By Melissa Boles

Margaret A. Harrell tells her own story through the stories of three artists; men who had written impacts on people they weren’t acquainted with, and likely changed Harrell’s life more than any of them will ever know.  Harrell takes the reader through her life from 1965 on, detailing her meetings and interactions with Hunter S. Thompson, Milton Klonsky, and Jan Mensaert along the way. Most captivating are the various letters from Thompson, Klonsky, and Mensaert to Harrell, who includes everything from short quotes to help describe how and why they react, to large portions of the letters that tell you what was happening to both the author and Harrell at the time. Thompson’s letters are most intriguing, and give the reader insight into the mind of a widely admired artist. Harrell beautifully tells the story of how her relationships with the three men, predominantly Thompson, progressed, sharing intimate moments and keeping the reader turning the page.