
Jack's Book
An Oral Biography of Jack Kerouac
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.76
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mauro Hantman
About this listen
The classic and fascinating story of Jack Kerouac, "King of the Beats" and American literary legend, recorded through the voices of his friends and lovers. Authors Barry Gifford and Lawrence Lee retraced Kerouac's life at home and on the road and talked with the prophets, musicians, poets, socialites, and working people who knew him. Some are famous (Allen Ginsberg, Gore Vidal, William Burroughs); some are not (Jack's boyhood buddies, his lovers, his barroom companions). All have contributed to a remarkably vibrant, riveting portrait of a life.
We see Jack at Columbia University and on the scene of Greenwich Village; speeding across the tarmac of America with Neal Cassidy ("Dan Moriarty" in Kerouac's classic novel, On the Road); at home with his possessive mother; in California, drinking wine and talking Buddhism; and finally, in Florida, where his life ends tragically at forty-seven years old. Jack's Book, like Kerouac's novels, makes a unique contribution to our understanding of a man and a generation that shaped the dreams and visions of those who followed.
©1978 Barry Gifford and Lawrence Lee. All rights reserved. Introduction copyright © 1994 by Barry Gifford. All rights reserved. Remarks attributed to Gary Snyder are copyright © 1978. All rights reserved. (P)2012 AudioGOWhat listeners say about Jack's Book
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- George
- 12-23-20
Should be required reading for everyone!!
Jack Kerouac was by far, a poet. I say poet, cause his prose writing when read aloud, sounds like poetry. Contrary to what has been said, he did not create the Beat Generation. The Beat Generation came to him.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- OBIE
- 08-17-23
good histoy of kerouac tol by the people that hnew him
good background by the charecters in his books, a good listen once yo've read the rest
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tarja
- 09-04-12
You didn't know Jack. But now you do.
What did you love best about Jack's Book?
The structure and the voices of those interviewed are very crisp and clear.
What did you like best about this story?
Jack was not a hero, he was a storyteller and that's the way his contemporaries remember him.
What does Mauro Hantman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Feeling, pace and warmth.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Sadness in the end, but that is always with a biography of any sort.
Any additional comments?
Well done, very enjoyable. Listener is not required to be too familiar with Jack's works, but might definitely get interested in them after listening to "Jack's Book" (which, btw, is a brilliant title).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- N. Cornell
- 01-20-22
Such a great free listen
Beautiful, honest, and tragic. Getting an opportunity to learn more about Kerouac from the people who knew him made for an audiobook I couldn’t stop listening to. If you’re a fan of On the Road, highly recommend you round out your view of Jack with the help of this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John
- 05-17-21
Poignant
A truly touching tale of a beautiful tortured soul..a glimpse at rise and fall
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Agent Q
- 09-08-23
It’s like a tesseract!
Allen Ginsberg said it best; “it’s a bunch of liars all telling their own version of the story” like when there’s a crime scene and the detective has to figure out the truth from all the conflicting accounts. That said, I think it works well in that respect.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ross
- 11-15-20
Duh
It’s not Dan Moriarity. If you can’t get a name in the book description, do I even listen to the book if the listing can’t get 1 simple easily accessible fact correct? I’m saying.....
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful