The Dharma Bums was published one year after On the Road made Jack Kerouac a celebrity and a spokesperson for the Beat Generation. Sparked by his contagious zest for life, the novel relates the adventures of an ebullient group of Beatnik seekers in a freewheeling exploration of Buddhism and the search for Truth.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Though Not His Best, MY Favorite:
My favorite read among Kerouac's work, as I grew up in Berkeley & know a lot of the places he talks about & though Kerouac was a hopeless closet-Catholic the Zen Buddhist stuff at the end is all right. I met Gary Snyder (`Japhy Ryder,' in the novel) once & he told me: `Kerouac was an alcoholic who drank himself to death.' True enough, `but he had more talent than all the rest of you combined,' I replied. The guy's memory was amazing, he could recount conversations, drunken stoned conversations... more info
It's Kerouac...:
Stylistically and idealogically its Kerouac through and through. The idea of living a truly free life and one without boundaries truely provoked a lot of thought for me personally. It makes you want to be one of Ray and Japhy's friends; to go find a shack to live in and really exist in what may be the only best way to exist, free of material incarceration. I recommend this book to be read by young adults everywhere. Not all will be opened to a new way of thought and what really matters in this world but... more info
Don't bother:
I tried to give Kerouac a chance to revive himself after reading his most notable mess 'On the Road.' Now I'm thoroughly confused as to why he's so popular.
It's OK, but ...:
I didn't get much out of it. It was a nice diversion from everyday life but I kept looking for the point Kerouac was trying to make and it escaped me. I've been reading a lot of hiker, mostly Appalachian Trail, narratives and thought this would be a nice expansion of the group. I went in with little knowledge and no preconceptions about Kerouac and came away with little appreciation of his work. I'm still going to read On The Road and might revisit this review if the mood strikes me. I suppose the lack of... more info
