On the Road by Jack Kerouac

[sassasari]

Kerouac is one of the best beat writers the world has ever known, and this book is truly a testament to that. Some may say this book is overdone, that it is cliche, I mean a movie has been made after it...However, these sentiments are merely a result of the book's success and positive reception, and an author should not be penalized for writing a wonderful and well received piece of literature!

On the Road is a sort of historical fiction book of sorts, that details the wild journeys and wilder characters that the main character Sal Paradise encounters from 1947 to 1950. Now I say this is a sort of historical fiction book because it is semi autobiographical, as Kerouac draws on his own experiences and people he met to create this vibrant work. The personal aspect infuses this book with an authenticity that one could not achieve if they hadn’t lived what was written in the book. This book tells the tale of the beat generation, as they roam about the United States, thinking, learning, rebelling, and living an extraordinary adventure.

I commend the late author on how he pairs very simplistic writing with complex characters and intricate situations. There is not much symbolism within this book, what you read is what you get, and I find this to be refreshing. He brings the reader into the beat generation to experience his journey along with him and let me tell you, it is one heck of a journey. Now, this whole book isn’t all peaches and cream. Sal Paradise does not just happily traipse around the U.S., he faces obstacles, heartaches, disillusionment, and confusion, in addition to joy, excitement, anticipation, and enlightenment. The juxtaposition of joy and melancholy as well as hope and reality, is absolutely beautiful in this work of art.

I feel I should touch upon the plot and characters, which I can keep simple. The vibrant plot and characters makes you want to go out into the world and have a grand adventure. That is how wonderful I find this book.

In terms of the style of writing, this book is unique. As I previously said, Kerouac is a very simplistic writer which allows his plot, characters, and tone to shine through. Kerouac is a stream of consciousness writer, which means that he would sit down with his typewriter and just writes like mad, putting down what he thinks as he thinks it. By using this type of style you feel as if you are inside Sal Paradise’s head, thinking and feeling what he did. In addition to providing an interesting perspective, this stream of consciousness produces and authentic, raw, and honest feeling in Kerouac’s writing. Some may find this style to be tanget-y or jerky, but I find it to be charming and interesting.

I would recommend this book to all, whether it be to provide a different perspective, to learn about the beat generation and their interesting history, or to be inspired to travel the world. I give On the Road by Jack Kerouac a strong and enthusiastic A+.

How do you bookworms feel about this piece of literature?

[Wreade1872]

I didn't think much of it, its ok but not great, i prefer the weirdness of 'Dr. Sax'.

I also like pastiches of Keroaucs work i've come across, Alan Moore's beatnik poem 'Crazy Wide Forever' (which is a section of the League of Extrordinary Gentlemen: the Black Dossier) is one of the greatest things i've ever read but i think it might be a mismash of Kerouac and Ginsberg as opposed to just a Kerouac impersonation.

I also recently read 'Move Under Ground' which is basically Kerouac vs Cthulhu. Again better than Kerouacs own works.


I think a lot of praise for his work is simply his originality of style which i'm not that impressed by so i'm not that impressed by the result. But as i said 'Dr. Sax' is pretty decent. I might read that again sometime or something else by Kerouac but i can't ever see myself rereading 'On the Road'.

[jessica3llen]

I didn't really like this book. It was required reading in a Modern American History course. I thought it was OK, but I definitely didn't love it or think it was the best book ever. I was forced to read it because the professor said it exemplified the beatnik society. I feel like she really loved that time in history, and wanted everyone to love it. Maybe it was the being forced to read it by someone that didn't really grasp history that made me dislike it so much.

I can definitely see the literary importance of the book though, and do think it is still worth a read. I think the most interesting parts to me were the ones that took place in Mexico.

[smurfette2580]

I really wanted to love it. I tried so hard. I even tried to read it a second time because I wanted to know what everyone sees in it. I guess it just didn't work for me.

[Maria Luisa]

I read "The Dharma bums" when I was eighteen and I liked it very much. I liked also "On the road" that I read afterwards.

[Truepeacenik]

I got my grubby paws on this book in 1980.
Imagine if you can, a 12-year-old girl, raised in a small plains town, getting this view that life isn't static, it isn't all school, marriage, work. Life could be fluid and jumping, with many people and much music.
Add to that stream-of-consciousness style writing, and a serious case of itchy feet wanting to travel, and you have the recipie to change a life.
Honestly, it was timing more than anything, but I wanted to know the Roman Candle People. (I know I'm a sparkler in comparison, with moments of firecracker.)
Now, in my 40s, I am aware that Jack's America was dying as he wrote about it.
You can still go to the opera in Central City, but you are surrounded by hordes of gamblers. Five Points is torn by Five Gangs. Vesuvio's is a sad monument to North Beach's brilliant hour. Dean Moriarity is long dead, as Neal Cassidy died in Mexico on a railroad track in 1969.

Nonetheless, I've read it every few years. It's the first book I read to my child, nursing at my breast.
Copies flow in and out of my hands like water. One copy sits on my Kiddo's bookshelf, and I hope it ignites adventure as it did for me. Has it been read? Likely.
My Kiddo has been seduced by the Great American Night (and away from computer games and texting).
On The Road is a love song to America while seeing it for what it is (through the eyes of a person with some privilege) and what it could be. I appreciate that honesty.
A woman, an openly gay man, a non-European immigrant (Kerouac was steeped in French-Canadian roots) would have written a different book.

Jack wrote his truth. maybe he wrote Neal Cassidy's truth, or Allen Ginsberg's truth as we knew it.
It is a book that changed at least two generations.

[Jenn_Jenn]

I really wanted to love it. I tried so hard. I even tried to read it a second time because I wanted to know what everyone sees in it. I guess it just didn't work for me.

I'm with you. I'm a fan of the beat generation writers, and Kerouac is at the top of my favorites in that list, so when I got my hands on "On the Road" I was stoked. I treated it as if it was a precious jewel, and then I began reading which spiraled into disappointment. It missed the mark for me, I just didn't connect with it the way I have his other works, "The Dharma Bums" is my absolute favorite, and I was sad.

A shame, really.
Though I'm sure many people the world over love it, we aren't those people and that's okay. They'll love it for us.

[elena-09]

This book really gives an insight on the beat generation and their decade. It is a pretty convincing description of how they may think and act. But apart from that I could not really find a deeper meaning in the book.
Was anybody else able to?

[godreaujea]

My brother loves Kerouac, and I still have yet to pick him up. This is the one I plan to check out though!

[CarrieMe]

Like some others, I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't get into it that much. I definitely enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away. Maybe my expectations were too high because of all the hype. I'm a little curious to try reading some of Kerouac's books now that I'm older to see if that makes any difference. Maybe I'll appreciate them more... Or maybe they really are just meant to be read by the young...

[harpreet kaur bagga]

Kerouac is one of the best beat writers the world has ever known, and this book is truly a testament to that. Some may say this book is overdone, that it is cliche, I mean a movie has been made after it...However, these sentiments are merely a result of the book's success and positive reception, and an author should not be penalized for writing a wonderful and well received piece of literature!

On the Road is a sort of historical fiction book of sorts, that details the wild journeys and wilder characters that the main character Sal Paradise encounters from 1947 to 1950. Now I say this is a sort of historical fiction book because it is semi autobiographical, as Kerouac draws on his own experiences and people he met to create this vibrant work. The personal aspect infuses this book with an authenticity that one could not achieve if they hadn’t lived what was written in the book. This book tells the tale of the beat generation, as they roam about the United States, thinking, learning, rebelling, and living an extraordinary adventure.

I commend the late author on how he pairs very simplistic writing with complex characters and intricate situations. There is not much symbolism within this book, what you read is what you get, and I find this to be refreshing. He brings the reader into the beat generation to experience his journey along with him and let me tell you, it is one heck of a journey. Now, this whole book isn’t all peaches and cream. Sal Paradise does not just happily traipse around the U.S., he faces obstacles, heartaches, disillusionment, and confusion, in addition to joy, excitement, anticipation, and enlightenment. The juxtaposition of joy and melancholy as well as hope and reality, is absolutely beautiful in this work of art.

I feel I should touch upon the plot and characters, which I can keep simple. The vibrant plot and characters makes you want to go out into the world and have a grand adventure. That is how wonderful I find this book.

In terms of the style of writing, this book is unique. As I previously said, Kerouac is a very simplistic writer which allows his plot, characters, and tone to shine through. Kerouac is a stream of consciousness writer, which means that he would sit down with his typewriter and just writes like mad, putting down what he thinks as he thinks it. By using this type of style you feel as if you are inside Sal Paradise’s head, thinking and feeling what he did. In addition to providing an interesting perspective, this stream of consciousness produces and authentic, raw, and honest feeling in Kerouac’s writing. Some may find this style to be tanget-y or jerky, but I find it to be charming and interesting.

I would recommend this book to all, whether it be to provide a different perspective, to learn about the beat generation and their interesting history, or to be inspired to travel the world. I give On the Road by Jack Kerouac a strong and enthusiastic A+.

How do you bookworms feel about this piece of literature?

-- 16 May 2017, 07:43 --

its great and amazing book and inspirational

[bluegreenmarina]

I read this book pretty quickly and I wasn't bored by it... but at the same time I had a hard time seeing the point. Honestly at times it seemed like the ramblings of a shiftless and confused young man desperate to find some sort of identity or meaning but mostly just stumbling around. Perhaps I just don't have the right personality type to find glamour in his wanderings.

[Zupanatural]

Like some others, I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't get into it that much. I definitely enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away. Maybe my expectations were too high because of all the hype. I'm a little curious to try reading some of Kerouac's books now that I'm older to see if that makes any difference. Maybe I'll appreciate them more... Or maybe they really are just meant to be read by the young...

On The Road is the only book I've ever read in which all the principle characters are thoroughly dislikeable- I'm guessing someone from that particular subculture would respect them but nowadays they just come across as scumbags. Maybe that was the stumbling block for you?

[Insightsintobooks729]

I enjoyed this book. I got the copy that is close to the original manuscript, in book form, like a long road.

[knelly]

My shelf keeps growing. I am so reading it. I'm a big fan of Kerouac .