On the Road in Overdue Podcast

Nov 09, 2020 Sarina M rated it liked it

I am glad I have finally read this and am also glad that it is over. I live around the corner from a bar in San Francisco where Kerouac wrote and hung out with a lot of the other influential Beat writers, so ever since I learned that I wanted to read something by him.

It was really interesting to get a view of mid 20th century America that is drastically different than the sterile repressed one depicted in early sitcoms / word of mouth from older people. "In my day people respected their elders I am glad I have finally read this and am also glad that it is over. I live around the corner from a bar in San Francisco where Kerouac wrote and hung out with a lot of the other influential Beat writers, so ever since I learned that I wanted to read something by him.

It was really interesting to get a view of mid 20th century America that is drastically different than the sterile repressed one depicted in early sitcoms / word of mouth from older people. "In my day people respected their elders and all working families lived well and had moral value!". This book indicates very well that this (and every) time period has its own counter culture and people have always tried to find ways to live free.

There were a few passages in this book that were amazingly beautiful, but the vast majority felt as if I was reading someone's journal (albeit someone's journal who has an exciting life), in that it is often just lists of activities and people. 'I went to this bar and saw blank and we drank and saw this beautiful women and I tried to mate with her, then we went to a party with blank, blank, and blank and I threw up on the couch, then we left and...'.

I have often previously said "I can deal with some sexism in old books, the author shouldn't be expected to live by current societal norms / values", but honestly I just don't enjoy reading sexist books and repetitive sexist comments make me irritated and take me out of the story. All the women in this book are objects for sex and resulting children are solely the woman's responsibility. If they complain/cry/yell about raising children alone while their husbands run around America getting high / drunk / cheating, then they are just annoying nags to be left behind/replaced. We are supposed to identify with Sal and Dean and how free they are and how much fun they have, but I kept thinking about the women who are so thrown aside and ignored to make this possible. Kerouac puts an emphasis on the drive to live in the moment, but the problem with living in the moment is that you have to use a lot of other people to keep yourself afloat and keep your momentum going.

Sal's journeys across the U.S. and in Mexico were somewhat interesting, but also were pretty repetitive. I kept thinking about how terrible he must smell. Unfortunately I didn't particularly like Sal, actively disliked Dean, and felt 'bla' about everyone else. But anyway, I think Kerouac was able to wonderfully convey what is it like to have a magnetic, charming, lively, and eccentric friend, and how easy it is to get swept up in their lives and follow them about.

I think this would be a fantastic book to be assigned to Highschool English Classes as I think the kids would love it and it would make them much more excited to be exposed to literature than fucking Great Expectations / The Great Gatsby (or any of the other books that no teenager can relate / enjoy that they assign in school). ...more

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Nov 05, 2013 Paula Mckinley rated it liked it · review of another edition

I can understand why so many people are fanatical about this book. Those beatnick hipster and their nonconformist conformist attitude. When I think of the Beatle's song 'no where man ' I will now think of this book. My favorite part was part 2 and felt that I wasn't in love with the rest of the novel. It kind of felt like saying goodbye to old high school friends. You're saying good bye to characters who haven't really developed or grown but you like then all the same. ...more

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