.......If you thought Thompson’s writing was outrageous, brace yourself for his day-to-day existence. Co-authored by Woody Creek artist Michael Cleverly and Sheriff Bob Braudis, The Kitchen Readings (Harper Perennial, Feb. 2008), brings the reader straight into the Hotel Jerome, the Woody Creek Tavern and Thompson’s infamous kitchen for some of the kinkiest, wildest, sometimes hair-raising events that studded the author’s already adventurous life. Through their own experiences and retelling stories by the likes of documentary filmmaker Wayne Ewing and former assistant Deborah Fuller, Cleverly and Braudis undermine the Hollywood image often associated with Thompson and in its place give us the real Hunter. From exploding acetylene-filled inner tubes to Hunter’s legendary shotgun art, pornography to poignant, private moments at home, the book offers a fearlessly honest glance at Thompson’s playful side, his cranky side, his everyday side, his vulnerable side and his last days on earth — through two of his best friends.

Ben Corbett