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bettenboujee 's review for:
On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
To start this, I want to say that I thought this book was written from a perspective that was very straight white male, and being none of those things, I did raise my eyebrows a few times throughout the novel.
I appreciate the book in that I am interested in the Beat Generation, and this does capture that in that every character is based on someone in real life (many of them fellow Beatniks), so I think if you're interested in that this is a good way to learn about that time period.
That being said, I recognize that this book was published in a different time period, but it's pretty offensive by today's standards. Racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs are frequently used, and while this may be intentional, Sal comes from a very privileged standpoint and in one section, even wishes that he were not a young white man, and that he would be better off in a different role. It was pretty off-putting and did not help any possible appreciation that I would have for the narrative.
I can see how this book can change people's lives, but it really just wasn't for me, and for the people who do love it, I hope they have some reservations about how the characters treat the people around them, because there is nothing enlightening about being self-centered and presumptuous.
I appreciate the book in that I am interested in the Beat Generation, and this does capture that in that every character is based on someone in real life (many of them fellow Beatniks), so I think if you're interested in that this is a good way to learn about that time period.
That being said, I recognize that this book was published in a different time period, but it's pretty offensive by today's standards. Racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs are frequently used, and while this may be intentional, Sal comes from a very privileged standpoint and in one section, even wishes that he were not a young white man, and that he would be better off in a different role. It was pretty off-putting and did not help any possible appreciation that I would have for the narrative.
I can see how this book can change people's lives, but it really just wasn't for me, and for the people who do love it, I hope they have some reservations about how the characters treat the people around them, because there is nothing enlightening about being self-centered and presumptuous.