ON THE ROAD

In this "Beat Generation" classic, Jack Kerouac describes his years exploring North America with Neal Cassidy ("Dean" in the book) and other friends. Kerouac saw Dean as a kind of dropout saint, and generations of young people have obviously agreed with that assessment. The ultimate meaningfulness of Dean's own life as a vagabond may be an open question, but he was certainly a poetic aficionado of life itself. Matt Dillon, a veteran film portrayer of "outsider" youth, gives an authentic texture to the narration and voices. By capturing the lyricism of Kerouac's descriptive writing and Dean's soliloquies, Dillon demonstrates that On the Road is especially well suited to the audio format. K.C. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 01]