This week we’re discussing Hunter S. Thompson’s famous essay on the Kentucky Derby, “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved,” which many credit as the starting point for the author’s gonzo style of journalism. Neither of us had read the piece before, and we realized that a lot of our impressions of Thompson were based on his legend, more so than on the work itself.

You can read the essay itself, as well as some notes on its creation and publication, in this piece put together by Grantland a few years ago.

Also this week, we discuss the phenomenon of raccoon selfies, and animal selfies more generally. Plus: tourists who pay to take pictures with docile (and likely mistreated) tigers and elephants, and why are there so many car selfies on dating sites? As always, you can count on Book Fight to tackle the big questions.

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Stream Episode 187:

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