Rating: 
Summary: the beat goes on
Review: I was amazed reading this book because it transfixed and enlightened me on several levels. i loved kerouac's yearning, quest and experience of the transcendent and ephemeral. Kerouac's friendships reminded of close friendships that had nothing to do with social status or level of income, but everything with staying in the moment and feeling alive. I appreciated the honest portrayal of Dean-the self destructive dimension that accompanied his holy madness. On the Road made me wonder to what extent technology/information/computers have numbed the deeper and real transcendent yearnings in our souls, and the corollary to what extent we have wrapped ourselves around this 'new age'. It is interesting that Kerouac took his road experiences onto a level of a genuine spiritual search, a serious study of Buddhism. It was refreshing to experience the joy, life, spontaneity and unpretentiousness of Kerouac and friends.
Rating:
Summary: On the Road: Bohemian Road Trip
Review: "At dusk we were coming into the humming streets of New Orleans." In Jack
Kerouac's On the Road, Sal Paradise travels all over the country meeting new friends and visiting old ones. Kerouac portrays the life of someone from his "beat generation." Kerouac's use of no particular setting for very long in the story is well done. The characters are constantly moving throughout the country, thus it really has no central setting. Sal seems to be trying to fit in with his friends, Dean Moriarty in particular, while traveling the country with them. Over the course of a few years Dean and Sal travel across the country many times, eventually ending up in Mexico City. Dean constantly leaves Sal and his other friends, sometimes to pursue women and others to go look for "kicks." On the Road has no real plot structure. There is no climax or even a real beginning and ending. It has only a few conflicts, those coming usually from Dean and Sal. The novel uses foreshadowing in parts. "Damn! It made the trip seem sinister and doomed." The story is written in 3rd person limited point of view. It is told through Sal. Kerouac uses slang terminology from the period as well to give the book a good feel. On the Road is definitely a book worth reading. How Kerouac portrays the street life of the 40s is good. Just the way the whole book is written all the way to the end of the book, is genius.
Rating:
Summary: Smooth Sailing Through the annals of Americana
Review: What Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix was to the hippies, Kerouac was to the Beats. So, how did a book define a generation? Kerouac uses real-life episodes to illustrate a style and walk of life that awakened and created many followers. Since he lived this book the realism of it is like no other. Kerouac and his friend, Neal Cassidy (represented in the book as Dean) make multiple trips across America by any means necessary, including. As the words flow, the episodes and characters drift towards you, cars, buses, and hitchhiking. Kerouac's style of run on sentences and use of metaphors brings the beat style of speaking back to life. The book's readability is incredible; the words literally flow off the page, a by-product of a love of the language. The beat poet extraordinaire, Allen Ginsberg, makes an appearance. He is represented by druggie-cum-poet Carlo Marx. The book's story is quite simple, but the situations and prose make the book stand out. The narration is an interesting mix of emotions, blending dark and depressing situations with a genuine zest of America, making this one of the finer books ever printed.
Rating:
Summary: The Anti-Suburbia Manifesto-READ IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE BOOK
Review: What few people realize in reading this book, and how it is almost never taught in the academic circles and higher education institutions of the world, is that On the Road, in my mind, should be classified with works such as Walden, The Communist Manifesto, and even President Hoover's little known speech "Rugged Individualism." This book, although perhaps the first piece to integrate Faulkner's stream of conscious style with the belief that real life stories are more exciting than any fiction could ever be, is to many people the very first piece of literature to attack the uninspiring, alienating, vapid and humdrum life of those living in suburban nightmares. This review is intended for those who do not understand why so many people like this book. The key to understanding this book is to understand Suburbia. In particular, what it does to people. Suburbia. It accounts for almost all new development schemes and is home to millions. But what is it exactly? Suburbia are communities nestled between the bustling city and the backwoods farm villages. It is neither city nor country. It is an American invention developed in response to the hordes of returning WWII GIs. Two monumental events happened to make Suburbia what it is now 1) the standardization of construction materials, allowing for rapid and unhindered development 2) the Federal Housing Act that gave mortgages to tens of thousands of families. These two factors would create a development spree heretofore unknown to the American landscape. It would also help spark the Beat Generation and in turn something even more volatile-The Sixties. The theory behind Suburbia is sound. Build a nice community with affordable housing far enough from the city to avoid the crime and stress, but not too far away that you couldn't get to the city to work. And truthfully, it could have been like this. Except for one major flaw. Zoning. In Suburbia, land is zoned into massive residential zones and commercial zones. There is no mix (mix-use) as we see in the city and countryside. For example, in the city a home could sit next to a barbershop or a bar or across from an acting theater. In Suburbia we don't have this. Where we live is isolated from where we shop. We have to drive everywhere (when was the last time you walked anywhere in Suburbia?). This creates social alienation (when was the last time you said hi to the old man that owns the dime store on the corner?). We don't stop and talk to our neighbors on our way to the grocery store or to the theater like we would in the city or countryside. We become isolated and surrounded by convenience stores, track homes, and every type of establishment that costs a mere pittance to develop. We sit at home and watch TV because we can't walk to cultural events like in the cites and even in the country. This creates isolation, loneliness and a culture of fear. Sound like America to you now? It's not ironic that many of the school shootings are happening in Suburbia. When I talk to people about this book, those whom really appreciate it are middle-to-upper middle class suburban, white, male Americans. People that grew up on tales of adventure and all the founding characteristics that define what America was to the early pioneers--rugged individualism, freedom, community, friendship, and the ability to set the standard. What America is not now or has been really since this Suburbia thing developed. I can't really imagine an African -American or a Hispanic person living in the ghettos appreciating this book. To this person, the thought of a suburban community is probably much more appealing than living in federal housing projects. I also can understand why women have problems with this book. The Beats weren't really politicking for work place equality. And I can see a conservative fellow living in the country having trouble with On the Road. This man, who has access to hunting, hiking, nature, and community involvement probably can't understand what Kerouac has done here. The immigrants coming from the Old World at the turn of the 20th century had amazing challenges to face-nation-building, wars to fight. The Civil Rights movement defined an entire group of people. But to those of us born in Suburbia, we were robbed of our challenges, whether they are good or bad. We were born into nothingness. I first read On the Road at the age of 16 and I was immediately floored. It didn't take but a split second for me to understand what was written. I could instantly identify that Kerouac had written a manifesto that openly challenged Suburbia, intentionally or not. I myself lived in a phony upper-middle class, white community near sprawling townhouses, track homes, and strip malls. I realized that every generation before mine in America had been defined by its struggle-The Civil Rights Movement, WWII, The Great Depression, Prohibition, The Civil War, The American Revolution. But with the advent of Suburbia and the death of community, legions of us were born into nothingness-cultureless television land. And here's the theme of the whole book-a group of young suburbanites in desperate search for an identity. Kerouac and The Pranksters of the Sixties were only looking for what the early American pioneers were looking for- adventure, freedom and rugged individualism. Kerouac and his band of zany followers were looking for spirituality, excitement, and sincerity in a world that was becoming wrapped up in materialism and television. And so were the kids of the Sixties and why most of the Sixties participants were suburban kids. Now, as Suburbia spreads across America and isolation and fear grow, a new generation has begun to relate to the writings of this man. So to you, dear reader, your criticisms about this book are not unfounded. But realize that this book is best understood by those living and dwelling in the worst of all places. Suburbia.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic!
Review: I read this immediately after another Amazon.com purchase -- The Losers' Club by Richard Perez -- and while the two books have certain similarities being travelogues and snapshots of a specific time and place, I must say I like the style of On The Road a bit more than The Losers' Club -- even though I realize each author had different intentions and The Losers' Club is more about relationships and a portrait of the artist as a failure. On The Road is truly a beautiful and fluidly written book. It's like one long undedited camera take, and I found myself swept up in it easily and never bored. This book is a must-read and I recommend it to everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Relaxing read...but uneventful
Review: Jack Kerouac was an extremely vivid writer with an eye for detail and a taste for nostalgia that could make reading his work often quite interesting, but at the same time rather tedious. Either way, I reccommend it
Rating:
Summary: The Heart"BEAT" of a Generation........
Review: This review refers to the audio cassette edition(Harper/Caedmon Audio)of "On The Road"(Unabridged) by Jack Kerouac.... Jack Kerouac's words and characters come alive in this outstanding read by Matt Dillon. Each character from the life loving "Sal Paradise", to the complex "Dean Moriarity" and all the colorful personalities we meet "On The Road" are given life as Dillon captures the essence of what Kerouac himself called the "Beat" generation. Before there were Hippies or Yuppies, it was hip to be "Beat".The generation of writiers, poets, artists, and musicians living Bohemian lifestyles yearning for knowledge,and enjoying life to it's fullest.
"On The Road", based on Kerouac's own travels, follows the adventures of Sal and Dean as they criss-cross North America, usually broke, trying to find themselves. They experience life, and lifestyles new to them and savor every moment. Every character they encounter touches their lives in some way, and adds greatly to this story. Kerouac's, zest for life and love of people becomes apparent and is contagious.His wonderful descriptive phrases leave you with fabulous images of the people, the places, and the times.I often found myself smiling or even laughing out loud. This audio edition is 7 tapes(14 sides) running about 40-50 minutes per side. Close to 11 hours that will have you spellbound. I listened to it every chance I got...I popped it in my walkman while cleaning or working out, and became so engrossed I lost track of the time and my reps(my house is now very clean and my arms very toned!), and brought it with me every time I went somewhere in the car.The tapes are an excellent quality.The audio was clear as a bell. My only complaint might be in the packaging. Other audio tapes I have come with a little tray to keep the tapes in order, this one had the tapes just stacked in a box(I bought a used edition, so possibly,this may just be my copy). This might make it difficult for a visually impaired listenter to find the next tape but it's probably easily remedied with a labling system of some sort. If you're looking for a great audio book, a story that pulls you in and a reader who will captivate you, this is one you should consider.I had a great time and wished I was there! "What's your road, man?".......enjoy..Laurie
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Summary: The american dream on a shoe string budget....
Review: Being known as one of the most influential books of the century my expectations for Jack Keurouacs On the Road were quite high, and I was not disappointed. Lamen words on book review sites and word of mouth cannot express the experience of reading On the Road, it truly must be read for one to understand its power. On the Road is a brilliant comment on contemporary life and the American dream. Questioning the fulfillment of life in America, On the Road is a story about Sal, loosely based on Keurouac, who sets across the country numerous times with nothing more than a shoe string budget and his buddy Dean to his side, loosely based on Cassady. Loud, chaotic and free loving the two set out hitchhiking the country including such stops as Chicago, San Francisco and New Mexico, The two beautiful characters love life and express it with their every action. The insouciant Dean especially has a burning desire to experience life hustling, stealing and rocking america. Dean is the envisionment of what every young American male dreams he could be.Keurouac's beautifully crafted writing style is the basis for this great story. Poetic and a natural flow. The writing style appears to almost be automatic writing or rambling but when studied closely it is easy to explore the genius of jacks writing. The book is layered with symbols images and motifs, and in order to get the most out of this book I would suggest reading it a few more times(I know I will). Jacks style of writing fluctuates between extremely clear detail and vague, almost random progression to other topics which creates a duality in the writing. I believe this duality allows the readers mind to bridge the gaps.
On the road makes you think. Filled with beautiful imagery this book is passion in text. One of the most beautiful images in the book are the landscapes which jack illustrates. Keurouac uses each character Dean and Sal meet to strengthen the images of the landscapes.
Jack presents the story real, and in an informal composition. After reading this book I am intrigued by the world, and I appreciate its existence. This book makes you love life, it is extremely entertaining, uplifting, optimistic, and intellectually and poetically full of analyzation. Jack Keurouac approaches life in a very strange, yet free way and on the road gives us an almost first hand experience of it. On the Road is extremely inspirational, and will make almost anybody want to grab a few bucks and experience the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: First, let me say that I read just the first 10 chapters -- about one-fifth -- of this book. So if there is something spectacular in the remainder, I'm sorry, I missed it. But judging from what I read, I saw no reason to go on.
"On the Road" is a rambling series of disjointed episodes as the protagonist, Sal, travels across the country by bus and by hitchhiking. While Sal keeps moving, the story has little direction.
The fragmented nature of the book could be forgiven if the individual parts were interesting, but few are. I did enjoy the image of Sal and other hitchhikers clinging to a flatbed truck as it speeds across the plains, but that's about it. Sal's conversations with fellow hitchhikers and motorists who give him rides are brief and inconsequential. His time with friends, drinking beer and whiskey and pursuing women, are mostly juvenile and pointless.
Worst of all, Sal and the other central characters are only barely likeable, so the reader has little reason to care about them.
I embarassingly admit that I read this book thinking that it was nonfiction. Only once I put it down did I see that it is fiction. But this confounds me even more. When I believed it to be a true account, I could somewhat accept the uneven story -- after all, life is uneven. But now that I know this is fiction, I am puzzled: Why would Jack Kerouac include so many scenes and characters that offer so little to the reader?
Rating:
Summary: Important, but not a classic
Review: "On the Road" has and always will have a great appeal to young white American males, all of whom would love to be Dean Moriarity. Persons who don't fall into that rather narrow definition will be less enamored by it. As a young white male, I loved it, but the book's veneer fades with age, and as a 33-year-old I find much more meaning and literary value in the works of people like Steinbeck. "On the Road," unlike true classics, is very much wedded to its time and place, late 1940s/early '50s America. Kerouac is an odd man out, having been college educated, serving in the military, but not content with a life in the suburbs and a 9 to 5. His and all the male characters' views on women are horribly dated, very reflective of the time. Kerouac has trouble finding or developing interesting female characters, which is a major flaw in this book since Carolyn Cassidy was probably more intelligent than all of his intellectual but sexist or gay drinking buddies. In fact, I highly recommend that anyone reading this book also read Carolyn's memoir "Off the Road" to get a fuller perspective and leveling of the events described in this book.
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