Berfore the Hippies or Yuppies, it was all about the Beat generation. A generation of poets, musicians, writers, and artists, who lived bohemian lifestyles and lived life to its fullest. "On the Road", which is based on Kerouac's real travels with fellow Beat friends, follows Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty as they roar back and forth through the roads of North America, usually broke, trying to find themselves and understand life. From jazz clubs in San Francisco to flats in New York, from Los Angeles to a brothel in Mexico, Kerouac narrates the frenetic tale so descriptively, you can't help but feel as if you're along for the ride. They experience life's ups and downs while meeting new people and experiencing new lifestyles. Every character they encounter touches their lives in some way, and adds greatly to this story. Kerouac's zest for life and love of people becomes apparent and is contagious.His wonderful descriptive phrases leave you with fabulous images of the people, the places, and the times.I often found myself smiling or even laughing out loud at the crazy things Sal and Dean experienced.
On the Road brings readers back to a more simplistic era, where one could travel across the country with $30, and begin and end lives in the time span of a month. I think it provides a valuable perspective on life and what it means to truly live.

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes "AWWW!"
- On the Road