The Dharma Bums

Jugs of red wine, the first ever poetry reading for Ginsberg's epic "Howl", Zen Buddhism and mountain climbing...
What more could ANY Dharma Bum EVER dream of?!
I first read this in my early teens and found it a much relaxed less stressed read juxtaposed to "On the road" which Kerouac wrote in a flourish of cracked vicks inhalers rolled up into little balls and tossed into coffee in three weeks.
Gary Snyder is also a "centered" character in the novel (Japhy Ryder). I have ALWAYS suggested "The Dharma Bums" as a very good jumping point to eventually grasp Kerouac's "Spontaneous Bop Prosody" style of writing.
This novel has it all and now that Kerouac is back in the spotlight with the much anticipated release of "On the road" on the big screen, this book is a warm sip of wine, a warm kiss on a cold cheek, a close and trusted friend near...

I read "On the Road" and appreciated Kerouac for what he did for the Beats and American Letters, but wasn't crazy about him until I read this book. I'd even go so far as to say that the first chapter is one of the great chapters in American Lit. To continue where this book lets off, read the first 100 or so pages of Kerouac's "Desolation Angels." Dharma Bums is an innocent soul-searching tale of adventure that left me very hopeful for my life and the world.

I don't usually appreciate rambling, hundred-word sentences, but somehow that works in Dharma Bums. The free-wheeling sentence structure is dense with description of the land Ray Smith traverses, parties, wine-drinking, poetry-reciting sessions, and how all that ties in with his particular brand of Buddhism. I was never sure where they were going to go next. The payoff for me was near the end, where he heads up to Washington state, ultimately arriving at his fire lookout on remote Desolation Peak in the North Cascades. That's not far from my house, and though much has changed since the '50s, a lot of his description of the trip from Seattle up to the mountain still rings true today. So that's my favorite part of the book, but the whole thing was enjoyable for me. Just don't look for a plot to drive this thing.

I read Kerouac's novel The Dharma Bums & I must say I liked it very much! The story is about two young men as they set out in search of truth. They are Ray Smith and Japhy Ryder (Jack Kerouac & Gary Snyder). These two meet up in San Francisco, California at Berkeley. They attend a bohemian party and poetry jamming (The Gallery Six Reading). This was the beat generation of the 50s & 60s.
Japhy Ryder liked reading Zen books such as Diamond Sutra and also works by D.T.Suzuki. He was seeking his Bodhisattvas in everyone he met. Japhy would often quote Buddha: ("All life is suffering".)
Their goal was to climb Desolation Peak. The solitude was their Satori. Dharma Bums is a great story of adventurer. I also recommend On The Road by Jack Kerouac as well.

In *Dharma Bums* we see the brave, forceful beginnings of the "counter-culture" in America. The "drop-out" lifestyle is presented by Kerouac, its major early prophet, as a quazi-monastic quest to break free of the dullness and predictability of '50s middle class society, choose one's own values and discover a deep conncetion between the self and Nature. A strong analogy is drawn at every opportunity between America's young rebels and the wandering holy men of other cultures who also advocated independence and simple living.

To avoid the modern cliche of idolizing Kerouac and other writers and musicians, many whose lives are primarily concerned with the abuse of alchohol and drugs, Kerouac is truly and literary genius, and "The Dharma Bums" exemplifies this. Kerouac was all the things that were rebellious before rebellion became a dormant term, as it is today. Kerouac and "Japhy Rider" take you on a hike into the mountains that could inspire any soul to leave their materialsitic belongings behind for the life of a "Dharma Bum."

...but I had to expound on that on account of all these bad reviews.

If this book is not for you to get then that's fine and it's sad, but don't be so angry--coherence isn't everything. It's the heart that makes Kerouac, the sailing, pounding, beautiful, soulful, angry, churning, palpable heart.

And for those who worry that this is required scene material, the beat poets are dead, let them be. Read for yourself and its own rewards. That should be obvious; now go, enjoy this epic soul journey.

I agree with most of the positive reviews on this book and although I am a little biased (Kerouac is my favorite author), this book inspired me to write a poem after I finished reading it. And although it may not inspire you to do anything at all, it is that good that it could inspire something positive in your life or even in your viewpoint or artwork if you're an artist. I read "On The Road", "The Town and The City", and just before this one, "The Subterraneans", which I found really great but quite difficult to read without having blood run out of your ear from sentences that were 2 or 3 pages long ! This one was much more fun to read and I could not put it down. If you really like Jack you should also check out James Baldwin and Norman Mailer.

Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums is a semi-autobiographical novel covering the lives of two exuberant Zen wanderers seeking illumination across America. The novel offers alternative lifestyles and incites personal examination. The book questions American customs and institutions and suggests living more monastically. Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums was a masterpiece to the Beat Generation but its messages of self-discovery and personal growth are universal to all people.

During Kerouac's youth he experienced the plight of the lower-mid class firsthand in Lowell, Massachusetts. This roused his discontent for American society and interest in counterculture. Later, Kerouac joined the Navy but was insubordinate and honorably discharged. This would frame his resentment for forms of authority and instituted rules. He met Lucien Carr, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady who together composed the underground Beat Movement. The Beats can be described as weary groups of people who encouraged freedom of expression and creativity. The Beats ideals were present in all of Kerouac's work. He published numerous books but his two most famous works On the Road and The Dharma Bums would garner him national recognition. After 1961 Kerouac lived with his mother, no longer wrote, and died from years of alcoholism.

The Dharma Bums has a straightforward semi-autobiographical plot. The story is of two inquisitive men Ray Smith(Jack Kerouac) and Japhy Ryder(Gary Snyder) who "turn the wheel of the True Meaning, or Dharma, and gain merit for themselves as future Buddhas(Awakeners) and as future Heroes of Paradise"(5). They search for the truth of Zen. Then, Protagonist Ray Smith "followed the whole gang of howling poets to the reading at Gallery Six"(13). This event is recorded in Kerouac's life. This influential gathering of writers caused him to pursue writing. Next, Smith, Ryder, and Morley climb the Matterhorn Peak in California where the "trail had a kind of immortal look to it"(61). The novel ends with Smith's expedition to Desolation Peak where he lives isolated from people. These events are based Kerouac's life when he was hired to be a fire lookout for the U.S. Forest Service and was alone for 63 days. Overall, Kerouac emphasizes observations and images instead of climactic plot events.

Kerouac achieves multiple purposes. First and foremost, it spurs human reflection. Ray Smith says "I promised myself that I would begin a new life"(77). Though this is a lofty idea the novel accomplishes the goal of having readers at least question or examine their current existence. Smith also confesses "the world ain't so bad, when you got Japhies"(71). This reinforces the possibility of transcendence and optimism. The auto-biographical fiction successfully brought reality and unreality together. The novel also elicits strong emotions and the writing is energetic. The book unified the Beat Generation and brought later counterculture movements of the 60's together.

Kerouac's novel suggests many broad ideas. First, I think evidence in the book shows that people today should live more simply. Japhy highlights this point by being "brought up in a log cabin deep in the woods...an axman, farmer, interested in animals and Indian lore...with idealistic tendencies"(9). Through this I think that American society's negative standards of materialism, greed, and brutishness are exposed. A simpler spiritual life and personal-inquiry lead to higher truths and levels of humanity. Bohemian ideas are also presented. The "howling poets"(13) and healthy orgies"(34) promote the freedom of aesthetics and expression. The overarching idea is that as long as people take initiative anything in life is possible.

The book does have small flaws. Due to Ray Smith's first person narration many of the characters true psychology is unclear. There was little background information. One change that may have strengthened the book as a whole would have been the insight of surrounding people outside the Zen Lunatics. The final imperfection was the general assumption that the allusions to Buddhism would be understood, more depth in these areas were needed.

Kerouac's command of language and tone impact the overall read. Kerouac developed his own language called "spontaneous prose". Kerouac writes "My breath was coming out in steams. I rolled over to my other ribs and slept more: my dreams were pure cold dreams like ice water, happy dreams, no nightmares"(77). His rhythmic language method can not be understated. He improvises and breathes in his writing. The point is to have uninterrupted thoughts which gets the closest to the human consciousness. At the same time, the prose and poetry are intermixed. He experiments mainly with imagery and alliteration as Smith says "I crashed through bright brittle thickets and came out sweating and stomped ankle deep in streams"(121). The tone can be considered upbeat as their journeys are fast-paced and changing. Also, the mood of tranquility is present throughout as the characters are in an "emotional wilderness"(45). Constant references to Nature, prayer, and meditation produce this serene tone.

Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums covers multiple terrains. Kerouac's background and simple plot frame the proper context for the book. The book had few flaws and Kerouac commanded his use of language and tone. The novel's message of soul-searching and personal transformation make it relevant to all groups of people. Jack Kerouac is a hero to the Beats or people feeling weary and bogged down by American society. His messages ring clear for anyone willing to listen.

Eeeha! That dharmy-boy Jack shore can smith them words.  They bounce and spin, leap and unfurl in a cacophony of tremulous abandon in your mind's ear.

The pleasure in reading Kerouac is that he is such a remarkably good, wonderful person and he is so joyous and full of zealotry and surprise.  And he loves everyone, unconditionally.  But there is not a hint of treacle; it is all vividly authentic but awash in kindness.

THE DHARMA BUMS was written in the late 50s, and was a quick follow up to Kerouac's ground-breaking best-seller ON THE ROAD.  Both are less experimental than others of Kerouac's works, but are jaunty displays of Kerouac's famed spontaneous prose.

As with most of Kerouac's work, the novel is written in first person and closely follows events in Kerouac's life, with the identities of his real-life beat friends disguised by pseudonyms (at the insistence of his publisher).

The book begins in southern California in 1955 with Ray Smith [Jack] struggling to hop a fast train to San Francisco.  He arrives in The City after overcoming some difficulties and meeting a good-hearted hobo.  Once in the city, there is a quick chapter--not calling much attention to itself--about Ray's attendance at a poetry reading, which is noteworthy in that it is a fictionalized account of the most famous poetry reading of all time:  when Allan Ginsberg first read "Howl."  [In the novel the poet is named Alvah Goodbook and his poem is titled "Wail."]

Quickly, though, Ray [and the reader] meets the central character of the book, Japhy Ryder.  [It is fun to know that Japhy is based on the Pulitzer-winning poet Gary Snyder and the project Japhy/Gary is up to at the beginning of the novel is to draft the first Chinese-to-English translation of Han Shan's "Cold Mountain." Shan's epic poem is the inspiration of the current best-selling novel of the same name, set during the Civil War.]  Ryder is the ultimate, ebullient frees!pirit who whisks Ray off on an adventure, a climb up the Matterhorn (a peak just outside the current-day borders of Yosemite National Monument).  At all times, Japhy and Ray engage in happy dharma banter, swapping tales and lessons learned.  And back at Japhy's shack of a home there are orgies, jazz and meditation, exceptionally tasty plates of beans and bottles of cheap ruby-red port.

The book continues with fascinating similar events, all written in a lusty, swashbuckling style, full of dharma and comradery.  At the novel's conclusion, a final mountain is climbed--both figuratively and literally--and the experience left me fully satisfied.

Unlike almost all other novels, DHARMA BUMS and others of Kerouac's tales are not driven by a careful, classic  plotline.  There is no achy tragedy that you read your way into the heart of and then hope for a nifty, surprising conclusion.  The book barrels forward from the lust-for-life of its characters and the supreme genius of Kerouac at his craft of threading words.

My review is not focused on the content of The Dharma Bums as much as the production of the book itself. Let it be known this is one of my favorite books of all time and I consider it Kerouac's best. My issue is with the publisher, Penguin, who has simply revamped its "Penguin Classic" edition with Ann Douglas's intro to make a Hardcover. Yes, Douglas's intro is excellent, but the only difference with this new Hardcover 50th Anniversary Edition is that is has 2 or 3 pages of a letter in which Henry Miller writes about The Dharma Bums. For me who is a bibliofile. I don't want a cheap quality cardboard book. I used to work for an Univ. Press and know about production options. Penquin basically chose the cheapest. Every single copy in 3 bookstores were banged up. You might say this isn't the publisher's fault, but it is because they didn't make a quality product that could stand even being stacked on a shelf, imagine opening it and reading it. People who want a 50th Anniversary edition want something special because it has a special meaning to them, if not buy the paperback. So I guess that's what I suggest. The Penguin Classic edition has new artwork, quality paper and the same intro, without the high price. I wish Penguin would follow Knopf's example and do beautiful books like those in their Everyman's Library Series.

'The Dharma Bums' is a tale of social dropouts in California who search for Buddhist enlightenment and truth (dharma) amid wine, sex, hitchhiking and mountain scenery. It's a good introduction to Kerouac - shorter, lighter and more accessible than On the Road, which is a more epic but also has some monotonous bits.
If religious certainties turn you off, you might tire of dharma-bum narrator Ray's Buddhist slogans and the dogmatic Zen views of Japhy, Ray's buddy. But though Kerouac portrays Buddhism as liberating, he also laughs a lot at kooky piety. At some points - like Ray's 'banana sermon' - religion becomes either profound or hilarious, or both.
Ray tries to reach nirvana by convincing himself the world's an illusion, which makes it ironic that the best bits in this novel are poetic descriptions of mountains and travel. The final lonely mountain-top vigil - based on Kerouac's experience as a fire lookout, described in Lonesome Traveller - is a tour de force. Kerouac's prose flair allows him to string 10 adjectives in front of a noun, a heinous crime in modern writing fashion, and get away with it.
Kerouac balances Ray and Japhy's Buddhist belief that the world is illusory against the earthbound views of world-weary poet Alvah Goldbook, a thinly veiled Allen Ginsberg. Alvah's quest to soak up his surroundings rather than transcend them puts him closer to the philosophy of On the Road, in which the travelling bums reach a jubilant but sad-hearted state of raw appreciation of their phsyical world.
Through the Ray-Japhy-Alvah triangle and all the minor characters, 'The Dharma Bums' gives various answers to Kerouac's big question in this and other books: how to lead a free existence in a conformist careerist consumerist society. Fifty years later, the question's got more vital. Youthful rebellion and boheme are just marketing motifs for soft drinks, CDs and snowboards now, but Kerouac shows you it's possible to be authentically free - if you have the guts.

The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac, follows Ray Smith, a character based on Kerouac himself, through an amazing physical and spiritual journey. In the story, Smith meets Japhy Ryder, an eccentric mountaineer who is fascinated by Eastern literature and religion. Japhy inspires Smith to begin his career as a meditating, rucksack-wielding `Zen Lunatic'. Smith is led to a deeper understanding of his Buddhist faith through scaling mountains, sleeping in silent deserts, and meditating for hours on end deep in the woods. He travels all over the United States, meeting innumerable different characters as he goes and learning more and more about the truths of existence itself.

What shines through in The Dharma Bums isn't so much the plot of the story, but the way in which the story is told. Jack Kerouac has a knack for making the ordinary seem extraordinary, and impressing upon the reader how something seemingly mundane could impact him in a profound way. The narrative has a wide-eyed romance about it, making every experience Ray Smith has seem new and fresh. People, places, and events in the book are described with a prose that is practically poetry, painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind. In reading The Dharma Bums, I wasn't concerned as much with what happened as I was with how it happened.

The Dharma Bums isn't a book that everyone would enjoy. Some would find it pointless or long-winded, or difficult to read. For someone who likes a lot of description and feeling in a book, however, I strongly recommend it. This book is also a necessity for any enthusiast of Beat literature, and even those interested in Buddhism would appreciate it as a serious philosophical work. To anyone else, The Dharma Bums is bound to add inspiration, excitement, and a new perspective to any open mind.

Alright, lets be honest for a moment: Kerouac does repeat himself - that is a fact. But what he also does is make us readers feel as though its the first time we've heard it. Thats a sign of a good writer. He's my favorite writer, and this is one of his best works. Its all about his getting involved in Buddhist philosophy, mainly because of the protagonist of this book, Japhy Ryder (Gary Snyder). The book is intimate, witty, and at times hilariously bizarre. Its not just good, its great. Its a must-have for your library. But dont just put it on the shelf, dammit, read it!

I had been told for months on end by a Lit professor that I should pick up "On the Road". From what I had heard, however, it was not something that I needed to tackle without having first read something else (and less dense) by Kerouac. So, on a whim, I bought "The Dharma Bums" at a local bookstore just before I went home for one weekend.
As luck would have it, my car broke down at an out-of-the-way gas station, so I had some time to kill while I was waiting on a ride. I began to read...and read...and read. What I found was pure Beat genius, a zest for life, and an inward desire in myself to say "Screw it," and hike the Smokies. Kerouac, with his brilliantly crafted observations, dialogue, and imagery, brings us into a universe of windy freedom and presents the world as an answer to the problems that it itself causes.
If there are any problems with this novel, I'm certain that some people will get bored with some of the beautifully written, yet tedious, description and imagery. In spite of that, I recommend this book to anyone who needs a break from there mundane nine-to-fives. Read it.
Maybe I'll get on with "On the Road," now.

I read THE DHARMA BUMS while driving a truck and living on a little farm with my parents. I got up every morning well before dawn and read the novel till I had to drive to the construction site. No novel except THE CATCHER IN THE RYE or HEART OF DARKNESS so moved me. Many of the things the author did with his friend, I did on my own and with my best friend. I felt that I was reading the words of a brother. I recommend this book to anyone who loves great, original, and real solid writing.

If you found "On The Road" left you desperate for more of Kerouac's energetic prose, then this is perhaps the best next step. It is a lot more reflective, and this, combined with Kerouac's trademarked humble narrator allows real engagment with a book that deals with something worth writing about. It deals with mountain climbing, outdoor parties, groovy beat people and all the other unattainable, idealistic Kerouac things, but this is laced with fragments of Bhuddism, in the attitudes of the characters, their reflection in the freedom of the mountain experience, and the general escapism that provides so much of Bhuddism's popular appeal - it a sort of diet "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance". It's really good - I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's also less "experimental" in literary terms, meaning here Kerouac is simply conveying a story without trying to re-invent the wheel. In many ways, this is a good introduction to Kerouac. The language is simple; it's also technically a much simpler novel than say "The Subterraneans" or "Dr. Sax," even "On the Road." Kerouac is not pushing the envelope of invention, here. But with all that I must say it's a wonderful book; it's also (dare I say) Kerouac's most "innocent" and sweetest book. There's a disarming earnestness and youthfulness at play in "Dharma Bums," which reminds of a recent the store pick I enjoyed "The Losers Club" by Richard Perez. In any event, don't miss this great book!

I'm amazed at how many people find the Dharma Bums worth reading. It's Kerouac at his flattest. The sentences lack his usual energy and lyrical beauty, there is virtually no action and the Buddhist philosophy feels pasted on and contrived. This is definitely not a Kerouac book to recommend. Readers would to better to pick up a copy of Desolation Angels or (excepting the 140 pages of transcribed conversation in the middle) Visions of Cody. If you've already read lots of Kerouac and you want to move on to a modern counterpart, pick up Vincent Czyz's Adrift in a Vanishing City ... lyrical, experimental, hot-house writing that takes a quick-talkin drifter out of his native Kansas as far afield as Berlin, Mexico City and Paris. And through it all, he never loses his vernacular, even when waxin metaphysical. You might also try sliding over to Henry Miller ... not Tropic of Cancer, which is his most popular, but Sexus, which is far better written.

Dharma Bums is a beautiful story, though there's no real plot to speak of -- no damsel in distress, no hero facing adversity, no complicated twists . . . it's just about life.
The reader follows the typical Kerouac rucksacker as he floats along in his mid-twenties -- hiking the mountains of the west coast, thumbing his way across the country and swapping spiritual observations with Zen enthusiast and companion Japhy Ryder.
This book is a treasure, reminding the reader of the subtle beauties in nature, conversation, travel and friendship. It's a perfect fit for any fan of life.

Jack Kerouac wrote this story about his youthful days as an ebullient Zen Buddhist and rucksack hitchhiker in the 60's. His alias in the book is Raymond Smith, and he is living in a shack in Berkley, CA with his good friend Alvah Goldbook. Ray meets a Zen Lunatic named Japhy Ryder(Gary Snyder), and together they travel the wilderness of Central California where they recite poetry, drink wine, meditate, make haikus about every natural object, while trying to find themselves and seek the true meaning of life as beatniks. Ray Smith also criss-crosses the country again, home for the holidays, and then back to Berkeley. While at home he wanders through forest time and again, to center himself with nature and his surroundings, meditating there through the cold months like a real Buddhist Monk.

I was surely impressed by this book. I even jotted down many meaningful Buddhist passages and quotes that Kerouac mentioned in the novel This work of literature by Kerouac is less "experimental" in literary terms compared to something like "Satori in Paris" by Kerouac. For those of you who have not had any past experience with Kerouac's writing style this will not be of any difficulty. The language is simple, the prose is right to the point, and there is hardly a bit of surrealism. Many of the sections are quite humorous because of the quirkiness and new ideas on Buddhism that are slipped in between the sentences, along with predictable scenes of the beatnik life hood (drug use and slang). Ray Smith purely goes about making light comments about life without being the author's speaker. This is a positive and heart fulfilling youthful adventure that displays immense compassion.

Jack Kerouac was considered something of a revolutionary of his time, though whether or not he fits that bill in each person's mind is entirely a personal decision tied closely to their belief system and the flexibility of their description of the term.

Reading Dharma Bums can be something of an inspirational journey for any free-spirited souls who enjoy dreaming of climbing a mountain or just cutting loose and doing whatever their degenerative mind feels like doing at that moment.

With characters who drink tea and openly share their intimacies with one another, whose dark as well as hopeful and intellectual sides, not to mention immature and once naive sides being depicted quite visually to the reader, there is reason to be impressed with Mr. Kerouac's work.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind and an appreciation for fresh experiences, as well as an ability to discern the difference between enjoying a uniquely written piece of literature from the choosing of one's own moral behaviors in daily life.

Perhaps it is not a book for developing minor minds, but it ought to be enjoyable for the well-read adult.

In "The Dharma Bums", Kerouac has written another great book about the search for truth and meaning throughout the American countryside. The story is narrated by Ray Smith and is effectively Kerouac telling his own story. Smith and his friend Japhy are wanderers (or bums) in search of the True Meaning or Dharma. The trip covers one year of travels in the life of Smith. His frantic narrative style seems to be fueled by his frequent poorboys of cheap red wine as well as his sheer excitement to be in pursuit of the truth. The story starts in Berkeley, California and visits the Californian desert, Mexico, North Carolina, Seattle and finally ends at Desolation peak in the North Cascades of Washington state. All of these places are reached by hopping on trains, hitchhiking or shelling out a few cents for a bus ride. Interspersed within the descriptions of travel and characters are Zen musings such as "It's all different appearances of the same thing" as well as meditation on different ideals and places. Kerouac never lets the story slow down and regardless of how accurate the Buddhist ideals are, the rambling, jangly story is quite a ride.

After rereading this book as an adult I think I truly get it this time - Kerouac wrote this book about Gary Snyder (named Japhy Ryder here) and he learns a great deal from him. He tries to follow in his path, and he does to a certain extent, but the partying and the booze are his downfall.

I read that after this book, years later, when Snyder returned from the monastery in Japan, Kerouac chose not to meet with him again "I'd be ashamed to confront . . . Gary now I've become so decadent and drunk and dontgiveashit. I'm not a Buddhist any more."

Sad ending for Jack. I think he realized this and hints at it throughout the novel.

Also, I think that if Jack were around today he'd definitely be an REI member - he was really into his gear, especially his rucksack.

Ray and Japhy are on a quest, Bhikku Style! Easily one of Kerouac's best and far better than the drugged-out ramblings that is Visions Of Cody. If you're new to JK, start with this book first and save Visions of Cody for last (if at all)

Kerouac has often been forced into a narrow paradigm in which to work. The casual reader delights in reading about Kerouac and Snyder climbing the Matterhorn; the same holds true for Teh Kerouac/ Cassady relationship in On the Road. Still I think that the underlying truths of this book, which lie dormant to the casual reader, greatly outshine the aciton.
Kerouac's prose aims to draw the reader away from the worldly cycle of Work-Consume-Work-Consume and so on. He aims to show us a different path, one for the people who meditate and defy social convention, not simply for the sake of defiance, but for the sake of self-enlightenment.
The long-haired, tea smoking, judge killing, terrorist supporting outsiders of today, so villified by the present and past governments, find in Kerouac much overlooked philosophy a separate peace, one away from the wired up fast paced world of dead technology. When Kerouac goes on his long beautiful tangents about children singing a ditty of their own imagination, it's like being eight years old again and having ice cream and cookies in the kitchen and laughing about the nonsense that happened at school that day. Kerouac reminds us that we do not live in a world enclosed by the suggested rule of society, that we are each our own to create and experience what we will for ourselves.
TTFN
Dr. Gonzo

DHARMA BUMS is Sal the next morning. The screaming mad party, heaven-reached and bottle-drained, rests in peace and the sun is here. Time to reassess. Time to repent. That is how this book reached me. Read on the heels of ON THE ROAD, BUMS is the next logical step in that journey. He still enjoys a party, still makes love to wine, but instead of ending in wild sweats, it approaches nirvana. He abstains from women, communes with the mountains, and is definitely on his way to shedding his skin of the world. His cohort this time around is not Dean, but right good Bhikku, Japhy. Together they hike the trails of Buddhahood.
I enjoyed this book, but felt disconnected from the main character, the way a designated driver feels removed from the drunken group. He is on a path, to which I cannot wholly relate. The inner monologue passages are not as user-friendly due to their Buddhist nature (or "Buddha Nature") as those in ROAD. However, it is still a very engaging read that ends, like ROAD, in a euphoric afterglow. Desolation Peak is the new Mexico. Fog replaces bums, and silence, the exhausted laughter of done mad men.

I cannot write enough words to describe how wonderful this book is. I could write a book about its greatness, its mind-numbing beauty, its special place in the pantheon of great human achievements. Jack Kerouac was a shooting star, a dharma bum in the truest sense of the word. This man has a style and fluidity to his writing that is otherworldly, and yet so magically human. He synthesizes poetry and prose in a way that not many have ever approached. His writing is lyrics to his life, my life, your life. He can express the human condition better than anyone I have ever encountered. In the Dharma Bums, he tells about his adventures with Japhy Ryder (Gary Snyder), a man who lived his life the way that Kerouac wrote. Spontaneous, beautiful and pure. This is a book with power, that has changed many peoples lives, including mine, and has the power to influence so many more. Buy five copies of this book and loan them out to your friends and strangers. Kerouac's dream of a rucksack revolution is one of the most beautiful ideas that I have ever known, and this book is the starting point for that inevitable revolution. So get this book and get started. Hit the road and things will never be the same. peace.

I have been to California and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but after reading this thought provoking novel I realized I have never been there. Before I was just going through the motions of a tourist. Now when I go back(hopefully this Summer)I am really going to experience the beauty of the mountains and nature. This novel stirred up some very powerful emotions inside of me such as living life how I want to live it, not how everybody else wants me to live it (Up to this point in my life I am not sure I have been doing that). If it was not currently Winter I would be heading toward the American West with my rucksack, ready to climb the mountain. Read this novel I guarantee you it will be a rewarding experience.

Man, I don't know where to start. "The Dharma Bums" is a masterpiece of the Beat Generation and a novel I will not soon forget. After The Loser's Club by Richard Perez, this is the best book I've read all year.

Jack Kerouac wrote this story about his days as a Zen Buddhist and rucksack wanderer. His alias in the book is Raymond Smith, and he is living in Berkley with his good buddy Alvah Goldbook(Allen Ginsburg). Ray meets a Zen Lunatic named Japhy Ryder(Gary Snyder), and together they travel the mountains and pastures of Central California trying to find themselves and find the true meaning of life. Ray also journies to Desolation Peak in Washington and lives there alone for the summer, which is just another chapter to this amazing piece of literature.

Another part of this book that impressed me was the beginning, when Kerouac wrote about his experience at the San Francisco Poetry Renaissance, and spoke of Alvah Goldbook's first reading of his poem "Wail", which in reality was Allen Ginsburg's legendary first reading of "Howl", which to this day is a Beat Literature classic.

While reading this book, I was constantly marking lines and passages, because some of the descriptions and poetry Kerouac included in this novel are simply amazing. "The Dharma Bums" is one of those books I will treasure forever and read over and over again.

While "On the Road" remains the quintessential Kerouac, "The Dharma Bums" at times reaches even loftier heights of spontaneous prose brilliance. Simply put, this book is kicking. It sometimes explodes with lyrical fireworks; other times it slinkily floats with the ease of cool jazz. A must-read for Beatniks who've discovered Jacky's brilliance, or those just looking for a little literary buzz.

One of the most influential books that I ever read was The Dharma Bums, a 1958 novel by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. Kerouac’s semi-fictional accounts of hiking and hitchhiking through the West inspired me to embark on a backpacking/gold prospecting adventure to northern California. After all, in 1980 the price of gold hit a then-record $873 an ounce. I recounted my backpacking adventure in my book Shamanic Drumming.

This is an awesome book! Way better than "On the Road", which has been by now vastly over-hyped. "The Dharma Bums" does a much better job at jumping to the heart and soul of life, wherein the simple act of drinking some cool water after a hot hike seems like the single greatest experience ever had by a human being, not really, but the writing is tasty in such a way. This book is much more fun than "On the Road" and has much more heart. This is by far my favorite Kerouac book that I've read. This is one of my favorite books in general so I highly recommend it.

As bad as it may sound I had not heard of Jack Kerouac until very recently. In my defense he died a year before I was born and although I have always been a reader it took until now for my reading interests to expand and give me this opportunity. I am enjoying Dharma Bums a lot as it speaks of things that are just as important today as they were when it was written like living a simple life is more free than living a consumer driven one. I have even started looking into Jack to know more on who he was and those he references in the book (look online to find who the real people are compared to the character names; one being Poet , author Gary Snyder). I also plan on buying the book "on the Road" scroll version which is the recomended version.

I've heard it said that this is Kerouac's greatest novel. I still say that honor is held by On the Road, but this book is just as good. And it is his most spiritual novel. Kerouac combines his talent at writing with his philosophy of life and what you have is a powerful tool to enlightenment. This book should be read on at least two levels, as a work of great literature and as a theological tool. I can't recommend it enough.

Yes we were all Dharma bums back then and the next generation also, but with a little spin to it.Its a nice little afternoon read.It ends as all of life does.A little sad and friends part ways into the sun set

the Bums is an amazing account of the spiritual journey of a struggling catholic -- become part of the "rucksack revolution" described by Japhy Ryder (Gary Snyder) in the work -- do not let yourself become one of the living room zombies! the book itself is a great read that will keep all interested, mainly because it is true. well, hope you enjoy the work! PEACE.

This is a free-spirited energetic, descriptive, tale that was written just before the emerging 60s culture began to evolve and gain mainstream attention and followings. Kerouac lived and did what he wanted in this story (and mostly in his life.) His description of Berkeley and the folks he encountered was interesting, and is full of youth, freedom, and the desire to experience. This is a different read than "On The Road," in the way it flows. His train hops up the west coast, jaunt to North Carolina, and the hike with Japhy, can make one ruminate. "Raymond Smith" was searching for some meaning to life in this book. This piece was written by Kerouac when he still had energy and life left in him. I'd like to know a lot more about Gary Snyder, who is the character Japhy Ryder in the book. I believe he's still alive. The Dhamra Bums goes on everyone's shelf, with the Road, after you've read The Road. Let it lure you to the Rucksack Revolution.

One can talk about the importance of On the Road to the American mythos, of the deep, struggling pain and depression of Big Sur, or of the rambling cant of San Francisco Blues; but, simply put, this Jack's most beautiful, elegant, eloquent novel. The book that's the closest to his poet's soul. Read all his other works first and then compare -- you'll see what I mean.

Kerouac goes mountain climbing in the Sierras with buddies,
gets job in Washington as fire lookout on Desolation peak,
spends time in the jazz bars of San Francisco, drinks too much
and talks of his life, its significance (none for him), and
the meaninglessness of life in general... A great book!

One of the most often used metaphors for inner growth is the travel journal and I'm sure Kerouac would have enjoyed Gurdjieff's somewhat autobiograhical travel novel "Meetings with Remarkable Men." Has this generation (2007) not yet found it's Dharma Bums? Maybe the line between literature and music is blurring (thanks to Dylan, Bob that is). Where is the excitement of adventure that leaps off the pages of these books stirring an energy to do something now, to seek, to find, to discover!!

I would have every 14-20 year-old in America read Dharma Bums (and Electric Kool Aid Acid Test)... it's up to YOU to put some adventure in YOUR LIFE... IT'S YOUR LIFE!

yes, yes, the book is great.
but am looking to buy an audio and it has
"258 reviews" listed (06/03/14) and as
far as I can tell (not very far--too boring)
not a single one mentions the audio reading.
Come on, the store!!!

Jack Kerouac is one of those artists, musicians, or writers who I get really into for a while, then don't occupy my time with their works, but always come back to them at some point. I read On the Road around 6-7 years ago and afterward quickly read Big Sur and Visions of Girard. Over the past few years though, I thought maybe I had grown out of him. So when my Dad recently gave me a City Lights gift certificate for Christmas, I made a mental note that I'd like to see if I still liked Jack Kerouac or not. I found a neat copy of The Dharma Bums that I had never seen before, so I grabbed it.

Dharma Bums is my favorite Kerouac book so far. As with On the Road, I found his writing to be very evocative; scenery, places, but especially the people Jack comes across in his adventures really come to life. As with his other works, Kerouac calls refers to himself by another name, and in The Dharma Bums he is known as Ray Snyder. The other protagonist is Zen poet Gary Snyder, or Japhy Ryder as he is known here. Dharma Bums starts off "Ray" and "Japhy" and friends hanging out in the Bay Area, and recounts the now-legendary night Allen Ginsburg first recited "Howl" during the heyday of the "San Francisco Renaissance." He also briefly goes over an odd sort of orgy at Japhy's Berkeley house, where all Ray felt comfortable doing was licking some girl's elbows and arms. I have to admit I had just come home from a happy hour when I read the first 30 pages, so that part is kind of fuzzy in my memory.

Following this, the book recalls their trip up the Matterhorn, a large mountain in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. This was the highlight of the book for me. I felt like I was right there with Ray, Japhy, and their friend Morley who forgot to bring a sleeping bag for the freezing trek, but insisted on bringing an air mattress for him to sleep on. One thing about Kerouac's book is that you can really tell he loves the company of his friends and people he meets on the road. I can't ever recall reading a bad thing about anyone in any of his books. I think a large part of the reason I like reading his books so much is that I appreciate his sincere joy he finds from people and nature. Others might call it naïveté, but bullocks to them.

Following the Matterhorn expedition, Ray leaves to visit his Mom in North Carolina. He hops trains, takes the bus, and hitchhikes across the country. There's the guy from Ohio he meets near the Mexican border, and the fun they have when they make an excursion across the border. In North Carolina one gets the sense that Ray isn't appreciated by his family that much. He tries to explain Buddhism and they laugh him off. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. His mom seems nice, but she is never really developed that well.

Every day he went into the woods to meditate and cavort with the animals. I think that's probably what I would be doing too.

After his return to CA, he is about to take a summer job as a fire lookout in Washington State's Desolation Peak, on Japhy's recommendation. Likewise, Japhy is about to head to Japan to live at a Buddhist monastery. Being Ray and Japhy however, you know there has to be some serious partying before they leave. They are staying in Corte Madera, and there are wild parties every night, usually involving copious amounts of alcohol and people dancing naked. Japhy and Ray sneak out a few days before Japhy is scheduled to leave, and go on a final trek through Marin County wilderness. Japhy leaves and everyone is sad.

The final part of TDB is Ray making his way up to Washington. The strangers he meets are usually nice, with the exception of the Oregon cowboy who purposely runs over Ray's hat on the road. He briefly covers his time as a fire lookout, but I'm sure Desolation Angels goes into much more detail. That will be the next Kerouac book I read. There are a lot of Buddhist themes, prayers, and sayings throughout the book (hence the title.) While that might turn some readers off, I enjoyed it. Buddhism is something that has interested me for quite some time. It's sad that Jack didn't find what he was looking for. The bottle turned out to be his salvation - and demise.

Stylistically and idealogically its Kerouac through and through. The idea of living a truly free life and one without boundaries truely provoked a lot of thought for me personally. It makes you want to be one of Ray and Japhy's friends; to go find a shack to live in and really exist in what may be the only best way to exist, free of material incarceration. I recommend this book to be read by young adults everywhere. Not all will be opened to a new way of thought and what really matters in this world but some will and it could possibly change their life for the better by not being wrapped around society's focus on material possession as symbols of achievement.

Yes, "On The Road" gets all the attention, but this follow-up work is by far his most gorgeous and uplifting...from sleeping on the beach to climbing a mountain, to the flowering of his Buddhist consciousness, Jack really takes the reader with him. Filled with plenty of movement, bohemian idealism with Ginsberg and Snyder, self-discovery, joy, etc, this is simply where Jack shows himself as most fully alive and in love with the magic of experience. "Dharma Bums" soars as high as "Big Sur" dives to the depths of agony. Read this book, and you WILL feel the beauty of life without anchors.

... I just couldn't get into this book. It's a beat classic, so I hear, and it's about traveling and living free and enjoying life on lots of levels. From the descriptions and glowing reviews, I figured I should have loved it. I even read it while I was traveling up the US/Canadian west coast, and I grew up familiar with many of the areas mentioned in the book. In spite of all that, I didn't like it at all. For one thing, it's full of these obscure Buddhist terms and concepts, and although religion is sort of a hobby of mine, I didn't know enough to make sense of all the boddishatva-dropping, and the writing wasn't good enough to make up for that. I guess I just don't like it when the narrator introduces dialogue with "sez I."

In "On the Road," there were several points during which Kerouac's unusual way of wording things inspired a certain feeling of contentment or sorrow in me, but in "The Dharma Bums" I really lived those feelings. His descriptions of the scenes and events in this book really capture the moment and preserve it for we unfortunate people who weren't there. I found "The Dharma Bums" much more enjoyable reading than "On the Road;" it doesn't go on pointlessly in quite the same way. There's a clearer focus, on the religious, introspective side of Kerouac's attitudes, and the storyline lets us know exactly what it was like to be a Dharma bum.

Dharma Bums represents Jack Kerouac's best work (better even than On The Road). For anybody who has ever wondered what it's like to be truly on the outside, this is the book. I've read it four times, named my snake after Jaffy, and will alway recomend it to whomeever needs a good read

The opening pages of the Dharma Bums contain the most inventive, bodacious, interesting prose in Amercian letters. Who else could even dream of weaving St. Therese, compassionate Bhuddist wisdom, democratic, open road visions, the Mind of God, in a beautiful, fluent rush of prose? This is Kerouac, the pure writer!

The plot is about Ray Smith a thirty-something (I presume), unemployed, hippie who is on the road hopping trains to find his inner Buddha. Eventually, he winds up in California and meets up with Japhy Ryder who he imitates to a T, letting you know full-well that Ray Smith has no mind of his own. They meet other Buddhists, drink wine, talk about Buddhist stuff like the Diamond Sutra, Bhoddisatvas and Bhikkhus, past Buddhas, and they write a lot of haiku poems. All the while, the narrator is constantly bombarding the reader with his strange Buddhist revelations he comes to while praying like "everything is empty but awake", or "rocks are space and space is illusion". It gets old fast.

Ray Smith reminds me of a less-cool Dude from "The Big Lebowski".

You won't find any fascinating stories that Sal Paradise ("On the Road") had of meeting new people wherever he went, jazz clubs and drinking too much, the drugs, the sexual encounters of the women he entertained... nothing.

I really enjoyed this book. Kerouac drew me into a magical world of his creation. Filled with memorable characters, this book is an uncommonly delightful easy-read that makes a cover to cover read very tempting. As often happens to me when I read a good book, I was sad the book had ended, and eager to read more Kerouac (I think I'll try "on the road next.) This is definitely a book I find worthy of owning as I feel I will be drawn to it over and over again.

Kerouac gives us a personal view of the Zen Buddahist. The thoughts and teachings can help any reader take personal inventory on their own life. This book is Jack Kerouac's masterpiece, because he makes you look inside yourself.

Dharma Bums is Jack Kerouac at his height of spirituality and utter happiness. This book, with a plot more enticing than On the Road but no less heartfelt, encourages readers to expand their own views of self and the universe while enjoying Kerouac's own interpretations of life and his coming Buddahood.

The second book by Kerouac i bought and subsequently read and much better than the first (On the Road). It seems with every book by Kerouac I read, I get a deeper understanding of his style and life and begin to ultimately enjoy it more. This book seems to be the best "sequel" to On the Road and and after this book, Desolation Angels is a good follow-up. This is one of my favorite books and would reccomend it to anyone getting into Kerouac. The only reason it did not recieve five stars is that I feel there are better books out there by Kerouac.

This book was the most inspirational work I have ever read. No matter how silly it sounds, I want to go climb a mountain and become a Buddhist. I wish he was still alive, I'd have more to say to him than I do to most people

This book, by far, is the best of all Kerouac put into one. I greatly enjoyed On The Road (I read it four times in a span of 3 months) but Dharma Bums definitely takes the cake. This masterpiece reeks of Kerouac; superb and exciting storyline, upBEAT characters and fast paced action, wonderful poetic imagery as well as fanatstic humoristic moments. This is a Kerouac gem and anyone who digs Jack should definitely get their hands on this one, even it comes down to selling a kidney or what not. A literary masterpiece!

This my favorite of kerouac's thus far... I definitely recommend it. It was a gift for my gf. I have a paperback but the hardcover looks nice. Seemed to be a neat little intro letter I failed to read but I'm sure it was good... Anyway... Eastern religion, bohemian lifestyle, and Jack's alcoholism are all found in this romantic novel about zen and hiking.... There's a lot of wisdom in wine he says

I really enjoyed this book. Kerouac drew me into a magical world of his creation. Filled with memorable characters, this book is an uncommonly delightful easy-read that makes a cover to cover read very tempting. As often happens to me when I read a good book, I was sad the book had ended, and eager to read more Kerouac (I think I'll try "on the road next.) This is definitely a book I find worthy of owning as I feel I will be drawn to it over and over again.

Kerouac gives us a personal view of the Zen Buddahist. The thoughts and teachings can help any reader take personal inventory on their own life. This book is Jack Kerouac's masterpiece, because he makes you look inside yourself.

Dharma Bums is Jack Kerouac at his height of spirituality and utter happiness. This book, with a plot more enticing than On the Road but no less heartfelt, encourages readers to expand their own views of self and the universe while enjoying Kerouac's own interpretations of life and his coming Buddahood.

The second book by Kerouac i bought and subsequently read and much better than the first (On the Road). It seems with every book by Kerouac I read, I get a deeper understanding of his style and life and begin to ultimately enjoy it more. This book seems to be the best "sequel" to On the Road and and after this book, Desolation Angels is a good follow-up. This is one of my favorite books and would reccomend it to anyone getting into Kerouac. The only reason it did not recieve five stars is that I feel there are better books out there by Kerouac.

This book was the most inspirational work I have ever read. No matter how silly it sounds, I want to go climb a mountain and become a Buddhist. I wish he was still alive, I'd have more to say to him than I do to most people

I read Kerouac in variuos occasions, alone and with friends, all his novels, letters and biographies. This "Dharma Bums" is particularly linked to a happy year of my life (1993) and I enjoyed a lot that California 1955, cottages, tea and cakes, poems to read together, girls around, etc. That was really a funny and exciting Bohemia, probably no more possible today but so important for all young readers looking for love and right path in this troubled world. The sensible approach to life Kerouac had is incredible because of its sadness, melancholy and attention to each magic of daily life!!

This book, by far, is the best of all Kerouac put into one. I greatly enjoyed On The Road (I read it four times in a span of 3 months) but Dharma Bums definitely takes the cake. This masterpiece reeks of Kerouac; superb and exciting storyline, upBEAT characters and fast paced action, wonderful poetic imagery as well as fanatstic humoristic moments. This is a Kerouac gem and anyone who digs Jack should definitely get their hands on this one, even it comes down to selling a kidney or what not. A literary masterpiece!

This my favorite of kerouac's thus far... I definitely recommend it. It was a gift for my gf. I have a paperback but the hardcover looks nice. Seemed to be a neat little intro letter I failed to read but I'm sure it was good... Anyway... Eastern religion, bohemian lifestyle, and Jack's alcoholism are all found in this romantic novel about zen and hiking.... There's a lot of wisdom in wine he says

This book was great!!! Being that I am from Washington state, this book was a real easy read, not only that, the descriptions of the pacific northwest were well written. After I finished this book, I proceeded to take a trip up to Mt. Rainier and spent three days hiking, camping and just enjoying all that this nature and the world has to offer. Do yourself a favor, if you feel bogged down by the stresses of modern fast paced life...pick up this book and just get away for a while.

There are very few books that can change your life, but this is one of them. After reading On the Road, i didn't think it was possible for Kerouac to write a better book, but Dharma Bums came real close. This book makes the reader want to appreciate thier life so much more, it really is a wonderful book.

I read this book every couple of years. It gives me a fresh view of things around me after I read it. It paints a vivid picture of the days he was writing about, and reading it is like being there for a moment. Kerouac shows a lot about himself in the book also. Each time I read it, it is as vivid and as new.
This is a good book to read if you are looking for what Kerouac's books are like. It's a quick read and I recommend it.

I would be lying if a said that this book did not change my life. I thought that "On the Road" was amazing, but "The Dharma Bums" is by far his best. Kerouac seems to be much more settled in his religious and philosophical views in this novel. His main pal, Japhy, is one of the most inspirational charaters in all of American literature. Though first time readers of Jack should probably start with "On the Road", "The Dharma Bums" is a must read for any Beat Generation fan.

The joy and sadness of life is just that. After reading the Dharma Bums I decided I would go hiking and meditate alone for the millineum. Anyone who has ever pondered life, religion, lonliness or love would understand Jack's struggles. He lays out his feelings on all these subjects with the brutal honesty that only our hero can. The sadness is that he tried to replace his zealous nature with Zen, but his wanderings had just begun. Great therapy for the Budding Buddhist or the Born-again Beat.

If you are of a certain age and experience, you already know about Dharma Bums.

If you are of another certain age and experience, this book goes against everything taught by Saint Ronald Reagan, and so you should avoid it.

If you are young, give this book a try. Better yet, instead of buying it, go to the local library to read it. Unless the people I described in my second paragraph have taken over and there are only Approved Books in the library...if there are libraries at all. Libraries cost money, and that means (shudder) taxes.

For everyone else: this is Kerouak's best work.

ever since i've read this book 2 yrs. ago i havn't found a single book that could even match it! 5 stars?? that's to little to rate the dharma bums, i'd give as high as numbers can go!!!!! it's the perfect book, mixing zen, han shan, sex, poetry, mountain climbing, and everytthing else that rox!! GET THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know, but I didn't get this book. I tried. I wanted to. But...I don't see what the big deal is. My suspicion is, as I hinted above in my jerky little title, people hail this book because they think it makes them somehow elite and cool to proclaim a kinship to it. I think that's the key to the "popularity" of a lot of art, a lot of music, a lot of literature extolled by subcultures within the masses. They are bolstered by an illusion of affinity for what they secretly do not embrace. In the case of this book, at times Kerouac's prose was lovely and at other times it rambled until I had no idea what he was going on about. The concept of The Dharma Bums is exciting and if even a fraction of those who claim this novel awakened something spiritual inside them are being honest, then I respect its impact on them, but...I didn't connect with the Beat vocabulary, with the story here, or the fact that since it's probably as much invention as autobiography, it validly inspires aspirations of real life imitation. But then again (as I'm sure so many reading this will gleefully agree) what do I know?

Cracker Jack's got quite a nack at righting these shindigs about the bums in rucksacks. Dharma Bums gives you a glimpse into the life of the Beats with a focus on their cut of Zen. This really is a great story and it will inspire you. On a side note I recommend trying to find the original edition; the old pages really smell a lot better.

The book is a fabulous adventure on the pre-hippy, vagabond Buddha trail. However, it is one man's literary achievement. The author died from drinking too much booze for too long. So it's best to treat the book as a wonderful read, and not a guide on how to live.

Now in 2008 I'm older then Kerouac ever became. But that's not important. When I first read the book I was nineteen, now I'm fifty nine. I still love the book and the writer and the characters. Of course Japhy and Han Shan and Ray. The search for wisdom, love, poetry, nature , living a pure life is from all times: Han Shan, Garry Schnyder, Jack Keouac in his best periode, no alcohol, no paranoia.

Dahrma Bums by Jack Kerouac has forever changed my life. It has tauhgt me that life is a valuable thing that should not be wasted. Wasted with worries, work, materialistic pre-occupations, and with how others may perceive you. Dahrma Bums is an eye opener. It totally blew me away. Go out and get and live your life.

A man who named and best described a generation of which he was a key member, this is another high point in his outstanding literary career. Written during the hieght of his loyalty and love for buddha, it set in the years directly before his masterpiece was published. A great book lacking a little substance, tales of drinking and yabyum in berkley with his new hero Japhy Ryder.

I read this the first time years and years ago as a teenager. I enjoyed it then and identified easily with the character's strife. As an adult, I see it a new light and more as inspiration for adventure and freedom.

Pretend that you've ever heard of Jack Kerouac. Forget you've ever heard the words "Beat Generation." Set down your ideas of what life should be like. Read this book. It will make you want to sell all your worldly possessions in a mammoth yard sale and take off to find It.

I would recommend this book to all my friends jack kerouac's descriptive in depth descriptions of living on the road are as close as you can get to real adventure in the modern day. smoke rocks and gang bang

everyone with an open mind should read this book. this was the first kerouac book i ever read, and it spoke to me, told me that i needed to simplify my life--get back to the books, the writing, etc. etc. most importantly, it taught me that all is nothing, which has delivered me. if you've never read kerouac, i strongly suggest you start with this.

I really wish the DAMN Belleville "library" would get this classic in and I could partake in the great joy of my dear friend. This book, published in 1958, is about Kerouac's journeys into mountains around California in 1955 and is about his friendship with poet Gary Snyder. Jack Kerouac's Buddhism is featured in this great book and how he struggles with the religion and tries to find enlightenment. That's all I know about this book except that it is one of Kerouac's best. Hell, even the sample from the store was great when Kerouac met Gary Snyder on a car on a train and they share wine. Ah...wine. the sweet, sweet drink of Bacchus.

Better than `On The Road' (not putting it down). This is a truly amazing book. If you are hesitating about buying it, I assure you it will be money very well spent. You can't help but love this guy; he possesses the most beautifully innocent, intelligent, honest mind. Pack your bag and head for the hills. Read all of his books.

The sense of nature Kerouac captured in this book is an important message in this work-shop-consume world. And he conveys so much appetite for life! I especially enjoyed the Gary Snyder character: "The closer you get to real matter...(rocks, mountains, etc.) the more spiritual the world is." I"M READING IT AGAIN!

This is one of the best books possibly ever written. Kerouac was a god of the written word.
Anyone who enjoys a great story with a dash of Zen, a pinch of mountain climbing and a cupful of joyful fun needs...no, has to read this.

If there were a more enlightened journey, show me the way! Doubt so. This is the quintessential reading for anyone who wish to sample the beauty of Kerouac's writing. The marrow is not in the destination, but the journey, the trip. Latch on to god's finger, kiss it, and when you feel like it, let go and see where you land!

In no other novel does an author so well depict the emotional charge while hiking. Kerouac hits the nail on the head: Desolation is beautiful! If you find it difficult to understand Kerouac, try trekking solo in the wilderness for a few days. He is Walt Whitman's apprentice.

Kerouac is Bhudda. Every word he scribbles is greatness.

Great follow up to "On The Road." Changes your perspective on ideas that you never thought would change. Nature and travel will call you to the road after reading about the intense descriptions and facinating charactors. Highly recommended as well as "On The Road."

...This is the book that saved me from a career in Accounting!....after reading this at 17...
I took off on my first hitch-hiking trip, adventured some (then some!), lost my virginity, got
published in the poetry rags.....and haven't looked back since!....hell, I'm still reading the damn thing
30 years later!.....like I said, THE BOOK THAT RUINED MY LIFE!.....praise the LORD!.....

I didn't much care for "On The Road" after the first 50 pages or so and i'd pretty much thought that this great "Beat Writer" was nothing but hype, but after reading "The Dharma Bums" I now believe Kerouac is one of the greatest writers of modern times. READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Less plot, more pot than On the Road. Where Kerouac's most famous novel was all about reckless travel, music, girls, and rebellion, Dharma Bums is more introspective. Lots of meditation, soul searching and existential ruminations about life, truth, and nature. My only regret is that I didn't choose the book format, as it was hard to keep up with all the philosophical ramblings while listening in the car.

If you are interested in Beat literature, American lit, the 50s or the American experience in general, by all means read this book. You'll learn a little about all of the above and be entertained by a talented, exciting writer. If you're interested in Buddhism, please read something by an authentic Buddhist teacher (i.e. the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, etc.). Jack Kerouac's own life and the lifestyle presented in this book have little connection to the practice of Buddhism.

Kerouac is now the book that should be in the hands of all the youth that want to have an orientation on life. Japhy Ryder is now the man, and Ray is the way to get through this pathetic world.
This author really came to give me a light in my sad life.

The Dharma Bums is one of the best books I have ever read on Zen Buddhism and traditional Buddhism. While following the guidelines of an interesting and fun story, Kerouac teaches the many fundamental principles of Buddhism. A+ book. Highly recommended.

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in reading a book about the Beats. Kerouac's sense of humanity and ability to put it down on paper is amazing. Read this book if it's the only Kerouac book you will ever read! You won't be sorry!

This was my first read by Jack Keroac and I did not enjoy it. I found the characters boring and I could not get into the aimless plot. It's likely more a product of not liking his style so beware if this is your first read by him.

Anyone who has any respect for nature, the Dharma, life, or philosophy will gain from this book. Kerouac always has a way of drawing a reader in and putting you in his place. It's a beautiful and eye-opening book.

In my nearly forty years of life, I have never left a book unfinished.

Then I encountered "The Dharma Bums".

I picked up this book hoping for the entertaining and enlightening event that most of the other reviewers had found. Instead, all I got after slogging through nearly eighty pages of Kerouac's rambling and grammatically nightmarish prose, was a headache and the gnawing sensation that I'd been conned.

In all honesty, I don't "get" it. Why all the fuss? While I understand the historical significance of Kerouac and this book (along with "On The Road") to the counter-culture "Beat" movement of the fifties, it simply didn't connect.

The snippets of "Zen" wisdom were very rudimentary and the plot was non-existent. But it was the meandering writing style that made this book an absolutely miserable experience for me.

Perhaps when this book was first published it was a revolutionary piece of literature. Maybe it inspired a whole generation of repressed "Leave It To Beaver" Americans to hop a boxcar and explore the world while exploring their own identities. But it just seemed crude and archaic to me.

Maybe I am not as enlightened as all of you, but I don't think this book is all that great. Kerouac is often completely incoherent. Much of what is said is nonsense. Further more I don't understand why everyone wants to be a Dharma Bum, they are nothing but leaches living off what others earn. It is a decent read, especially the mountain climbing scene, but not as great as some make it out to be, definitely not life changing.

I found Dharma Bums suprising. I thought On the Road was one of the most rambling, self-indulgent books that I've ever read, but I realized that Dharma Bums is even more so. The book reminded me how the degeneration of American intellectual life began with the Beats who, at least when they were in the '50's, were self-rightous and shallow, not to mention drunk womanizers, an odd trait for devout Buddhists. This book is a cultural artifact from the Beat era, but not a book to add to one's must-read list. Life is short. Read better.

Jack Kerovac's The Dharma Bums was reveiwed...as "Kerovac living his dream as a zen lunatic and rucksack wanderer on the fabled golden shores of west coAast America" I, however,think the book was poorly detailed and jumped from ideas much too quickly.

The story was structured as a blog or diary of two wandering bums who basically lived the life of poverty and "mooching" off other people who were their 'friends'. Kerovac's 'friends' were people who were met at poetry 'slams'. They do nothing outside of drinking, reading poetry, mooching off of people and having sex. Any bum off the street could have submitted a journal to a publishing company and it would have the same affect on the reader.
I would not reccomend this book to anyone. It was random rambling about nothing. If you like books that tell and interesting story and have charachters you can connect in a personal way to, then The Dharma Bums is not for you. But, if you like random blurts of stupidity, you will love this book.