The book that turned on the psychedelic generation...about two rebels on a wild march for experience from Frisco's swinging bars to the top of the snow-capped Sierras.
The Dharma Bums is good to read, and in it I found the start of many of the things that flowered in the '60's.
Trail Mix, backpacks, freedom in the wilderness, as well as a new freedom in the Cities.
It is even better to listen to because of the rhythm of the words.
Fantastic. Chronicles Kerouac's (in this book called 'Ray Smith') pursuit of Buddhist enlightenment with friend and fellow poet Gary Snyder (Japhy Ryder). I have to say I liked this book just as much if not more than 'On the Road'. Dharma Bums is a bit more organized and details Kerouac's passion in pursuit of the Buddhist lifestyle.
From back cover: Two ebullient young men search for Truth the Zen way: from marathon wine-drinking bouts, poetry jam sessions, and "yabyum" in San Francisco's Bohemia to solitude in the high Sierras and a vigil atop Desolation Peak in Washington State.