"Kingdom of Fear," by Hunter S Thompson

Non-fiction, 2003

A string of anecdotes told through different narratives and styles, including letters, transcriptions and articles. Thompson's typically irreverent, painting himself as an anarchist tear-about, blazing guns, elk hearts and managing a San Francisco strip club, always keeping one brutal step ahead of the establishment. There's a slew of famous and not-so-famous allies, hangers-on, chancers and acquaintances, all of whom are smudged into the frantic pace and paste of a Gonzo approach and a free spirit increasingly disbelieving in the post-Twin Tower political response and American landscape. Tougher to get through than some of Thompson's other books, but some great passages along the way. 

"Slouching Towards Bethlehem," by Joan Didion

Non-fiction, 1968

New Journalism without quite the crushing egotism and boorishness of either Hunter S Thompson or Tom Wolfe, focusing around a piece describing, in human terms, the human wreckage around Haight-Ashbury in the Summer of Love. This, and other pieces, are often wonderfully written, mixing an air of despair with one of nonchalance and painting an America roiling and clashing with itself and in no way showing any kind of social decorum. Refreshing change from the over-eulogising efforts of others, but still reportage of and within the moment.