On the Road (1957)

 

Author: Jack Kerouac

Few months ago, I decided to create a list of about 30 books I definitely must read. From such literature giants as Joyce's "Ulysses" to modern bestsellers as Stockett's "The Help", I thought I had covered everything, but then, I watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and that's where I heard about the novel "On the Road" for the first time. Most probably, I would've never stumbled upon this book if not the film and my unquenchable thirst for getting acquainted with new genres of literature.

"On the Road" is a classic Beat generation novel that focuses on Sal Paradise and his friends' travels across America. If you don't know what "Beat generation" is ('cause I didn't), then, in short, it's a group of American post-World War II writers (including Jack Kerouac himself) who lived a bohemian lifestyle, rejected the established standards, had an interest in religion though experimented with drugs, and that's all on the backdrop of jazz (bebop, specifically) and poetry. This movement was also called 'Beatniks'. I'd have to be crazy to say that I live a somewhat similar lifestyle to the beat generation's one. Well, I do like to travel, but in a whole different fashion. 

Anyway, even though I was an untypical Beatnik work reader, I actually enjoyed this book, not insanely, but just enough to say that I wasn't entirely bored and didn't suffer torment while reading it (though the story was at times going around in circles). Yes, there were some parts in the novel that were too dirty and indecent for a woman's mind, but other than that, "On the Road" is a great holiday reading. It shows what living your life to it's fullest and being free from any preconceptions really mean, and these actually are the things that many of us lack nowadays. All in all, I suggest reading this novel even if you're not a rule breaker. Sometimes, exactly we, the polite ones, need to loosen a bit and go on reckless adventures even if they are just in a book. Let your imagination go wild!  But if you are a rebel deep inside your heart, then, congratulations, you've found the perfect buddy.