The Hard Way Out: My Life with the Hells Angels and Why I Turned Against Them Hardcover – April 4, 2017

SPOILERS *** MY REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERSA quick read - co-author Jerry Langton is an old hand at books like this, familiar with the outlaw scene in Canada, and a decent storyteller - but the story itself is a bit slow-going. We're at least a third of the way into the book before Atwell's involvement with the clubs – the stated purpose for the book – gets anything more than a passing mention, and the majority of what follows is about the various steps in his progress from "striker" (prospective member) for the Para-Dice Riders MC to his stumbling, fumbling fall into full-patch status with the Hells Angels. Lots of details, but very little drama.In fact, there is very little drama anywhere in Atwell's tale, and what's there is primarily self-inflicted. His sole arrest while with the club was for delivering drugs (weed and Percodans) to a barmaid in the club's favorite hangout, but he delivered said drugs in spite of the fact that he strongly suspected she had turned police informant. In fact, he insists she actually warned him he was being set up, but he brought her the dope anyway. Sure enough, he gets popped, along with almost everyone he knows, and suddenly has an epiphany. These guys he's been running with, fighting and dealing drugs for? Why, it turns out they're all "a bunch of lowlifes, really insecure drains on society," with "their hanging beer guts, their unkempt toenails and their overall disgusting appearance." (177)Still, when he's released on bail, he doesn't quit the club. Oh, no. He gets a straight job, observes the stipulations of his pre-trial release as instructed by club attorneys, and bides his time until, some twenty months down the line, all charges against him are mysteriously dropped. He claims that, years later, a cop told him he was too small a fish for the prosecutors to fret about. Maybe, maybe not. The timing is awfully suspicious.Still, whatever the circumstance, Atwell immediately returns to the clubhouse, from which he was barred by his pre-trial stipulations, and jumps right back into hanging with that “bunch of lowlifes” he’d been in jail with, apparently eager to resume his own career as one of those “really insecure drains on society.” He is immediately reinstated to his old post as sergeant-at-arms, and assigned to oversee a new support club the Angels have started in a nearby city – both developments he seems quite pleased with – but that's when it happens – his big break with his outlaw brothers – the “Why I Turned Against Them” ballyhooed on the book’s front cover. Atwell, who has been out of jail and working for the past twenty months, hasn’t paid his membership dues as required, and a club officer duns him for the unpaid monies.That's it That's all it takes. Suddenly this full-patch Angel who had earlier "decided that, whatever happened, there were two things I'd never do: snitch or quit the club while I was on charges," (194) decides that he WILL snitch, he WILL quit the club, and while he’s about it he’ll hit the government up for a boatload of cash to ease his transition into civilian life.And there’s the second half of Atwell’s self-inflicted drama. He becomes an informant, wearing a wire, buying drugs and guns from club members, methodically setting the people he claimed as “family” up to go to prison. But then, Atwell’s understanding of family might be a wee tad different from yours or mine. After all, he freely acknowledges that once he’s done all the damage he can do his old compatriots he will disappear into the witness security program, never to see his father or siblings again and – more importantly – leaving those family members at the mercy of any vengeful outlaws who might come a-calling.Atwell’s career as a snitch comes to a sudden halt the night he’s pulled in for questioning by a senior club member, who seems to know just what Atwell’s been up to with all the drugs and guns he’s been buying. Suddenly Atwell knows fear. “Was I going to die that night? Was Doug the man who would kill me?” (245) Valid questions, I’d say, but then I have to burst out laughing when, just a paragraph later, Atwell mournfully wonders “Were the people I considered family seriously considering murdering me over money?” Again, a very different concept of “family” than most people’s.Obviously, Atwell survives, testifies against his former brothers, takes his blood money and disappears into WitSec. Now he’s back to sell his “brothers” out again, in the pages of this book. Recommended ONLY if you are as fanatical as I am about reading anything and everything to do with motorcycling. Otherwise, you can give it a pass and be none the poorer for it.

It's about a RAT!!!! How can you turn on those that you've called Brother???? If you do the crime, do the time. A RAT is the lowest form of life.

Not what I was expecting with the Hells Angels. I felt like it was holding back on the Hells Angels aspect and focused primarily on his personal life. I understand that the book is about him, yet it heavily promoted the Hells Angels side of the story. All together it was a good book, but not what I really wanted when buying the book.

B.S. A know body Biker. Booring.

Well written

it was an ok read, no real excitement throughout the book but maybe that was the intent. It didn't seem to be a hard way out of the club life for Mr. Langton but more about his choices that led him out. There is one realization in the book when the club was arrested and he noted a realistic description of them in the jail cell that I found intriguing but again, not real action as I expected throughout the book. Glad I read it but had higher expectations which caused my disappointment.

Quick read and well written. Left me feeling really bad for him...even if he did Betray them. Hope his new life goes well

Good book

I can't understand why the author turned. Surely, he could have walked away and not turned on his brothers. I'm sorry, I just don't get it. A slow start, I could have done without the first chapter. The rest sort of explains why he turned, patching over large numbers means you sacrifice quality.

This guy has seen it all - a real life bottom to the top type of guy. Honest read keeps ur mind going

A good, easy read. it's got a breezy feel to it, without much dramatisation and covers a lot of ground. It has some interesting insights into the way the Hells Angels work. It's also pretty short, and really glosses over a lot of things. There's very little in the way of actual story-telling, and has a more straightforward documentary style to it. At least it does have those ghastly fake ominous voice-overs that go along with other OMC "true crime" TV shows.The author does seem a little deluded at times though, claiming those who rat on the club to get out of a jail sentence are somehow worse than he is, who just ratted on the club to get out and make some money out of it, as if there is more honour in that reason. However, the way the book depicts the "brotherhood" in the club leaves little room for sympathy for any involved. It also takes him a while to see that his fellow bikies are really just violent drug dealers, which is a bit odd.

Mr. Langton falls clear short in this genre when compared to Peter Edwards. As for the story itself, utterly lacking in background, or anything that brings a sense of adventure or excitement to the reader. How's about a chapter devoted to the history of the Para Dice Riders rather than....well half this book.When it comes to Mr. Atwell he sure likes to make himself appear as the likeable guy that just happened to fall in with the wrong crowd. No personal responsibility and cowardly in my opinion. **Spoiler Alert**, the way Mr. Atwell justifies his actions is weak...in most books like this the biker is facing some real hard time and decides to turn on his former brothers in crime or MC. In this case, Mr. Atwell just wanted out and clearly took the cash in return for turning on his fellow club members. Claims they were not treating him right but provided zero examples and he was the Sergeant At Arms. Brutal, nothing with any integrity or character. I get it if you want out of the lifestyle, but this reader is nowhere near convinced he could not have merely walked away like a man instead of turning on both people deserving and those much less so (ex. Lorne Campbell). Just no depth to it outside of Atwell wanting us to feel he is a good guy and everyone else deserved it..... Well your welcome for getting some more undeserved $ from me.Unrepentant by Peter Edwards is how this genre should be written and I can't wait to read about Mr. Guindon (too bad the Satan's Choice folded in Oshawa/Canada)......

Great story about a guy that couldn’t take the heat so decided to wreck everybody’s lives around him instead. Classic snitch. I hope one day they find him.