On The Road

On The Road by Jack Kerouac is a benzedrine-driven look at what the ADHD condition might be like. The story and dialog jump around like a crow after so many shiny things, and quite honestly, it takes awhile to find the book’s rhythm so that one can actually make some sense of it.

From the sounds of it, the book is almost an autobiography of sorts, but the names were changed to…well…not protect the innocent, as the major characters are actually other famous people, but perhaps to take some additional liberties with the story and get a novel out of it. We follow the main character Sal Paradise as he makes several trips crisscrossing the U.S. and ultimately drives south to Mexico City, often with the companionship of the ultimate vagabond, Dean Moriarty.

I’ll say this for the book, it nearly gives a person the urge to hop a train or hitch-hike off to parts unknown without anything really resembling a plan. I don’t think this book is for everyone, but ultimately I found it enjoyable.