Identity is dubious. Life stories are retroactive patchworks of speculation. Readers who want proof of this assertion should check out a copy of the oral biography Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson from a Douglas County Libraries.

Compiled by Rolling Stone editors Jann Wenner and Corey Seymour, Gonzo tells the story of the 20th century´s craziest literary icon from the perspectives of the people, who knew him best.

Thompson begins his career as a fairly normal journalist. He wants to write novels like his idols Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Instead, he creates his own unique brand of autobiographical satire he calls "Gonzo Journalism." Many of Thompson´s fans and friends think he fictionalizes real-life events to tell the truth through exaggeration. Others believe his canonized ordeals are real. Either way, his writing is only part of the story.

According to Thompson´s friends and neighbors, he goes "Gonzo" in the sixties by developing a drug-crazed persona to enhance his writing. Weird humor and debauchery define Thompson's new journalistic character. His cohorts' contradictory opinions of his transformed personality make this biography worth reading.

Gonzo portrays Thompson's relative identity more accurately than another format could. Other kinds of biographies either glorify, or defame their subjects. Wenner and Seymour create a more honest history of Thompson's life by showing the discrepancies between his familiars' stories.

Many readers will be surprised at the factuality of Thompson's writing. His books may be over-the-top, but his antics are unexaggerated. Thompson's fans will enjoy his editors and assistants' opinions on his dramatic writing process. They may also relish his friends' spins on his escapades. However, admirers, who prefer to let Thompson's art define him may want to leave Gonzo on the shelf. This book gets an A. Visit DouglasCountyLibraries.org to put it on hold.