Hunter S Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
A brutal and outrageous journey to the core of the American Dream. It was described as “the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page”. It is also a poignant critique of the current American culture and politics of the 1960s. An insight into the revolution and new age dreams that swelled and crashed, and all through the frame of an exciting and thrilling weekend road trip of Raoul Duke, a cynical and unbalanced journalist, and his attorney Dr. Gonzo. If visiting Vegas, definitely consider reading this utterly captivating and compelling book.
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Stephen King, The Stand
The Stand was planned by Kind as “the American Lord of the Rings” set in a contemporary setting, with Las Vegas cast in the role of Mordor, the land of shadows. The novel takes place in a USA decimated by a type of horrifying SUPER-FLU which wipes out 99% of the population.
We follow our hero, a Texan by the name of Stu Redman, as he makes sense of the end-of-the-world and his role and responsibilities in this new landscape. He joins a small force of allied and panicky survivors who travel across the USA to face the “man in black”, Randal Flagg, in Las Vegas. Flagg is described as a type of timeless entity that stands for the evil that men do - a creature of chaos and technology. The Stand is written in classic Stephen King fashion, you will not be able to put it down.
John O’Brien, Leaving Las Vegas
A disturbing love story set in a darker Las Vegas. Leaving Las Vegas tells a tale of a Sera, a Las Vegas prostitute, and Ben, a suicidal alcoholic: two lost souls tangled in an unconditional and wrenching love affair. This haunting and almost poetic view of addiction and the sad, dark beauty of Vegas is seductively written and makes for an emotional and moving read. It has often been described as the “overlooked American classic”.
Joan Didion, Play it as it lays
Represents an unrelenting examination of life in 1960s America, the ennui and emptiness of lost dreams, and a society in crisis. The novel itself floats on a kind of middle-ground, between ethical extremes, in the vast, barren spaces of the Mojave Desert, linking Las Vegas and Hollywood. It has been quoted as a combination of The Great Gatsby (by F. Scott Fitzgerald) and Less Than Zero (by Bret Easton Ellis). Intense and exciting, depicting a quiet emptiness and loss of hope: "I was raised to believe that what came in on the next roll would always be better than what went out on the last. I no longer believe that."
John L. Smith, Of rats and men: Oscar Goodman’s life from the mob mouthpiece to mayor of Las Vegas
This book tells of Oscar Goodman, the country’s unparalleled defense attorney for supposed gangsters like: Jimmy Chagra, Mayer Lansky, Nick Civella, Vinny Ferrara, and Nicky Scarfo among others. It outlines his life and journey from attorney to becoming the mayor of Las Vegas. It is a riveting real-life story especially interesting for those looking to gain insight into the early years of the city.