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The Dharma Bums Audiobook
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(3.00) - 38,194 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Jack Kerouac’s classic novel about friendship, the search for meaning, and the allure of nature First published in 1958, a year after On the Road put the Beat Generation on the map, The Dharma Bums stands as one of Jack Kerouac's most powerful and influential novels. The story focuses on two ebullient young Americans--mountaineer, poet, and Zen Buddhist Japhy Ryder, and Ray Smith, a zestful, innocent writer--whose quest for Truth leads them on a heroic odyssey, from marathon parties and poetry jam sessions in San Francisco's Bohemia to solitude and mountain climbing in the High Sierras.
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"good stuff. paints a very human portrait of kerouac, whom i had previously just viewed as a literary god. there isn't a ton of depth here, and the prose does get clunky sometimes, but there are times when it truly accomplishes the simplistic, beautiful truth it sets out to convey."
— Charlie (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A vivid evocation of a part of our time.”
— New York Post -
“In his often brilliant descriptions of nature one is aware of exhilarating power and originality…The entire cast of characters is presented with that not unrefreshing blend of naivete and sophistication that seems to be this author’s forte.”
— New York Times -
“The Dharma Bums, with its mystical, environmental, and cultural messages, is a meaningful and relevant piece.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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A Booklist Pick of Audiobooks of the Month
The Dharma Bums Listener Reviews
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Asaya Everson, 3/31/2017
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" As good or better than "On The Road." Not to be missed. Just as insightful. "
— Patrick, 2/20/2014 -
" I may have liked this book even more than On the Road. Kerouac's life and adventures are so sparsely described and his characters are all guys that I so want to know. Let me climb a mountain with you, Jack! "
— Maxey, 2/7/2014 -
" I sometimes dream of running around a fire naked like Japhy Ryder. :) It'd be so liberating. My favorite book. Changed my life. "
— Obornys, 1/29/2014 -
" Nice short read, i liked this more than On The Road. Less action but more introspection, and an obviously flawed but very personal view of buddhism. more than anything, this book just made me want to go hiking or camping. a book that makes me want to do something is always good. "
— Alexandra, 1/26/2014 -
" monkey mind at its best. a cultural meme -- time, place, people, ideas. he gets all the zen terms correct but his applications in this work don't seem to hold (for this reader). nonetheless, there are some ideas worth gleaning. but overall, it's about the "summer of free love" where women are sex objects and the cutting edge ideas of dharma have folded into the daily routine of 2012. "
— Maggie, 1/18/2014 -
" Less scattered then ON the Road, but the thoughts and ideas it deals with are more fleshed out, and was an absolute pleasure to read "
— Emily, 1/5/2014 -
" I'm listening to this book as I commute from Marin to Berkeley and it links me to the early days of beat and buddhism "
— Cynthia, 1/3/2014 -
" This book is amazing. Every sentence pulses with beauty and truth. The characters are beautiful, especially Japhy. It's wiser than On the Road, and it made a bigger impact on me. I got a lot out of this book. "
— Ara, 1/2/2014 -
" Go away, thieves of the mind! "
— bob_slocum, 12/9/2013 -
" Nicely flowing well pictured story but I wouldn't read it twice "
— Tiina, 12/1/2013 -
" I found The Dharma Bums on the coffee table in our house a couple of months ago -- my teenage son was checking out Kerouac. I'd read it back in the day ... was lukewarm about it then and now. The man was troubled. "
— KathyC, 11/20/2013 -
" An amazing adventure story best read before the age of 25. Kerouac's slippery understanding of Buddhism is a bore, but his love of life propels this book through the wild nature and the '50s counterculture of the west coast. "
— Harry, 11/14/2013 -
" Loved the Gary Snyder connection. "
— Mary, 11/11/2013 -
" It was a recommended book I read in 2002 so my memory of it isnt so great. I did like the zen ideal in the story. Kerouac is such a vivid writer and his search away from people was introspective. "
— Matt, 10/30/2013 -
" BV puts this as one of her favourite books. But... I almost didn't finish it. It was fun enough, and some of the writing was quite beautiful. But I found it rather empty, although I am tempted to say "vacuous" instead of empty. And dissipative. "
— Guy, 9/29/2013 -
" Better than "on the road" "
— Todd, 9/7/2013 -
" Fun to read this again -- yikes it's been 20 years? "
— MM, 3/30/2013 -
" Too much bum, not enough dharma. "
— Joan, 1/18/2013 -
" What can you say, either you love Kerouac's style or you don't. I appreciate his story, his passion and his freedom to discover life. I've read it before and I'll probably read it again in another 20 years. "
— Brent, 11/20/2012 -
" Gave Kerouac a second chance some 20 years after reading On The Road. Still not for me. "
— Jason, 9/18/2012 -
" nice view of Gary Snyder - but Kerouac's trip up the mountain is sad... "
— Geoffrey, 6/28/2012 -
" Took some time to get used Kerouac's style but once you do it is am excellent read. One of my favorites, simply a joy to read and reread. My favorite Kerouac. "
— Joseph, 4/29/2012 -
" Interesting, but not my cup of tea. "
— Linda, 11/4/2011 -
" It read a lot better when I was 22. "
— John, 10/19/2011 -
" 63% Kerouac's bullshit, 37% fascinating cultural artifact. "
— Ariel, 6/18/2011 -
" Found this book very entertaining and it is what has sparked an interest into meditation for me. "
— Steven, 5/22/2011 -
" Not the Road, but a good book all the same. "
— Anthony, 5/9/2011 -
" Even beggining to talk about this book is challenging. While stumbling on a cosmic truth does not entirelly suits the universal balance, self-induced illumination has got buddha nature. Nirvana can arrive at any time, and then, we'll throw in one hellu'va party. "
— Donnie, 5/6/2011 -
" Vintage Kerouac. He is happy and free and it continually makes you want to enter his world. "
— Nate, 5/5/2011 -
" In a very real sense, this book can save your soul. "
— Richard, 5/2/2011 -
" Major influence on my life. "
— Frank, 4/26/2011 -
" While I wasn't hooked on Kerouac from On The Road, I throughly enjoyed The Dharma Bums. A great read. After this book I'm ready to be a bum the rest of my life. "
— Ashley, 4/23/2011 -
" I read this book twice in the span of only (maybe) six months. That is all I need to say. I look forward to future readings. "
— Andrew, 4/10/2011 -
" What can I say...<br/>I just can't get enough of Kerouac and each time I enter with hesitancy, I become drawn in. "
— Clay, 4/10/2011 -
" Not my favourite Jack Kerouac. Although I liked the writing style (a typical Kerouac style) I wasn't fond of the religious over tones. "
— Ashleigh, 4/8/2011 -
" Get out of the woods. It's not hard. "
— Caelyn, 3/27/2011 -
" The mature "on the road", where Kerouac turns his gaze inward, but still likes the wine. "
— Zoo, 3/25/2011
About Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac (1922–1969) was an American novelist and poet who influenced generations of writers. He is recognized for his style of spontaneous prose and for being a pioneer of the Beat Generation. His first novel appeared in 1950, but it was On the Road, published in 1957, that epitomized to the world what became known as the “Beat generation” and made Kerouac one of the best-known writers of his time. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, he attended local Catholic schools and then won a scholarship to Columbia University, where he first met Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, other originators of the Beat movement.
About Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke is an Academy Award–nominated actor, author, and director. He studied acting at the British Theatre Association in England and at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. His motion picture credits include Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, Great Expectations, and Snow Falling on Cedars, among many others.