Evergreen native Cam Baker releases new book, 'Writer Without a Cause'

Cam Baker dropped a copy of his new book off at the office last week, and I’m sure that more than a few of our readers will find it interesting to read.

Many of you will know Cam. He grew up in Evergreen, attended Sparta Academy and went on to attend the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile. I first got to know Cam when he became the editor of The South Alabama News here in Evergreen. He now lives in Greenville.

Cam’s new book came out on Feb. 11, and it’s titled “Writer Without a Cause: An Urban Survival Guide to Pass Along Culture and to Bequeath Thought and Decrepitude in the Face of Daily Death.” The book’s 116 pages long, and it’s a quick read.

When I first talked to Cam about the book, he said that it was partly an homage to the late, great Hunter S. Thompson. For those of you unfamiliar with Thompson, he was a journalist and author who is considered to be the “Father of Gonzo Journalism.” Gonzo journalism is a “style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become central figures of their stories.”

Thompson is arguably most famous for his 1971 book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” which was adapted into a movie in 1998 that starred Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Almost all of Thompson’s stories prominently feature alcohol, drugs, guns, theft, gambling and other assorted bad behaviors. With that said, most Thompson experts agree that he largely exaggerated the experiences in his stories for shock value and to promote readership. Thompson committed suicide in 2005. He was 67 years old.

Cam’s book does read like a good Thompson story, and there were more than a few stories between its covers that I found interesting. One of the funniest stories in the book was about the time that he decided to quit his job at a telemarketing outfit in Pensacola. Rather than follow the old, turn in a two-week notice routine, Cam shows up on his final day wearing a full-sized chicken costume. It sounded like he made that day one that his coworkers won’t soon forget.

As I mentioned earlier, I first got to know Cam when he worked at The South Alabama News, so I was especially interested by the parts of the book that talked about his time as that paper’s editor. He entertainingly discusses his efforts to meet deadlines while covering events in Conecuh and Butler counties while dealing with a wide variety of humorous complications.

Before I close this thing out, I feel like I should say that this book might not be for everybody. True to the style of Thompson, it does contain profanity, adult content and material that some readers might find objectionable. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

In the end, if you’re interested in reading a copy of Cam’s book, you can buy in on Amazon.com for $10 a copy.