Kerouac includes a fictionalized account of the Six Gallery reading. 'Howl' is fictionalized as 'Wail.' 

'The Dharma Bums' is probably a more solid work than 'On the Road.' ( )

Kerouac here deals with the search for meaning in Buddhism. ( )

Not my all time favorite Kerouac but it has moments that sparkle. ( )

The Dharma Bums (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Jack Kerouac (2006)

Reading Kerouac is like talking with a friend. I really hate his sex scenes though -- the yabyum scene with the 20-year-old Princess, "Ryder" and his lust for his own sister -- bleagh. Just when I felt like giving up, though, he'd go off an a blissful description of trees, boulders, or conies and I'd be loving the book again. ( )

I enjoy Kerouac's style so much, and this was a perfect title to take with me to CA and Big Sur, experiencing the wonder of the mountains and figuring out what life is all about. I'd recommend this for people who enjoy the outdoors and philosophy. ( )

It's a good read... I'm enjoying it will add more later..
I've finished it, it's a wonderful book, I know because I'm sad, looking forward to reading "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac. ( )

Another great sample out of the exceptional mind of Kerouac. Jack takes us on a trip that satisfies our need for fresh, cool dialogue and new experiences. Better than all the other Beat generation poet/writers. ( )

My favorite of all Kerouac's writings, this book is about friendship between men, family, and inner peace. ( )

In "The Dharma Bums", Kerouac has written another great book about the search for truth and meaning throughout the American countryside. The story is narrated by Ray Smith and is effectively Kerouac telling his own story. Smith and his friend Japhy are wanderers (or bums) in search of the True Meaning or Dharma. The trip covers one year of travels in the life of Smith. His frantic narrative style seems to be fueled by his frequent poorboys of cheap red wine as well as his sheer excitement to be in pursuit of the truth. The story starts in Berkeley, California and visits the Californian desert, Mexico, North Carolina, Seattle and finally ends at Desolation peak in the North Cascades of Washington state. All of these places are reached by hopping on trains, hitchhiking or shelling out a few cents for a bus ride. Interspersed within the descriptions of travel and characters are Zen musings such as "It's all different appearances of the same thing" as well as meditation on different ideals and places. Kerouac never lets the story slow down and regardless of how accurate the Buddhist ideals are, the rambling, jangly story is quite a ride. ( )

currently reading

http://pissandvinegar.vox.com/library... ( )

The Little Tramp finds religion. To me a more cohesive ramble than On the Road. Precursor (blueprint?) to whole hippie movement of the 1960's. ( )

Where On the Road showed me the transient side of life, Dharma Bums took me on a spiritual journey. Kerouac had a love of Buddhism (see All the Dharma) but never really left his Catholic faith.

To this day I have a hard time being in the woods without thinking of the fire tower. ( )

A wonderful novel about Jack Kerouacs Buddhist journeys and mountain climbing adventures. Keroauc rambles less in this one than he did in On the Road and it seems to have more of a point than On the Road making it more enjoyable a read. ( )

Likeable, but hard to read. I have a feeling that Spontaneous Prose is an acquired taste, like wasabi or sambal belacan. On the whole, it is an okay book. I liked Ray's hitch-hiking and freight hopping journeys across the US as well as his musings on life and people. But it's very unlikely I will be reading this again any time soon. ( )

Hippies wandering the US searching for the truth. Very cool, makes me wish I was born back then. ( )

Schullektüre ( )

Easily Kerouac's best book, and one of my favorite novels. You can't fall off a mountain. ( )

My favorite of Kerouac's novels, probably because of the tension between aceticism and... not. ( )

My favourite Kerouac book, which I have read several times. ( )

Kerouac's very bestest book. ( )

This book changed my life in high school. Growing up in a right-to-work state like Texas, it was the account I read railing against the "system of work-produce-consume" that erodes our humanity. ( )

Well it's just not On the Road but then again, what is? ( )