Showing posts with label mountains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mountains. Show all posts

Saturday, May 23, 2015

"The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac, 1958

"The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac, 1958

Buddhism, Hiking, and Wine drinking.. Topics I'm all too familiar with-- but in the reverse order. Did I learn anything new? Probably not. Did it answer any of those "life questions?" Nah, not any of mine at least, probably because I wasn't having an existential crisis to begin with. Were the tales told entertaining? I wouldn't go that far to describe it as such. At best, I was amused at some parts.

Jack Kerouac
Although a bit dated, somewhat misogynistic, and rambly, I still found myself amused by the misadventures and tales entwined in a very "westernized" view of Buddhism.  However, I think it's those very same qualities that give the book its charm.

"Ah Japhy you taught me the final lesson of them all, you can't fall off a mountain.”

But you can throw a book off one!

My rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5 stars) - It was ok.