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A review by sponberry
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
There were parts of this book I enjoyed, in a madcap Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas kind of way, but to be honest this book is less put together than anything Hunter S Thompson would write. There are many places where the book doesn’t flow at all, and you have to slog through, unaided by Kerouac’s unedited slang style of prose.
I understand the significance of the beat movement and this book’s bearing upon it, but as a straight, white man in late 1940s America, the author succeeds only in upturning the status quo for himself and others like him, whilst firmly reinforcing it for literally every other marginalised group he encounters, including gay folks, women, black and indigenous people. What is the value of a movement that seeks to open up new ways of living if it entrenches inequalities in search of something as frivolous as fun?
I think this book is seriously overrated, even as a story it’s in dire need of some additional editing. However, I’m interested to read other books by the beat generation (I’ve read and loved some Patti Smith) and this did give a window into that era.
I understand the significance of the beat movement and this book’s bearing upon it, but as a straight, white man in late 1940s America, the author succeeds only in upturning the status quo for himself and others like him, whilst firmly reinforcing it for literally every other marginalised group he encounters, including gay folks, women, black and indigenous people. What is the value of a movement that seeks to open up new ways of living if it entrenches inequalities in search of something as frivolous as fun?
I think this book is seriously overrated, even as a story it’s in dire need of some additional editing. However, I’m interested to read other books by the beat generation (I’ve read and loved some Patti Smith) and this did give a window into that era.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship