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The One Percenter Encyclopedia: The World of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs from Abyss Ghosts to Zombies...

Bill Hayes

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Jun 01, 2018 Randal White rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Naive and shallow This book is confusing to me, at the least. It claims to be, in his words, an "education that gives the devil-and his death's head- his due. It gives respect and recognition to the righteous god who placed the tattooed flesh and the crossed bones into the body of modern biker culture". Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Like the author is really going to tell us something? No, what the book consists of is a encyclopedic listing of motorcycle clubs throughout the United States. An occa Naive and shallow This book is confusing to me, at the least. It claims to be, in his words, an "education that gives the devil-and his death's head- his due. It gives respect and recognition to the righteous god who placed the tattooed flesh and the crossed bones into the body of modern biker culture". Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Like the author is really going to tell us something? No, what the book consists of is a encyclopedic listing of motorcycle clubs throughout the United States. An occasional blurb by a member of a group, but nothing in depth. The author has managed to identify many of the "outlaw" biker groups in America. He gives a very brief, thumbnail sketch of each group. Information that could have been found in a simple search of the web. But, hey, at least the groups are listed all in one place. You could use the list to start more substantial research into the clubs. The author states in the beginning, "this book is dedicated to the positive energy and power of the motorcycle club community". He states that he is not interested in listing the "clean-living" motorcycle groups. He even presents an old, pre-internet, portion of a law enforcement manual about motorcycle gangs. Sure, it is comical in today's world, but, as a retired law enforcement officer myself, it is what we had available to us at the time. Laugh if he will at it, but I assure the author that the information law enforcement has today is much more serious and thorough. Also in the beginning, the author quotes a member of the Bandidos motorcycle group, defining what a "1%-er" is. "One percenter - it only means that we're the best....but all it means is we're the best of the best". I find that laughable, as I am sure the guy who told the author it does. I had 28 years of experience dealing with outlaw motorcycle gang members, including candid conversations with many of them while they were incarcerated in Federal prisons. One percenter means the member is deemed to be the worst of the worst, the 1% who openly defy societies rules and norms. And they are extremely proud of that status. And woe onto a guy who wears the patch without earning it. A true 1%er will teach him a lesson he will never forget. The author seems to have stars in his eyes, buying into the myth of a 1%er as a noble knight riding his horse. He fails to even touch on the seedier side of outlaw motorcycle gangs. The dealing of drugs, the stolen merchandise, the abuse of women. I would be willing to bet that there are true one percenter's out there reading the book and laughing their butts off at how naive the author is! It almost makes me wish I was still working, so I could share this with them and see their reaction.
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Apr 20, 2012 Dachokie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gangs

Field Goal Instead of a Touchdown ...

The ONE PERCENTER ENCYCLOPEDIA alludes to being an A-Z authority on outlaw motorcycle clubs ... a one-stop shop for anything/everything pertaining to such clubs ... quite appealing to anyone curious in learning more about the outlaw biker culture. While the book provides a nicely organized listing of outlaw clubs with a decent collection of color photos, it lacks the substantive content I was expecting for a book with "encyclopedia" in its title.

Organized alp Field Goal Instead of a Touchdown ...

The ONE PERCENTER ENCYCLOPEDIA alludes to being an A-Z authority on outlaw motorcycle clubs ... a one-stop shop for anything/everything pertaining to such clubs ... quite appealing to anyone curious in learning more about the outlaw biker culture. While the book provides a nicely organized listing of outlaw clubs with a decent collection of color photos, it lacks the substantive content I was expecting for a book with "encyclopedia" in its title.

Organized alphabetically, THE ONE PERCENTER ENCYCLOPEDIA does provide general information about a large number of bike clubs, including a multitude of lesser-known groups. Most of the entries follow a standard base of details such as date of origin, estimated membership and the territory the clubs preside. As expected, the larger, more recognizable (infamous?) clubs receive more lavish, multiple-paged entries and more photographs, but not much .

Considering the subject matter, the listing of clubs is likely incomplete/ever-changing and the availability of elaborate details is understandably scant as secrecy plays a part into the one-percenter culture; I don't fault the author for this. My issue is that the book could have been so much more, well ... "encyclopedic". It would have been nice to see the colors/patch accompanying each club entry. The larger clubs do have known histories (proven by the numerous television documentaries like the "Gangland" series and books written by actual members) that could have provided significantly more information, timelines, leadership, etc. Appendices could have shed light on the various add-on patches and symbolism. Other, overview topics could have been covered as well: the numerous other patches worn, crime, tattoos, the role of women in these groups, a timeline of significant events and how the culture has progressed/regressed over the years.

The whole one-percenter culture is enigmatic, ominous and provocatively interesting to those who don't ride. I believe the ONE PERCENTER ENCYCLOPEDIA is an interesting and colorful presentation of a large list of outlaw biker clubs. One the surface, the book serves as a decent overview that covers a large number of the more obscure clubs and should satisfy those with little knowledge of such clubs. But for those who enjoy reading about biker clubs, the ONE PERCENTER ENCYCLOPEDIA will likely fall short of being the resource it is expected to be. ...more

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