749 reviews for:

The Dharma Bums

Jack Kerouac

3.75 AVERAGE

challenging funny inspiring medium-paced
adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character

I really enjoyed this book - much more than I thought I would! Definitely recommend
challenging reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My first Kerouac, but certainly not the last.

Bit of a letdown. Worth reading for scenes of Mill Valley; Berkeley, and West Marin. Kerouac has hiked from Stinson to the ridge and happened upon the mountain play theatre, and so have I. Very cool.

As a non-Buddhist, I found much of Dharma Bums boring and inaccessible. Perhaps I am not his intended audience.

Backcountry scenes in desolation wilderness are cool. Glad I read, probably won’t read again save for Stinson and Ridge scenes.

On The Road and Bug Sur are better.
adventurous challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Kerouac finds not only the words for wanderlust but the words to inspire wanderlust once again, very reflective of his personal spiritual journey and how it relates to nature and further how nature relates to matter. 

I liked listening to On the Road more than this one. On the Road seems to me to contain as much of the Dharma path as this one without ostensibly mentioning it by name.
inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

4.5

Un relato mítico sobre un par de jóvenes desharrapados en los Estados Unidos de la década de los cincuenta que disfrutan las libertades de su existencia y al mismo tiempo buscan una suerte de camino de la iluminación budista en un entorno occidental.

Como primer libro de la generación beat que leí esperaba un relato centrado en el sexo y alcohol a lo Bukowski (realismo sucio) con algo de filosofía oriental. Sin embargo me lleve una grata sorpresa: el libro se enfoca en las experiencias y sensaciones que tiene Ray (Kerouac) tanto en sus conversaciones, divagaciones, fiestas y borracheras como en su camino cruzando Estados Unidos haciendo autostop y colándose en los trenes de mercancías.

Lo que más me gusto del libro es que tanto Ray como el segundo protagonista, Japhy (Gary Snyder), son grandes amantes de la naturaleza y parte de su búsqueda para la iluminación pasa por experimentar de primera mano las montañas: sus sensaciones, fatigas, angustias, como también sus recompensas y regalos. Precisamente el relato expresa de manera sencilla el universo de experiencias de cualquier montañista en plena excursión.

Un bonito libro para sentir la inmensidad de las montañas rocosas y un poco el desierto de la frontera sur de Estados Unidos, todo en medio de una suerte de meditación budista occidental.

classic case of letting a hot guy monologue at you about his worldview while you nod along disinterestedly