It's a furious exhausting and frustrating read, the best line coming near the end when Dean leaves Mexico for New York and Sal protests "All that again?". I wanted to spend more time off the road and get to know the people and places better; but obviously that's not really what the book is about. It's about being ON the road, and most of all it is about Dean Moriarty. And Kerouac makes this all sound very exciting, making the cross-continental journeys feel like space travel. But in the end I tired of their impatience to keep moving on. ( )

Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs formed the spine of the Beat Generation and its inception, which ultimately inspired the cultural formation of the Beatniks, the San Fransisco Poets, and the hippie movements of the 60s. The 'Beat' generation stemmed from a post-war awareness of materialism and death, and this mindset reflected itself in the abandonment of mainstream ideals by its central figures. The writings of these literary ground-breakers awakened the social and cultural psyche to sexuality, jazz music, drugs, and a whole new take on living that was first shunned, and then embraced. On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a story that fills the spirit with recklessness, the heart with a wild longing for travel, and the mind with dreams of freedom. Sal Paradise (based on Kerouac himself) follows the Neal-Cassady inspired Dean Moriarty across the country and through classic Beat kicks: heroin, Benzedrine, bebop jazz, Mexico, sexual exploits, and ultimately a zest for life that encapsulates the soul of Moriarty, and the essence of the Beat Generation itself. ( )

I read this book a little too late in life probably. Maybe if I read it about 15 years ago fresh out of high school, I would have been struck with wonder - and wanderlust. But, I found my own road with that over time anyway. Not as extreme as Sal and Dean, but I'm still happy with the choices and where things delivered me.

Anyway, on with the book - I think that this would be worth a read again because I came across a lot of symbolism and it didn't seem to be hidden - so an easy read you can feel smart about... ( )

Another book that is best read in high school. ( )

On The Road tells the story of Jack Kerouac's adventures on the road, often with Neal Cassady. Meant to be one of the best examples of the 'beat' generation, On The Road focuses on the open road, detail, jazz and the quest for meaning and experience.

Personally, I found the book quite interesting although there were times when I found the excessive detail a bit boring (e.g. the descriptions of jazz). However, the journeys and even the life in the different towns and cities was interesting. There is a range of characters in the book, which can at times be difficult to keep track of especially as they are mentioned in one chapter then completely forgotten about and then mentioned again.

An interesting read... ( )