There are several commercial writings concerning the Hells, as well as other 1%er type organizations. The type and quality of these writings vary considerably. Here is a brief review of some of the more well-known offerings:

Hell's Angels: Three Can Keep a Secret if Two are Dead
Author, Yves Lavigne

This book presents a somewhat sensationalized perspective on the so-called "Big Four" of the American motorcycle organizations, but all the information in it a matter of record. If there's a problem with this one, it is only that author Lavigne seems to be going out of his way to present us with the raunchiest concoctions of adjectives and similies possible. The career of the infamous Apache Trudeau is detailed herein, along with the antics of a lot of other characters whose crimes might not be quite so prolific, but which are every bit as horrible. The book is both fun and extremely depressing to read.


Hell's Angels: Into the Abyss
Author, Yves Lavigne

In this book, Lavigne tones down his language considerably to present us with an account concerning the doings of an FBI informant who managed to rise to an extremely high level within the Hell's Angels, and who was instrumental to a covert law enforcement operation known as Rough Rider, which managed to do quite a bit of damage to the organization at large-- including to bring about the incarceration of the famous president, Sonny Barger.


Angels of Death: Inside the Bikers' Global Crime Empire
Authors, William Marsden and Julien Sher

This extremely well-written and informative volume details the criminal doings of the Hell's Angels as they are found in several countries around the world. The British crew is discussed at length, as are the boys from Amsterdam, Canada, and elsewhere. Various criminal cases concerning these fellows are discussed at length, but most especially a very lengthy infiltration that involved the famous ATF agent, Jay Dobyns. This book is one of the best of its genre.

Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America's Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang
Author, William Queen

This book is autobiographical in nature, as author Queen served as an undercover agent for the ATF (which agency seems to really spearhead the attack of American law enforcement against outlaw motorcycle organizations) who managed to penetrate and become a member of the Mongols M/C, much to their ultimate dismay. The book is extraordinary in the sense that William Queen doesn't hesitate to describe to us the emotional travails of such a difficult assignment as he successfully completed, and more, doesn't hesitate to criticize the shortcomings of the agency which sent him into the jaws of the tiger. The book refrains from sensationalism, but, due to the dire nature of the group he infiltrated, is extremely exciting to read. And by the way: the Mongols are every bit as deadly as the Hells are-- just not so wealthy or well-organized... yet.

Give them time...

Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
Author, Hunter S. Thompson

This book is a classic in the sense that it was the first lengthy release of any type that dealt with the Hell's Angels organization. It is superbly well-written and provides a perspective that is extremely interesting to read. However, the writings are also extremely dated, and present a picture of the group as it was in the late 1960's. The Hell's Angels, as they were when Thompson rode among them, have changed greatly since that time and are rather more sophisticated and well-organized than they were in their early years. Also it is worthy to note that Sonny Barger routinely denounces this book, saying that while Thompson might be the best writer of recent times, he is also full of baloney. Still, a great deal of what Thompson tells us is, in fact, a matter of public record, and there are times when Thompson writes of them sympathetically, if not necessarily approvingly. At the very end of the book, Thompson literally calls for the extermination of the Hell's Angels M/C.

Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club
Authors, Sonny Barger, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman

This autobiography presents us with the views of the legendary president of the Hell's Angels, Sonny Barger. It is written in a straight-forward manner, with Sonny telling his tale in a manner so unashamed as to be startling. The book can also be chilling as Barger describes scenes of attempted murder and aggravated battery in the matter-of-fact fashion one might expect of an automotive mechanic discussing the repairs he recently made to a customer's car.

The book has been dismissed as being somewhat self-serving, but by the same token we are provided with a glimpse into the necessary attitude that a man would have to have in order to survive in the often-difficult world of the outlaw motorcyclist.

Which brings me to a quote, courtesy of Sonny Barger himself, who once said:

Why do they lie about us? Isn't the truth bad enough?