On The Road

Rating:
Summary: What a ride!
Review: Well, what can I say about "On the Road"? This was my first introduction to the Beat writers, and I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that this isn't the sort of thing I usually read. The lifestyle that these characters live is so foreign to the way most of us live that it made a nice break for me to be carried along for the ride. However, I must admit that if I knew these folks in real life they'd probably drive me nuts.

Rating:
Summary: Decent story, but is given too much commotion
Review: In short, I'd like to say I don't get what the big whoop is about. It poses ideas of freedom and happiness that are indeed uplifting, but I do not think that these ideas are particularly well presented. Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassidy), in one section, points out how one of the people they are getting a hitched ride from constantly worries and never seems to have fun (which, if you've ever shown caution, you know is false - you can still have quite a nice time while also knowing where you're headed), however, in the end, the free, happy spirit is the one who is left by his friends, thought of as insane, and discarded like a piece of trash in favor of seeing a concert. It is a decent book, and you should read it, but unless you really look in to how opressive that time period was towards happiness and freedom I do not think the perspective is easily seen.

Rating:
Summary: Nice trip, but could've been better
Review: I hate to say it, but after a recent re-read I have to admit that "On The Road" is not a terribly good book. Kerouac has some great lines once in a while, but most of this book is quite self-indulgant and often boring. The first 20 pages or so are incredibly dull, and Kerouac's descriptive abilities w/ regard to the places and things he experiences could be bettered by almost anyone in a Creative Writing 101 class. The narrator, "Sal Paradise," is an aggrandized alter ego of Kerouac, and not a very convincing one. The prose has a "Look how cool we are" quality that reminds me of the Fonz and other generic rebel wannabees, not an authentic hipster. Other 1950's books like "Catcher in the Rye," "Rabitt, Run," and many Truman Capote stories have superior voice, description, and characters compared to Kerouac. I read Barry Mile's bio of Kerouac, and it turns out that JAck K. was not so cool in real life. He was bascially a spoiled little alcoholic mama's boy who never accepted any responsibility for his life. He was also a racist & Nazi sympathizer. I recommend all Kerouac fans check out the Miles bio, it's a better read than "On the Road."

Rating:
Summary: righteous, spiritual book
Review: This book was a revelation. Shed yourself of all tired encumbrances and just go! No one's going to do it for you, it's a decision all your own. Kerouac, through his fictional incarnation Sal Paradise, describes the yearning, sadness and rapture associated with being on the road. Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) is the embodiment of all of this and Paradise finds redemption through experiencing America with Dean. This book reminded me of a saying by John Wooden of all people. When asked what he found most gratifying about coaching, he says it was never the destination, it was the journey on the way toward the destination that he enjoyed the most. Look for the poetic prose, the frenzied observations, and Sal's feeling of grandeur and beauty when traversing the vast expanse known as America. And most importantly, enjoy the description of the kind of transport that can be had only by feeling jazz.

Rating:
Summary: Introducing The King of Beat
Review: Along with Allen Ginsberg's Howl, Kerouac's travel narrative is the perfect point of entrance into the jilted world of the early Beats. Kerouac, the sometimes reluctant King of Beat, engages the reader with the frenetic pace of this novel, which follows its thinly veiled characters across the country several times, and eventually into Mexico. Having read it several times, its energy is equally overwhelming and contagious. Hailed as an American classic, the search for essence and freedom portrayed in the novel lays the foundation for the social upheaval and drug culture of the 60's. While it is not a masterpiece from the standpoint of the literary craft, this often overinterpreted novel nonetheless stands as a cultural landmark and deserves due respect.

Rating:
Summary: An oustanding travel journal- Not a great book
Review: 'On the Road' is important because it was lived, not because it was especially important as literature or because it was especially well written. Kerouac was living in a very unique and fascinating way at the time and he does a workmanlike job of recounting this bohemian lifestyle. This book, as a work of literature is not impressive. It is neither terribly creative nor lyrical.

This is the kind of book that is fun to read while travelling. I really enjoyed reading it while I was hitchhiking around Europe. Was I not so steeped in the mystique of the Beatniks, and thus able to connect the characters in the book with these avant-garde celebrities, I may have opted for my Lonely Planet travel guide.

Rating:
Summary: EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
Review: This book changed my life and I'm sure has changed the lives of several others. It changed my life, because the book is about changing, experimenting, enjoying, and just simply living.

This book is also about a quiet, contemplative man, Sal Paradise, (who is thought to be Jack Kerouak himself,) who encounters a man, Dean Moriarty, (Neal Cassidy,) who influences him to change and experience the life Sal has always wanted. They dare to leave New York and have an experience that could not possibly be more intriguingly described than by the zesty, fun-loving writing style of Jack Kerouak.

There is a little bit of psychology in this book, as in analyzing the unique relationship between Dean and Sal, and there is plenty of philosiphy as well. These two characteristics of this book made it ever-more interesting and enjoyable to read.

The message of this book is clear. Enjoy life. Some people live their life worrying so much whether they'll get "It" or not, that they spend too much time worrying whether they will and don't get "It" at all. To succeed is to enjoy, and Jack Kerouak proves that in this ride through post-WWII America.

It's Good. Really Good.

Rating:
Summary: The Grass Is Always Greener . . . Someplace Else
Review: My rating of this book is based on the quality of the writing. If I were to rate the book instead for the appropriateness of what is described, I would rate it as a "zero." Before going further, let me mention that this book describes more immorality, lack of consideration, and disgusting behavior than you will read in five usual novels. If such things upset you, this book will be a poor choice for you to read.

This autobiographical novel is a paean to the hunger and optimism of youth. Everyone you meet in the book is convinced that something much better lies in the next town, in the next relationship, or in the next hit of "tea." The irony of this is nicely explored through the character of Dean Moriarty (Kerouac's friend, Neil Cassady, in real life) who constantly is adrift among the three women he has married.

The uplifting part of the book is found in the way that things somehow work out for everyone involved, even though they lack resources, insight, and appropriate caution. In their giddy gambles on new experiences, they hit the winning numbers often enough to be able to keep coming back for more. Their rootlessness and commitment to experimentation define them in the same way that the Depression defined their parents.

The brilliance of this book is that although you will probably not approve of the irresponsible lives the characters live, you will find yourself deeply involved with them. You will probably also know how they feel. In one vivid sequence, the bipolar Moriarty recreates a memory by almost crashing the car he is driving . . . just to make his point. In the aftermath, he quicky falls asleep, and someone else has to drive.

Youth can be very manipulative, and Kerouac's male pals certainly exemplify that impulsive weakness. Out of money, they steal, beg, borrow, lie, and do whatever it takes to score some. Then, they will spend whatever they have to last them for weeks on a spree covering just a few hours. Moriarty routinely leaves people in strange cities with no money and no friends, and forgets about them. Another pal marries a woman so he can get her to pay for a cross-country drive. When her money runs out in Arizona, he abandons her.

Kerouac's writing captures all of this in a remarkably vivid way. He has a lust for experiences that makes the world fresh and new. For example, he lovingly describes being a cotton picker, one of the worst jobs available at the time. The descriptions of what it is like to listen to jazz are remarkably effective and will probably attract new fans for years. Unfortunately, he also glamorizes drug usage which will also probably generate a lot of new fans for that, as well.

Road trips are a classic way that young men blow off steam in college. Freed from the restraints of being around those who supervise them, life seems more open and everything is possible. The men in this novel are mostly veterans who can get G.I. bill funds for their education. This can help fund road trips across the country, when the urge to travel hits them, tied to either their sense of being footloose or a vague promise of a bed on the other coast. Even after they marry and begin to raise families, the behavior changes little. These are Peter Pans who have adult responsibilities.

While most of what these people do are things that I do not consider commendable, this book took me back to my youth in very fundamental ways. I recalled each and every one of my "conservative" road trips with great relish and delight. I hadn't thought about them in years. I suspect that this book will be a "youth drug" for making you feel like a teenager again, too.

After you have enjoyed the great writing and the reminiscences that the book inspires, I suggest that you think about the exemplary things you did as a young person. How can you share those experiences with others in ways that will inspire them to want to serve goodness in the same ways?

Be open to life's potential . . . and be prepared to help enhance it with your responsible participation.

Rating:
Summary: Needed a little more, but still an interesting read
Review: I read On The Road because I liked The Dharma Bums, but I found that this book didn't have as much as I had hoped. I liked Keruac's style, but I was hoping for somthing more in this book. I liked Keruac's description of nature and the American countryside the most in both books, although the characters didn't appeal to me that much in this book. Maybe Im missing something. Im just your average reader, and don't really like poetry or prose too much, so if you consider yourself an average joe like me, this book is interesting, but not exciting.

Rating:
Summary: Subtle Knowledge
Review: Kerouac is the master. He is like a drug. Insane thoughts, feelings and senses coming from every direction. Do not be concerned. He will make you high. No memory is needed. It all seaps through your skin until you become aware. The perfection is incredibly real. And you know it all - every last crumb! He is there, in your head. He has been there your whole life and now he is letting you know yourself. Like he was the child watching, not missing a step, while you were too busy to notice. Don't stop - he hits you like a rush and the relentless wave changes you for good. Go, Go, Go!