Customer Reviews

Jack Kerouac: An Illustrated Biography

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The only good writing in this book is Carolyn Cassady's introduction. Most of these photos have appeared before. The editing is odd in that there are dozens of good photos of Kerouac that are only 1x1" and several full page photos of city scenes with no Kerouac content whatsovever. The text is lame. For those who want to complete their Kerouac reference librarys no matter the quality of the product.

This book offers more unique photos of Kerouac and associates than any other Kerouac book, including "Angel-Headed Hipster." But the same problems with most Kerouac biographies are present in this one as well. The biographer, David Sandison, seems more intrigued by Kerouac's image rather than his substance. Of course, this is why he painstakingly gathered the photos and presented them here. As usual, Kerouac's true motivations and inner demons are given only passing references, in favor of the more cinematic qualities of his life, eg. the women, the booze, and the fast cars. This book is not for the critical Kerouac reader seeking literary insight. It is, instead, for those enamored with the Kerouac Legend.

If you truly want to get personal with Kerouac, pick up anything with Ann Charters' name on it. She has proven, by far, to be the world's most authoritative and compelling Kerouac scholar.

This book features a great collection of photographs
documenting Kerouac and his circle of acquitances
spanning an impressive length of time. I would have liked
the author to have spent a little bit more time
exploring Kerouac's spiritual side, as oppossed to the media
orientated recitation of random incidents, but I
understand for it is the latter which pushes book exposure
and sales. Still, it was a book which I would encourage
others to read.

Most of the photos used in this illustration were never shown before in any other bio of Jack. One can tell that this was a labor of love.

While I am a gret fan of Kerouac, this book confirms my overall sentiments, those being that while a tremendous talent and personality, much like JFK, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and others, he wasn't nearly as good as we now make him out to be. I know this sounds horrible, but from a very objective point of view, the best thing that happen to Princess Di from a strictly PR perspective is that she died a premature and tragic death. This event increased her stock and shaped with kindness how she is being remembered. Back to the book, it is a worthwhile read and I enjoyed the 100+ photos I had not seen previously. Overall, I'd say the book was well written and worth the readers time.