On the Road by Jack Kerouac

How did I live to be this old and not have read On the Road.  Today I finished listening to the book.  Matt Dillon was the reader, and he was excellent.  The book, named one of the best 100 English novels of the 20th century, was published in 1957, and follows “Sal Paradise,” (Jack Kerouac) and Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) in their adventures traveling back and forth across the U.S., smoking dope, chasing women, and listening to jazz.  Other figures of the “Beat Generation” appear as well.  (Kerouac is credited with coining the phrase “Beat Generation.”)

The book is 65 years old, but it still makes wonderful reading (or listening).  I was amazed at how trusting Americans were back then.  You could hitchhike across the country and not only bum rides, but also often be taken in by strangers.  (I should add, if you were white,)  Kerouac himself seems to be without prejudiced and populates his book with out groups.

I loved the book.  It is probably a good thing I didn’t read it when I was about 20.  I might have hitched to Denver or San Francisco or New Orleans.   I have an urge to do it now.