memoir as a fan of HST's work. My teen years were spent inhaling everything he wrote, from Hell's Angles to obscure, out-of-print articles. I had no rose-colored glasses as to my perception of him as a man, though. A great writer, yes. A man I would want to be my father? No.
This feels like a memoir that Juan deeply needed to write to untangle his complicated feelings about his larger-than-life father. Like his father, he doesn't shy away from the ugly parts of his story. It becomes clear that Hunter loved his son however clumsily; it was apparent in Hunter's actions even while Juan himself was still struggling to recognize it. But, is it truly love when it's bundled with booze, cocaine, and an angry, erratic personality? Only Juan can really answer that.
This book is sad, it's healing, and it's a bookend to Hunter's life. I'm grateful to Juan for, in his search for closure, giving us a little bit of closure too.
May 28, 2018
I'm of the opinion that you can't really know any sort of favorite artist until you can grasp their impact on those closest to them, and you don't get much closer than their own offspring. Juan F. Thompson proves that he can navigate difficult terrain (his tenuous relationship with his infamous father, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson) through the power of words almost as well as his father. This is a fascinating document of the ups and downs that Juan experienced growing up with the progenitor of Gonzo Journalism from his childhood days up to the day that Dr. Thompson took his own life with a gun. Curiously, Anita Thompson is barely mentioned in the latter days of the great Doctor's life (there's a couple of sentences that come off as prickly at best), however there are some very poignant passages given to his father's closest friends. The chapter in which Juan reminisces about his time with Jimmy Buffet is a particular standout.
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