Mile Marker Zero

July 25, 2011
Geographically isolated Key West, Fla., gained a reputation for vice and lawlessness while also developing a unique spirit and culture both Latin and Anglo, writes McKeen (biographer of Hunter S. Thompson). The spirit of Hemingway, who wrote or worked on nearly all of his major works there between 1928 and 1939, hovers over the island; and Tennessee Williams moved there in the'40s and was still hanging out into the '70s when the streets were thick with younger writers, artists, and musicians like Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison, Hunter Thompson, and Jimmy Buffett. Although McKeen's portrait of Key West as a onetime bohemian utopia and hotspot is atmospheric, and many of his anecdotes are absorbing, others are marred by patches of flabby and testosterone-fueled prose and never quite gel into a cohesive narrative. 8 pages of b&w photos.

August 15, 2011

A cultural history of Key West as experienced by some of its most famous residents. 

McKeen (Journalism/Boston Univ.; Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson, 2008, etc.) transports readers to Key West, a wonderland of cigar rollers and beautiful women that for generations has maintained a reputation for lawlessness as well. It is also described as "the end of the road, the last outpost for an American original." Among these Americans originals are a wide array of writers: Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jim Harrison, Thomas McGuane and Hunter S. Thompson, as well as musician Jimmy Buffett, whose music set the tone for the town. What begins as a biography of a place soon branches off into mini-biographies of its residents. McKeen holds his gaze longest on McGuane, described as "the most revered writer of his generation." Yet soon after his arrival, even McGuane became afflicted with the vices of the island, engaging in the excesses of boozing and womanizing that became a trademark for many of the island's better-known inhabitants. "Lust was a legacy of island life," writes McKeen, a statement McGuane seemed to set out to prove. Equally engaging is the story of Buffett's miraculous rise from "scruffy street singer" to beloved entertainer. Much of his stardom was attributed to his hit single, "Margaritaville," which "bottled up the essence of Key West in an effervescent, maddeningly memorable pop song." By the end of the book, McKeen also offers his own take on capturing the essence of the place: "Key West is still Key West"—a statement that, while cryptic, seems to somehow say it all.

An engrossing tell-all in which Key West's most notable residents struggle to find sanity, sobriety and a place to call home.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012

Hunter S. Thompson, Jimmy Buffett, Tom McGuane, and Tom Corcoran walk into a bar--so begins this rollicking look at the 1970s artistic culture of Key West, FL. (The book does not explore Key West's subsequent gay culture, intellectual or otherwise.) At the urging of Corcoran, a Floridian author of mystery novels (e.g., Hawk Channel Chase), McKeen (journalism, Boston Univ.; Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson) has scrupulously documented the drug, drinking, and hippie life of these men who flocked to the Keys to emulate Ernest Hemingway with the hope of becoming as famous as Papa. The book is authenticated with endnotes citing McKeen's conversations with the main players of the time. Thompson was the ladies' man of the group, McGuane had a wandering eye, Buffett strummed his guitar (later he authored several best-selling books), and Corcoran sold tacos from a bicycle. McKeen provides background on the history of Key West and shows how the island has morphed into a contemporary "alcoholic theme park" (e.g., Buffett's Margaritaville empire) where cruise ship passengers stop for drinks and shopping, rather than to explore the local history. VERDICT A necessary read for fans of Florida fiction or any of the figures included here, as well as for those traveling to Key West.--Joyce Sparrow, Kenneth City, FL

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.