Hella Nation: In Search of the Lost Tribes of America

by Evan Wright

Hella Nation charts Wright's deeply personal journey, from his stark but sympathetic portrayals of sex workers in Porn Valley to his raw portrait of a Hollywood über-agent turned war documentarian and hero of America's far right. Along the way he meets runaway teens in Hollywood earning corporate dollars as skateboard pitchmen, radical anarchists plotting the overthrow of capitalism from tree-sits in the Oregon rainforest and young American troops on the hunt for terrorists in the combat zones of the Middle East. His subjects are people for whom The American Dream is either just out of grasp, or something they have chosen to reject altogether.Sometimes frightening, usually profane, and often darkly comic, Hella Nation is Wright's meticulously observed tour of the jagged edges of all those other Americas hiding in plain sight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Journalism, Essays, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Travel, Biography

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

That "author's photo" of me is an illustration done by my friend Hawk Krall, an awesome artist from Philly.

I had an odd path to writing which I describe in the first chapter of Hella Nation.

For the most part, my biography is contained in the books and articles I publish.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm jealous of the journalistic niche Evan Wright has carved out for himself. Over a 10-year span at different publications including Hustler and Rolling Stone, he manages to keep getting assigned feature stories on people who have achieved infamy in some way. I know from experience how uncomfortable it can be to interview a murderer... This guy interviews more than one. There are also chapters on porn, taxi-dance halls, Motley Crue, soldiers in Afghanistan, professional skateboarders, anarchists, white supremacists, con artists and a crazy Hollywood filmmaker turned pro-war conservative darling.

In the introduction, Wright talks about trying to let the facts speak for themselves, citing the white supremacist chapter (his first feature article) as one that he thought was too forgiving. But reading this, I didn't think he maintained a tone of neutrality, even if he was trying. Some of the things his subjects say are so completely stupid that you can't read their quotes without coming to the conclusion that they are stupid. For example, one of the Motley Crue girlfriends is quoted as saying 75% of American women have fake boobs. And of course, it's REALLY hard to be neutral when your subject has tried to sue you, in the case of Seth Warshavsky. No matter. It was everything I want in a book--informative, depraved and hilarious.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worst cover, possibly, of any book I've read. The only cover I have tried to hide while reading in public. A cover that says "This book is about how to Do the Dew!"

The essays are Jon Ronson and Neil Strauss-esque - magazine articles from 2000-2004, and one from 2007, published in 2009, probably because Evan Wright's book Generation Kill was selling well. And it's a good, if a bit outdated feeling, collection. The essays start out very objective reporting on some of the people living on the fringe of society, or outside of societal norms, like the Aryan Nation, a talented alcoholic skateboarder, lawyers who got involved in a dog ring run by their adopted adult son whereupon the dogs killed a neighbor of theirs, or UFC fighters (not as popular when this book was written). Wright's reporting is compelling and it was rare for me not to look up the people in the stories to see where they were now.

As the essays go further into the world of porn, Wright's sphere of former employment (entertainment editor for Hustler), he gets more involved as a character. The last essay is the longest, a profile of a Hollywood agent turned documentarian and pro-war Republican. Wright is right there, watching this guy's homemade porn, giving the dude his credit card info to take another flight into a war zone instead of going to rehab for his full blown drug problem and undiagnosed mental illnesses.

But Wright did a great job interviewing sleazy people but writing a book that won't implicate you in their sleaziness. You might feel a bit skeeved out at the end of all of it, but most of the time you'll also recognize the humanity in his subjects (except for Motley Crue who seem like terrible un self-aware humans)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from a goodreads raffle. I am an occasional reader of Rolling Stone and a frequent reader of Vanity Fair, so some of Wright's pieces were familiar to me. The introduction to the previously published pieces is what readers will close the book wanting more of--Wright's personal reflections and honest examination of his experiences.

Since most of my reading is academic, spiced only by hoity toity academic self referential attempts at humor and battened down by endless footnotes, Wright's narratives are fast reading for me. I sensed enough authenticity of detail in Wright's descriptions to accept the essays for what they are--a reporter's take on observations. In a typically self-deprecating move, he cites A.J. Leibling's statement "There is no circumstance under which an American doesn't like to be interviewed" as the reason why he is able to access individuals who have interesting and often scurrilous stories to tell. Wright must have the right scent, or vibe of similar dissonance, for these individuals to reveal their crimes, motivations, addictions, and dreams to him.

This is an interesting read and should do well in the book market as Wright's style is accessible, laced with wry humor, and filled with juicy details. The essays would be interesting for discussions about ambition and illusions of power, the disruptive yet surprising strength of financial dis-ingenuity, and the raw realities faced by the insanely lucky, basely corrupt, the merely incompetent, and the innocents trying to survive in their wake.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The basic message of this book is that Americans are crazy. Certainly those that Wright talked to. He seems to have a knack for being a good listener. In this collection of essays, he interviews neo-nazis, various criminals, porn stars, and the just plain odd. All are presented in their own words, with apparent neutrality. Naturally this makes practically all of them seem mad.

I enjoyed this book, which reminded me strongly of Chuck Palahniuk's 'Non-Fiction' and 'Stranger Than Fiction'. Like both of those, it recounts strange sub-cultures at the edge of American society, in an almost anthropological manner. It isn't that much like 'Generation Kill' in content, although the extremely readable style and self-deprecating tone are just the same. 'Generation Kill' is a favourite book of mine, which recounts Wright's time embedded with US marines as they invaded Afghanistan. What I prefer is the single focus, on a battalion of marines and the invasion. Wright is clearly a great journalist and profiler of the eccentric, as both books attest.

The pieces in 'Hella Nation' are good, the format just makes it rather bitty. I also found the frequent occurrence of alcoholism and drug addiction depressing. The pieces I liked best were probably the latter two, both of which involved the US army to some extent. Maybe Wright's style and methods just work best with the military? Or perhaps I just find them more interesting.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this through GoodReads First Reads program. Definately has an interesting title. The book is basically 12 separate stories, all of which the book states were previously published in slightly different formats in magazines such as Rolling Stone, Hustler, LA weekly, Vanity Fair, and Men's Journal. The stories were all interesting, often covering topics I had previously heard about in the news (such as the Aryan Nation, the WTO riots in Seattle, and the dogs that killed the woman in San Francisco) but with Evan Wright's version filling in all the dark details that I had previously not known. The one thing I was a bit disappointed with though was how dated most of these stories were. One was previously published in 2007, but all the others are stories from 1997 to 2002. It felt a bit like "old news", especially when outdated details would be included, such as a mention of President Bill Clinton. Evan Wright definately does have a knack though for getting all the background info and "the rest of the story" as they say, so I will give this book a good solid 3-stars.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of some of Evan Wright's journalism work. This book reprints (in slightly longer form) some stories he did for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and other magazines. The stories in this book (in order that they occur):

+ Not Much War, but plenty of Hell: Wright reports embedded at a marine fire base in Afghanistan.
+ Piss Drunk: The story of Jim Greco, defacto figurehead of the Piss Drunx skateboarding crew.
+ Dance with a Stranger: The history and present of taxi dance halls.
+ Wingnut's Last Day on Earth: Wright meets the anarchists who were running amok at the WTO meetings in Seattle, and follows them from the Chaos in Seattle down to Eugene Oregon, and on a road trip to Los Angeles.
+ Heil Hitler, America!: Wright's break out journalist story. He reports on a Neo-Nazi compound in Idaho.
+ The Bad American: The story of a sleazy Phoenix area businessman who recruits Russian immigrants into his criminal schemes. One of his recruits is brutally killed.
+ Mad Dogs & Lawyers: The story of the lawyer couple in San Francisco who's dogs mauled and killed her neighbors.
+ Tough Guy: The story of UFC mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz.
+ Portrait of a Con Artist: The story of Seth Warshavsky, internet porn pioneer and crooked businessman. The story of how his internet porn company IEG, rose to prominence through fraud, and how it eventually collapsed.
+ Scenes from My Life in Porn: Wright writes about some of the most surreal things that happened to him while working for Hustler, while he was going through recovery for Alcoholism.
+ Forever Fourteen: The story of Motley Crue's reunion tour.
+ Pat Dollard's War on Hollywood: The story of Hollywood Agent turned Pro-Iraq War Republican film maker. Also a brilliant story of Pat Dollard's personal battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

In addition to these stories, the introduction is a fascinating autobiographical description of Wright's own career and battles with drug and alcohol addiction. To give the brief version: Wright was a severe drug and alcohol addict for about a decade after he graduated undergrad. Eventually he got a job reviewing pornographic movies for Hustler, where he was able to join a 12-step program and get clean. Eventually he was given the opportunity to do serious journalistic work, in a report he did on a Neo-Nazi compound in Idaho.

The overarching theme of the book is that these are all stories of outsiders, people thriving on the fringes of our civilization. However, because of Wright's own background he reports objectively, and is able to tell the human end of the story in a remarkably unbiased way.

Although Wright approaches the stories objectively, he is always able to offer key insights, or focus on off handed comments and use them to illustrate how his subjects actually feel about the situation that they are in. For example, he draws an excellent parallel between the Jihadis that Pat Dollard wants to fight and Pat's own involvement in the Iraq war. Jihadis use the concept of war as a spiritually purifying act to recruit. Similarly, Pat Dollard is using the war to attempt to purify himself from his own drug and alcohol addictions.

In his stories Wright refers to himself, and as such is labeled as "Gonzo" journalism. However, Wright himself rejects this. Saying that while he respects Hunter S Thompson he does not wish to emulate him. Wright never removes the focus from his subject, while he may mention his involvement in the story, he never becomes fully part of the story. As such, he is much more like the Tom Wolfe style of new journalism (although these days "new" is a little bit of a misnomer.)

I gave this book a 3, because on a whole it isn't that fun of a read. Some of the stories in it are clear 5s, while others felt like a chore to get through.

I read this book because I read Generation Kill and I thought Evan Wright did a great job with that book.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best collections of journalism I've read in quite some time. There are other living US journalists worthy of an intelligent reader's attention - John McPhee, Eric Schlosser, David Remnick - but none as funny or as ferociously engaging as Evan Wright.

His work has picked up some lazy comparisons to that of Hunter S. Thompson - not always due to the Rolling Stone connection - but the comparison misleads. However wacky, deluded or bizarre his subjects (porn starlets, eco-terrorists, neo-Nazi's), the tale remains in the foreground, not the teller. Wright has a gift for the telling detail, whether comic or bittersweet, and for the piercing phrase:

'A man next to me politely passed the mustard. The bottle was sticky with KY Jelly. I never attempted to eat on a porn shoot again.'

'Shayla's voice was gravelly and sweet, as if her vocal cords had been marinated in whiskey sours since puberty.'

'The owner of the breast, an amphetamine-thin brunette with a feathered biker-chick hairdo, solemnly thanks them [Motley Crüe] and declares she is heading straight to the tattoo parlour to have their signatures gone over in indelible skin ink.'

Wright's care for the people involved comes across too - quite an achievement under the circumstances. Perhaps none more so than the pathetically stupid Hollywood agent Pat Dollard.

Despite being a coke-addicted narcissist with no particular talent for anything, Dollard is allowed to tag along with a band of soldiers during the Iraq war. His aim is to show the 'bedwetters' back home that 'killing is one of the most sacred and noble greatest things to go on in the world'. One feels like cheering when a shot only narrowly fails to decorate a nearby wall with Dollard's brains. The shot wasn’t fired by the enemy army but by an American soldier sick of Dollard's sullying presence.

If I have a complaint, it's only a small one: the better stories are all at the front of the book, and in his longer pieces Wright has a tendency to go off on tangents just as his stories need to knit together for the finale. He has also written a book called Generation Kill, about the second Iraq War. It's been compared to classics of war reportage such as Michael Herr's Dispatches - and lives up to it. I recommend both.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evan Wright is a former writer for Hustler and, later, Rolling Stone. This is a collection of articles/ essays that he wrote for those publications. The collection is loosely chosen around the concept of revealing different subcultures and realities in the United States that are outside of the mainstream: white supremicists; porn stars; anarchists; an insane, alcoholic Hollywood-agent-turned-Conservative-war-pundit; and others. The glimpse into these realities is interesting, and Wright seems to be remarkable at making people comfortable and allowing them to reveal themselves.

However, this is a lazy book. My guess is that after his success with "Generation Kill" (HBO mini-series), his publisher was pushing him for a quick second book. Several of the stories dated back more than a decade with no follow-up on issues left hanging because they had not been resolved at the time the article was originally published. At least two involved court cases that have certainly since been resolved. Also, some of the "glimpses" into a different subset were just that. For example, the White Supremicist piece was written during a couple of days at a compound in 1996. He wrote this article while he was at Hustler and it garnered a lot of positive attention, probably because it was a real piece of journalism in an issue of Hustler. While scary and revealing, it was little more than superficial. Perfect for an indepth Hustler piece, but really not sophisticated enough for a book without more research.

I enjoyed the book and recommend reading it, but don't pay retail for it!

[Byron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a collection of magazine articles by the guy most famous for having written Generation Kill. I read a good half of these in Rolling Stone when I was in college, including the story that became Generation Kill, plus a version of his famous story on nutjob Hollywood agent ternt right wing documentary filmmaker Pat Dollard, but I was more than happy to revisit them. They're hilarious and enlightening—even the ones on things that happened upwards of 20 years ago now. All of them seem to have been expanded from their original versions, especially the one on Dollard, which is lengthy AF and probably could have been a bunk unto itself, if anyone knew who he was or gave a shit.

[Real Women · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am learning that my anxiety about having anxiety is not that uncommon. I feel an affinity to this writer, not sure yet about the book with the terrifying cover.... I loved Generation Kill (book more than HBO series, although I liked the series so much, too). Remember, I have developed as a woman by turning my back on chick flicks and women's magazines. I read Men's Journal and War Reporting (by women and men), history. I read freely and so I want to read Hella Nation without wishing there was a photograph of Wright on the cover instead of an angular and arrogant punk.

[Michael Grizer (He-Him) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun engaging fast summer read chronicling crazy stories that surely could only happen in America....

[Olav Nilsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the decade this came out so well. it's perceptively-documented by Wright—especially the shallowness of Hollywood and celebrity fame in general. To understand why what happened to America happened, this book is essential. Kind of mind-blowing to read it now, it was so prescient. We're all so fucking polluted, morally and literally.

[Colin N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Evan Wright, author of "Generation Kill," comes this collection of reporting, mostly written for Rolling Stone and other magazines, that focuses on the various underclasses and outsiders of American society. The reporting is uniformly excellent and the articles really fascinating. We enter the world of anarchists, neo-nazis, skaters, taxi dancers, con artists, and porn stars (among others). The people profiled here are often sad, pathetic, sometimes terrible, bizarre and an integral part of the complex societal landscape of America. Wright brings self-deprecating humor, wit, and a keen eye to his reporting, and each chapter is really riveting.

To disagree slightly with a previous reviewer, I do not think the book needs a greater overarching theme beyond the fact that it profiles those considered outside the mainstream of society. Each person or group of persons Wright focuses on have consciously rejected mainstream values and seeks his own path to happiness (often tragically) through embracing these fringe groups and ideals.

A really interesting book and an excellent read.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly sure what to make of this book. While it does have a lot of interesting characters and potential, it comes across as very fragmented and lacking in purpose.

The one redeeming quality of this book is Evan Wright's talent as a writer that keeps you wanting to read more and makes you assume that some sort of conclusion is on it's way; there aren't any. It's more like a collection of ramblings, the sort of tales you'd hear in a bar after half a dozen beers.

I won't discredit Evan Wright for trying to do something different, this style of writing is seldom attempted and with the various alternative people that he reviews in his book it doesn't lack in entertainment.

I neither liked nor disliked this book. I was able to read it in a few days without struggling through it, but it constantly left me wondering where the story was leading. His other 2 books (American Desperado & Generation Kill) are way better, more gripping and more structured than this one. It may be best to read this book first before reading the other ones so you aren't disappointed.

[Erik Osburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hella Nation by Evan Wright is one of my favorite books, period. Wright interviews extreme, uniquely American characters including anarchists, porn stars, and combat troops in the Middle East. His reportage brings important aspects of American life into focus. Wright treats these subjects with a jurist's sense of balance and proportion. The importance Wright places on grounding his reporting from the fringe in "observable details," and his predilection to reject descriptions of the world too convenient to any political ideology are both guiding principals for me. Wright's ability to choose bizarre subjects, render them in a manner simultaneously vivid and fair, and then draw insights from their lives about the larger culture to which they belong is a model of how reportage-ists and cultural critics should operate. Wright is a hero of mine. Any time I need inspiration or guidance about how to treat a piece I am writing, I simply crack open some of his work and the words flow a little easier.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark, twisted book by Evan Wright made for irresistable and gleefully perverse reading. Wright is an award winning journalist for "Hustler," "Rolling Stone," and other notable mags. He covers a wide swath from grunts in Afganistan on the hunt for terrorists and sexual release, skateboarders living lives of excess and short-lived glory, taxi-dancers in the Los Angeles inhabitating the twilight world of paid companionship, and of a convict raising viscious canines with the help of some truly warped sympathizers (we're talking beastialty here). Motley Crue tries to relive their glory(?) years in peverse delight. This discursive book, at times graphic, hilarious, depraved and deeply human, examines the cracks in human nature. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wright takes a look at the fringes of American society in this collection of essays, which focus upon individuals who are near-universally dislikable, but in radically different ways. As with any essay collection, certain chapters interested me far more than others. Some of the content is frightening, some is funny, and some is just plain gross. Readers will be glad Wright met and hung out with the subjects, as I doubt very many of us would wish to.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of interviews/vignettes about weird people in the US. Some were really exceptionally interesting, some were so boring that I skipped, some were deeply disturbing. Probably would be better as a set of long-form magazine articles than a book, but as long as you're comfortable skipping the sections which weren't worth reading (and it's obvious after a page or two), a decent collection.

[IRA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good read especially if you remember when his topics were current. It's neat that Mr. Wright was able to be involved with so many different types of people and stories.... professionally!
Also cool how some of the trends described have not changed that much.

[Philip Girvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An top-notch catalog of weird America home and abroad.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than I expected!! The dopey title and dopier cover art sold the contents of this collection pitifully short (and were misleading). This is truly great journalism. The writer offed himself right in the middle of me reading this book, which was certainly jarring (I had looked him up after I had gotten hooked on his work and what came up was obituaries that had been posted mere hours earlier). Poor guy. His contribution was tremendous. I could not put this book down. A great writing voice coupled with fascinating material. Highly recommended.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this to be Jon Ronson, Louis Theroux, John Safran, and it just wasn’t. Some interesting topics - the white supremacists and dog breeding in particular - but the authors voice was unbearably misogynistic on multiple occasions, and I certainly preferred the stories where he was less involved. I think calling it the ‘lost tribes of America’ is a marketing error, there was few cults, subcultures etc. It was fine and interesting, just not what I was expecting or wanting.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting selection of essays originally found in truncated form within other publications.
I enjoyed the interviews with a range of offbeat subjects...some whom you wouldn't want to give house space.
I shall look for more collections by this author.

[Ryan Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite book by the author but undeniably well written. Moments of absurdity that make you laugh out loud (I listened to the audiobook which was well performed). Intriguing profiles from a wide range of characters, all brought in a gonzo-esque style of reportage.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of writings about various subcultures, enjoyed this.

[John Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wright writes right.

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this without having any idea what it would be about. Thankfully I really liked it. Each essay was a glimpse into parts of America I hadn't previously known anything about. This kind of stuff makes for great conversation starters and it also can be very eye-opening. Many of the essays covered complete scumbags (like Pat Dollard) who had gotten rich and/or famous using different cons, scams and selling hatred. It was always fascinating that these people never ended up in jail, but were often harassed by the law and would at times end up completely broke and dying, only to recover and get rich again.

It's unfortunate that many of the essays kind of leave you hanging, but considering that the people are still alive, I guess their stories haven't finished yet.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve yet to pick up his first critically acclaimed work of investigative prose, Generation Kill, but I do count Evan Wright as one of the bright spots in current American journalistic non-fiction. In this, his second book, he turns his eyes and pen to just over a dozen American cultural outliers who live on the fringe mentally and, just as often, physically.

He begins Hella Nation with a detailed look into the daily life of the Fifth Platoon Delta Company and their world-within-another-world known as Kandahar Airfield – a hot, dry, and dingy place that reaches 125 degrees most days, and where the constant stench of sweat, piss, and shit dominates. (This chapter being appropriately titled “Not Much War, But Plenty of Hell.”) In short order, Wright takes us into the worlds of piss drunk skater celebrities, LA “taxi hall” dancers (something I’d never heard of before), extreme leftist eco-terrorists (some of whom were behind the ridiculous rioting and subsequent property damage during the “Battle of Seattle” when the WTO met in 1999), their wingnut opposites of the right-wing persuasion, pyramid scheme charlatans hawking growth hormone products (steroids, by any other name), LA porn stars, Richard Butler’s Aryan Nation compound in Northern Idaho, the aging rockers Motley Crue and their groupies, and even a short memoir about Wright’s own misadventures working as a porn video reviewer for Hustler several decades back. The most hilarious part of all this last being his Hustler interview, where – as he was pumped up on anti-anxiety meds -- he completely missed being hired on the spot. It wasn’t until the next day when he made a call into the editor who interviewed him that he was already due into work.

Many of the pieces in Hella Nation originally appeared elsewhere, but collected together it is near perfect in the way that it tours the most whacked out and insular minds living on the radical, reactionary, and sexual extremes of modern-day America. Which all goes to show that this is indeed a land of freedom. Although many of these people I would never want to encounter -- even on the best of days.