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Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha Audiobook
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(3.00) - 404 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the mid-1950s, Jack Kerouac, a lifelong Catholic, became fascinated withBuddhism, an interest that had a profound impact on his ideas of spirituality andlater found expression in books such as Mexico City Blues and The Dharma Bums.Originally written in 1955 and now published for the first time in book form, WakeUp is Kerouac’s retelling of the life of Prince Siddartha Gotama, who as a youngman abandoned his wealthy family and comfortable home for a lifelong searchfor Enlightenment. Distilled from a wide variety of canonical scriptures, Wake Upserves as both a penetrating account of the Buddha’s life and a concise primer onthe principal teachings of Buddhism.
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"This is probably Kerouac's least-Kerouac book. I am not even sure if he even intended for this to be published. He does a good job of using archaic language without coming off as dry. This interpretation of the Buddha is very valuable. I quite enjoyed it. "
— Garrett (4 out of 5 stars)
Wake Up Listener Reviews
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" A brief handbook to the origins of Buddism and the life of its creator. "
— Emma, 2/4/2014 -
" I really have no idea what I just read. "
— Joey, 12/25/2013 -
" I really didn't like this book as much as I expected to. I think my expectations were too high. "
— Amanda, 10/26/2013 -
" though an intersting read for the beat completist, i found it lacking the pop! of kerouac's more prominent work and the narrative paled compared to other more notable classics such as hesse's siddhartha. "
— Jean-Paul, 10/14/2013 -
" Jack Kerouac gets to me after a while. He's interesting to listen to for a while, but at a certain point you have to turn him off. Love his books, but just couldn't get through the last bit of this one :/ "
— Stephanie, 9/21/2013 -
" I actually liked Thurman's intro better than Kerouac's actual text. I've never read Some of the Dharma but should give that a try. I prefer Dharma Bums. "
— K, 9/12/2013 -
" This is now one of the few books I just couldn't make myself finish. I found it largely dry and uninteresting; full of varying analogies for the one idea that the world we see is an illusion, with little expansion on this point. I would not recommend it! "
— Liz, 8/29/2013 -
" Not Kerouac's best but still follows in line with his trail writing and extreme deal. Not a book i would pick up to learn about buddhism but a book i would pick up to understand the mind and thoughts of Kerouac. "
— Jess, 7/19/2013 -
" I couldn't even finish it... just a money-maker book using Kerouc's notes and notoriety! "
— Zia, 4/20/2013 -
" A fun read. But I'm a sucker for all things Kerouac. "
— Kevin, 3/21/2013 -
" A keeper book. I really was not expecting that after reading Big Sur and On the Road. Truly an exceptional read as literature, history and philosophy "
— Joseph, 2/10/2013 -
" A Really fantastic retelling of the life of the Buddha by our very own Beat Buddha, Kerouac. This should be standard reading material for all Naropians. "
— Cherie, 11/5/2012 -
" The book was good, though it did not live up to my expectations in some ways. I enjoyed several passages -- in particular, I liked when Buddha compared his work to that of a farmer. I think I just expected too much. "
— Steve, 7/19/2012 -
" This is probably Kerouac's least-Kerouac book. I am not even sure if he even intended for this to be published. He does a good job of using archaic language without coming off as dry. This interpretation of the Buddha is very valuable. I quite enjoyed it. "
— Garrett, 2/24/2012 -
" This is literally just a man telling you about Buddha. "
— Matthew, 1/23/2012 -
" I learned some info I didn't know before, and that was great! "
— Erin, 12/30/2011 -
" A great hidden treasure of American Buddhist literature... "
— Akasha, 11/14/2011 -
" Distilled from other sources, but it has the exuberance of the youthful Kerouac. "
— Ken, 11/4/2011 -
" Not the typical Kerouac book. Mostly goes into discussions about the ideas and lectures of the Buddha. "
— David, 9/9/2011 -
" i can't believe this book even exists, such a great primer for some of the dharma. "
— m., 6/28/2011 -
" Beautifully written: poetic and flowery. However, it was very short, and hard to follow in parts. I didn't learn anything new about Siddhartha Gautama. "
— Jessica, 5/21/2011 -
" Dated but memorable "
— John, 4/3/2011 -
" Distilled from other sources, but it has the exuberance of the youthful Kerouac. "
— Ken, 1/4/2011 -
" Not the typical Kerouac book. Mostly goes into discussions about the ideas and lectures of the Buddha. "
— David, 10/12/2010 -
" This is literally just a man telling you about Buddha. "
— Matthew, 9/17/2010 -
" Beautifully written: poetic and flowery. However, it was very short, and hard to follow in parts. I didn't learn anything new about Siddhartha Gautama. "
— Jessica, 8/3/2010 -
" though an intersting read for the beat completist, i found it lacking the pop! of kerouac's more prominent work and the narrative paled compared to other more notable classics such as hesse's siddhartha. "
— Scotty, 3/12/2010 -
" A fun read. But I'm a sucker for all things Kerouac. "
— Kevin, 6/18/2009 -
" I actually liked Thurman's intro better than Kerouac's actual text. I've never read Some of the Dharma but should give that a try. I prefer Dharma Bums. "
— K, 2/17/2009 -
" I really didn't like this book as much as I expected to. I think my expectations were too high. "
— Amanda, 1/22/2009 -
" A Really fantastic retelling of the life of the Buddha by our very own Beat Buddha, Kerouac. This should be standard reading material for all Naropians. "
— Cherie, 10/22/2008 -
" The book was good, though it did not live up to my expectations in some ways. I enjoyed several passages -- in particular, I liked when Buddha compared his work to that of a farmer. I think I just expected too much. "
— Steve, 10/13/2008
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 Danny Campbell
Danny Campbell is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and an actor who has appeared in CBS’ The Guardian, the films A Pool, a Fool, and a Duel and Greater Than Gravity, and in over twenty-five commercials. He is a company member of the Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles and is an adjunct faculty member at Santa Monica College.