On the Road

By: Jack Kerouac

Narrated by: David Carradine

The classic novel of freedom and the search for authenticity that defined a generation

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac's years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, "a sideburned hero of the snowy West." As "Sal Paradise" and "Dean Moriarty," the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac's love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make On the Road an inspirational work of lasting importance. Kerouac’s classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be “Beat” and has inspired every generation since its initial publication more than fifty years ago. This Penguin Classics edition contains an introduction by Ann Charters.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.©1955 Jack Kerouac (original material) . Copyright renewed © Stella Kerouac 1983. Copyright renewed © Stella and Jan Kerouac 1985; (P)1986 LFP Holding, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An authentic work of art . . . the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as 'beat,' and whose principal avatar he is."
--Gilbert Millstein, The New York Times

"On the Road has the kind of drive that blasts through to a large public. . . . What makes the novel really important, what gives it that drive is a genuine new, engaging and exciting prose style. . . . What keeps the book going is the power and beauty of the writing."
--Kenneth Rexroth, San Francisco Chronicle

"One of the finest novels of recent years. . . a highly euphoric and intensely readable story about a group of wandering young hedonists who cross the country in endless search of kicks."
--Leonard Feather, Downbeat

My first Audio book!

Would you consider the audio edition of On the Road to be better than the print version?

Never read the print version

Who was your favorite character and why?

Teresa the "Mexican girl" All guys hope to meet a girl like this on the bus. :)

What three words best describe David Carradine’s voice?

Very, very noisy.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, I did not have a extreme reaction.

Any additional comments?

Good book. I will be listening to it again.

Highly Recommended for anyone at a life crossroads or in a midlife crisis!!!

"Memories and dreams are intermixed in this mad universe." ---Jack Kerouac

"I have nothing to offer anyone except my own confusion." ---Jack Kerouac

David Carradine's voice is Sal Paradise.

I have read this book several times. I still cried when Carradine read the last lines. Perfect.

A classic I had never read

I’ll be honest it took me some time to really get into it… But it really is a great story if you’re patient and the narrator is perfect for it.

I felt it

This performance of this book made me realize just got truly great this is book is.
i believe i have gone from having an appreciation of what this book was
to a realization of what this book is