Stories I Tell Myself

Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson

By: Juan F. Thompson

Narrated by: Juan F. 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 17 on a bogus petty robbery charge; member of the US Air Force (airman 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 41 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 barstools, 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....

©2015 Juan Thompson (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Hunter Remembered

Hearing Juan retell life with his father Hunter S. Thompson was a roller coaster ride of bone chilling and heart warming recollections.

I knew Hunter in the early to mid 90's as he was going through his polo phase. Juan's portrayal is spot on with my memories- with the added benefit of a lifelong relationship as sole child of this complex and endearing, larger than life, character.

One of the unique opportunities that The Listener gets to experience is the similarity of Juan's voice to his father's in tone and cadence.

If you ever wanted to know what life with The Real Hunter S. Thompson was like- listen to Stories I Tell Myself.

Condolences and congratulations to Juan on surviving and thriving this unique voyage.

Honesty and insight

Thank you, Juan, for articulating what it’s like to be the child of an addict. Plus sharing your childhood for the curious.

loved it

Well written, great narration, loved the book. I will watch for more books by this author

Liked the author, disliked his father.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

So-so on this being time well spent. Like The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, this is an autobiographical tale of a child being raised by dysfunctional, abusive, neglectful, addicted parents, and that child's recovery from and eventual understanding of the experience. In this case, the author, Juan, grew up in the shadow of an illustrious, charismatic but unstable and often verbally cruel father. Juan's writing is excellent, as is his narration. However, just a few chapters into his book, I found Juan's famous father to be a horrific person. His literary accomplishments do not excuse the man in any way. Not that Hunter S. Thompson required anyone's approval, though he certainly demanded attention. I couldn't give this book more than three stars, as my dislike of Hunter S. Thompson was quite intense after I finished the book.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I think Juan overly lionized his father after his death. Some degree of co-dependency going on, or wishful thinking, perhaps.

Have you listened to any of Juan F. Thompson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am not aware of any other works Juan Thompson may have narrated. He did a great job with this autobiographical work.

Did Stories I Tell Myself inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

Just a plea to parents to be kind, attentive and reliable with their children. I'd love it if books such as this--another story of severe dysfunctionality--became a rarity.

Gonzo Life

Fantastic story about life behind the scenes of Hunter S. Thompson! I always wondered what he was like as a father and how his son viewed him and this shares just that.

Well if you ever considered. H.S.T a hero.....

Juan has the magic
Hunter is somewhere very proud of you following in writing

Touching father / son story about a wonderful man

I absolutely loved this book. It was a touching father / son book about a wonderful man many of us know and love thru his writing.

In terms of the audiobook itself- I had some trouble with the audio being too quiet for the first half of the book and then it strangely picked up its volume half way thru.

Great Book on Father/Son Relationship

This is a great book not only about HST but about the often very complicated relationship between Fathers and Sons. I would highly, highly recommend it for any HST fans. Or really anyone who wants to read a touching portrait of a complicated father by a loving son.

This was more then I bargain for

They story written and the narration by the author go together famously. Especially because that is what can make or break a audio book. Once i started this I couldn't stop. It is a humanizing look at the enigma Hunter S. Thompson and a very personal account to what means to love and care for someone riding the roller coaster life. Its amazing how much i felt i could relate to Juan's story which i did not expect at the beginning. I think this is a great book for anyone that has been involved with Al-Anon or the 12 steps program.

Expectations unfulfilled but well-read

I liked this book from the start. Juan reads his own material very well. I'll admit I read it hoping it would inspire me to read more HUnter S Thompson. But it did not. Quite the opposite. And about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through, I grew impatient with the story line which was about Juan grappling with did his dad really love him. And gun cleaning. Way too much attention was paid to gun cleaning. Juan definitely was the one to read his own story, though. He did a good job.