Inheritance by Dani Shapiro

Review by Shwetha H S

Imprint: Alfred A Knopf, USA
Genre: Non Fiction, Family, Memoir
ISBN: 9781524732721

Dani Shapiro is an author known more for her memoirs than her fiction works. Her other works are Hourglass, Family History and Playing With Fire among others.

I picked Inheritance without knowing what it is about. I don’t have the habit of reading about a book before reading the book itself. I didn’t check the book blurb and I am glad i didn’t. I usually avoid non fiction and I would have definitely dropped this book the moment my eyes glanced the blurb. I would have missed a fantastic life story.

Dani Shapiro, the author, is a Jew, or that is what she was taught until a DNA test reveals that she is not related to her only half sister from father’s side. This DNA test sets a lot in motion for Dani and her husband. They reach out to a lot of people to find answers for the questions that she had never thought she would be faced. She tries to get answers not only from her biological father but also from her dead parents, her social father. She herself is old. How old would be her biological father? Would he accept her? What were her parents thinking? Why did they not tell her about her origins even after she grew up? Is she still her social father’s daughter or now of biological father’s?

Inheritance is no lesser than a thriller. Only difference is it is Dani Shapiro’s real life story. She still continues to write. I looked up Dani Shapiro on Google after reading the book completely. She looks the way I imagined her while reading the book. Every person struggling with identity crisis must read this book. It is a must read for everyone.

Eat That Frog! By Brian Tracy

Review by Shwetha H S

Imprint: Collins Business
ISBN: 9781609946784
Genre: Self-Help, Non Fiction

Brian Tracy is from the field of self-improvement training, for both individuals and companies. In this book, Eat That Frog!, Brian Tracy has put in all methods to avoid procrastination. A very good read that teaches how to eat that frog.

Here, the frog denotes the most difficult task that is in front of you among many more. If someone asks you to eat a frog, you wouldn’t do it. But if this task makes things easier for other task completion, then you would do it. It is a simple concept. Finish the most difficult task first and it would make other minor tasks more easier than they are. Brian Tracy has explained twenty-one different ways to cut down on procrastination. All are proven methods, the ones that many companies and individuals have implemented in their day-to-day life.

Eat That Frog is a must read for everyone. It is not for working professionals, it is also important in domestic life. Go for this book.

ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿ – ಲೇಖಕರು ವಸುಧೇಂದ್ರ (Mohanaswamy by Vasudhendra)

ವಿಮರ್ಶಕರು ಶ್ವೇತಾ ಏಚ್ ಎಸ್

ಶೈಲಿ: ವಸ್ತುಭೂತವಾದ ವಿಷಯ, ಸಣ್ಣ ಕಥೆಗಳು, LGBTQ.
ಮುದ್ರೆ: ಚಂದ ಪುಸ್ತಕ
ISBN: 9789384908249

ವಸುಧೇಂದ್ರ ಒಬ್ಬ ಸಾಫ್ಟ್ವೇರ್ ಎಂಜಿನಿಯರ್ ಆಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಅವರ ಕನ್ನಡ ಪ್ರೇಮ ಅವರಲ್ಲಿನ ಒಬ್ಬ ಕುಶಲ ಬರಹಗಾರನನ್ನು ಹೂರಹಾಕಿದೆ. ಇವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಪ್ರಮುಖವಾಗಿ ಸಣ್ಣ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಹಾಗು ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಕೂಡ ರಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.   “ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿ” ಏಕೆ ವಿಶೇಷವೆಂದರೆ, ಅದು ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಸಲಿಂಗಕಾಮಿಯ ಪಾತ್ರದ ಸುತ್ತ ನಾಭೀಕರಿಸಿರುವ ಒಂದು ಕೃತಿ. ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕವು ಲೇಖಕರ ಸ್ವಯಂ ಬಹಿರಂಗಬಡಿಸುವಿಕೆ ಎಂದೂ ನಂಬಲಾಗಿದೆ.

ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಹನ್ನೊಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಹಾಗು ಒಂದು ಪದ್ಯವನ್ನೊಳಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಆರು ಕಥೆಗಳು ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯ ಕುರಿತಾಗಿದ್ದು ಮಿಕ್ಕವು ಬೇರೆ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ನಿರೂಪಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ‘ತುತ್ತತುದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊಟ್ಟಮೊದಲು’ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯ ಪರಿಚಯಾತ್ಮಕ ಕಥೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದು ಲಿಂಗ ಬದಲಾವಣೆಯ ನಂತರದ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ಸತತ ನೋವಿನ ಸೆಲೆಯನ್ನು, ಅಪರಾಧಿ ಮನೋಭಾವನೆಯನ್ನು ಮುಂದಿಡುತ್ತದೆ. ‘ಕಗ್ಗಂಟು’ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯು ತನ್ನ ಪ್ರೇಯಸಿಯನ್ನು ಕಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಹಾಗು ಒಂದು ಹುಡುಗಿಯ ಒಡನಾಟದ ಬಗ್ಗೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.  ‘ಕಾಶಿವೀರರು’ ಬಾಲ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯು ಹೇಗೆ ಅವನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನಿಂದ ಹಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಬೆದರಿಸಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂಬುದಾಗಿದೆ.  ‘ಒಲ್ಲದ ತಾಂಬೂಲ’ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯ ಅಂತರಂಗದ ತುಡಿತ, ತಾನೂ ಕೂಡ ಎಲ್ಲರಂತೆ ಭಾವನೆಗಳಿರುವ ಒಬ್ಬ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಎಂಬುದರ ಕುರಿತಾಗಿದೆ. ‘ಕಿಲಿಮಂಜಾರೊ’ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿ ತನ್ನನ್ನು ತಾನು ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದಾಗಿದೆ. ‘ತಗಣಿ’ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯ ಗೆಳೆಯ ಶಂಕರೇಗೌಡ (ಒಬ್ಬ ಟ್ರ್ಯಾನ್ಸ್ಜೆಂಡರ್), ಆತನಿಗೆ ಏನಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂಬುದಾಗಿದೆ. ‘ದುರ್ಭಿಕ್ಷ ಕಾಲ’ ಈ ನಿರ್ದಯಿ ಕಾರ್ಪೊರೇಟ್ ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವಿಕಾ ಹಾಗು ವಿನಾಯಕರ ಸರಳ ಸಾಧಾರಣ ಜೀವನದ ಏರಿಳಿತಗಳನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿದೆ.  ‘ಭಗವಂತ ಭಕ್ತ ಮತ್ತು ರಕ್ತ’ ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕತೆಯ ಧರ್ಮಾಚರಣೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ನೋಟ ಬೀರುತ್ತದೆ . ‘ಪೂರ್ಣಾಹುತಿ’ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಟೆಕ್ನಾಲಜಿ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣದ ನ್ಯೂನತೆ ಹಾಗು ಮೂರ್ಖತನದ ನೈಜ ಚಿತ್ರಣ ರೂಪಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ‘ದ್ರೌಪದಮ್ಮನ ಕತ್ತಿ’ ಪಂಚ ಪತಿಯರ ಪತ್ನಿಯಾದ ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಗದ್ದಲವನ್ನು ಸಾರುವ ಕಥೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ‘ಇವತ್ತು ಬೇರೆ’ ಸಂಬಂಧಗಳ ಬಾಧ್ಯತೆ, ಅದರ ಮಿತಿ ಹಾಗು ಅನುಮತಿಗಳ ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ.

“ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿ” ಹಲವು ಪಾತ್ರಗಳ ಜೀವನದ ಕುರಿತು ಹೊಸ ಹೊರನೋಟ ಸೂಸುವ ಒಂದು ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನವಾಗಿದೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ದೈನಂದಿನ ಜೀವನದ ಒಂದು ಭಾಗ. ಲೇಖಕ ವಸುಧೇಂದ್ರರವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಕೃತಿ ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿನ ಸಣ್ಣಕಥೆಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ LGBTQ ಗೆ ಸೇರಿದ ಜನರು ಎಲ್ಲರಂತೆ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಮನುಷ್ಯರು ಅವರ ಭಾವನೆ, ಮಿಡಿತಗಳು ಅವರ ಲಿಂಗದ ಮೇಲೆ ಪ್ರಭಾವಿತ ಪ್ರೇರಣೆಗಳಷ್ಟೇ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲಿಚ್ಛಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.  ಮೋಹನಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಪಾತ್ರವು LGBTQ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಮಿಕ್ಕ ಸಣ್ಣ ಕಥೆಗಳ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ಆಧುನಿಕತೆ ಎಂಬುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನವನ್ನು ಸುಧಾರಿಸುವ ಬದಲು ಹೇಗೆ ಸರ್ವವ್ಯಾಪಿಯಾಗಿ ಹಾಳುಮಾಡುವತ್ತ ಸಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂದು ನಿದರ್ಶಿಸುತ್ತವೆ.   ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ರೀತಿಯ ಹೊಸ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಕ್ಕೆ ಮುನ್ನುಡಿ ಬರೆದ ವಸುಧೇಂದ್ರರಿಗೆ ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು. ಕನ್ನಡ ಓದಲು ಬರುವ ಎಲ್ಲರು ಓದಲೇಬೇಕಾದ ಕೃತಿ ಇದು.

ವಿಮರ್ಶೆಯನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಅನುವಧಿಸಿದವರು ಜಗದೀಶ್ ಟ್ ಸ್
Book review is translated into Kannada by Jagadeesh T S

Given below is the English translation of the book review given above.

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Nonfiction, Short Stories, LGBTQ
Imprint: Chanda Pustaka
ISBN: 9789384908249

Vasudhendra is a software engineer turned writer who professes his love for his mother tongue Kannada. Though he has written a novel, a major part of his works include short stories and essays. The reason why Mohanaswamy is special, especially in Kannada literature, is because it is a foremost work in modern times to be prominently focussed on a gay character. It is also said that this book was a coming-out-of-closet for the author himself.

Mohanaswamy consists of eleven short stories and a poem. Out of which six short stories are about Mohanaswamy, and remaining have different lead characters. Thutthatudiyali Motthamodalu is the introductory story about Mohanaswamy and tells you about the constant nagging guilt of being gay in this society. Kaggantu is about how Mohanaswamy loses his lover and partner to a girl. Kashiveeraru shows you how Mohanaswamy gets blackmailed by a childhood friend for money. Ollada Tambula tells you about how Mohanaswamy too is a normal human being and has needs and feelings like everybody. Kilimanjaro is about Mohanaswamy finding himself. Tagani shows you what happens to Mohanaswamy’s friend, Shankaregowda, a transgender. Durbhiksha Kaala is a glimpse into the seemingly simple lives of Devika and Vinayaka in this ruthless corporate world. Bhagawantha, Bhakta Matthu Rakhta is about facade of being religious. Poornahuti paints a candid picture of the downside of technology, social media and stupidity. Draupadammana Kathi is a take on Draupadi’s turmoil of having five husbands. Ivatthu Bere tells you about the limits and grants of obligations of relationships.

Mohanaswamy is a fresh outlook into the lives of various characters. People like these characters are part of our daily life. Through Mohanaswamy’s short stories, Vasudhendra shows readers that people belonging to LGBTQ are also humans, but only with exchanged emotions, feelings and genders. If Mohanaswamy, a character, tells you about LGBTQ, then the characters in the other short stories take you on a journey of showing how modern life has ruined everything for us instead of making things better. Kudos to Vasudhendra for such a bold initiative in Kannada literature. A must read for all people who can read Kannada.

If You Were Me and Lived In the American West by Carole P Roman (Illustrated by Paula Tabor)

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Children, Nonfiction, Educational
Imprint: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC
ISBN: 1532877846

Carole P Roman, a children’s books author, is best known for her series “If You Were Me and Lived In…” that tells children, and adults, about how life was at different places during different times. She collaborates with different artists for illustrations of her books.

In the book If You Were Me and Lived In the American West, Carole P Roman tells us what it was like to live in the times of the Great Migration, with the help of neat and appealing illustrations by Paula Tabor. The author tells us about where the people started from, how they travelled during migration, what happened throughout the journey, what they did once they reached the west, what they ate, what they wore and where they lived. It must be appreciated that the author also talks about the Red Indians and has tried to explain as much as possible keeping the children in mind.

As usual, the books of “If You Were Me and Lived In…” series by Carole P Roman are informative for both children and adults. Yet another good book from the series.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography
Imprint: Anchor Books, a division of Random House Inc., New York
ISBN: 0-307-27563-9

Mitchell Albom, known to the world and in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, as Mitch Albom, is a sports journalist and radio broadcaster turned novelist. He has written many books related to sports, and fiction and nonfiction novels. He is most famous for his books Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet In Heaven.

Morrie Schwartz is a professor in Brandeis University and Mitch Albom is his newly graduated student, a favourite student. After graduation, Mitch is engrossed in his own life and loses contact with his “coach.” Years later, when a successful Mitch hits a road block in his work field and is made to sit at home due to worker union strike, he sees his coach on a national TV show. Morrie is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and is sure to die soon. Shocked to see his professor in such condition, Mitch reaches out to him. Even after no communication since the graduation day, Morrie welcomes Mitch as though nothing has changed. They make it a habit of meeting every Tuesday so that Morrie can teach Mitch about different aspects of life because no one can explain life better than a dying man. Mitch, with Morrie’s approval, records their “classes.” Each Tuesday, Mitch finds his professor in a more deteriorated condition. Mitch worries but Morrie wants to serenely die. ALS consumes Morrie’s body completely and he knows that he will die at any moment. As per his wish, he serenely passes away when his family is under the same roof. After Morrie’s death, Mitch publishes Tuesdays with Morrie, which the old professor always called “the last thesis” of his favourite student.

Tuesdays with Morrie is not a self-help book. It is a book that imparts an old dying man’s knowledge about life to others. It is not preaching kind, but tells you from the view point of a person who had been there, done that. If it helps, you can imagine Morrie as Arthur in the movie, The Holiday. A dying man has courage to make fun of everything, even death. By the time you near the end of the book, your heart will be heavy, but you will wish it never ends. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a book that everyone should read at least once in their lives. Read the book to know what “the last thesis” has to offer to any soul that is lost in the daily humdrum.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and the Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Autobiography, Nonfiction, Graphic Novel
Imprint: Vintage, UK
ISBN: 978-0-099-52399-4

Marjane Satrapi is also the author of Embroideries and Chicken with Plums. I have not read any of her other novels, therefore I won’t be comparing Persepolis with other works of the author.

Persepolis is the autobiographical graphic novel that tells us the story of Marjane Satrapi’s life in and out of Iran. It is one of those rare books that swallow the reader into its world as soon as they read the first line. The Satrapis are Iranians with a modern outlook towards life. They suffocate during the revolution and suffer immensely when the war begins in Iran. Though they belong to the family of the last emperor of Iran, who was ousted by rebels with the help of English, they live like normal public. Satrapis have seen it all in Iran. The young one of the family is Marjane Satrapi, the author of this book. As a child, she is brought up by liberal parents and grandmother, and tried to suppress by fundamental Islamist. War is etched in her life. Relatives, friends and neighbours disappear in weird circumstances. Those who survive, they leave the country as soon as possible. Those who can’t, they send their children abroad. The same happens with Satrapis too. Marjane’s parents send their only child to Austria because they don’t want her to grown up in regressive environment after living in a progressive environment since birth. A teenage Marjane finds it difficult to adjust in Austria where people treat foreigners, especially refugees, badly. The Western culture daunts her, but she manages to survive. Only after a bad breakup with a cheating boyfriend, Marjane returns to Iran after four years. Iran has worsened further. Marjane readjusts to Iran. Her parents have aged and so has her grandmother. Her friends have changed beyond recognition. Leftover relatives give her free unwanted advice. How does she cope with the changes in her country during her childhood and teenage? In what way does the country affect her life? What does she do in Austria? What does she do after coming back to Iran? Read Persepolis to know.

This book has two parts because it is a combination of book one that is about childhood and book that is about teenage and early adulthood. Though there are no quote-worthy lines, each line by every character teaches you something about life irrespective of whether you are in Iran or not. All the illustrations in the book are in black and white, pretty much as in life. It is a hard-hitting fact that you realise while reading this book that not everybody has all the privileges, and this is conveyed through simple narration and illustrations. There is no negative point of this book. You can’t find one even if you try to.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is for everyone irrespective of your favourite genre. If you are a parent who wants to teach your child about life or just want to keep them grounded, or keep yourself grounded, then this humble book is especially for you. Stay humble.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Nonfiction, Humour, Autobiography
Imprint: Ebury Press
ISBN: 978-0-09-195717-9

Mindy Kaling, the comedian and screen writer best known for the shows The Office and The Mindy Project, is the author of this book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).

In this book, the author talks about her non-athletic, book nerdish childhood, her family and about being a Hindu, how she made friends, moving to New York, staying with best friends in a house, trying to find a show biz job, the crazy drama called Matt & Ben done along with her best friend Brenda, how The Office changed her life, concepts that she doesn’t understand and she loves, the way she looks and about how her funeral needs to be. There are few segments like Somewhere in Hollywood Someone Is Pitching This Movie and Revenge Fantasies While Jogging which are not that great. But there are also few segments that are exceptional like Men and Boys, and Married People Need to Step It Up, and everyone should read them. I give her points for writing as it is and without hesitating about anything, even about her lack of knowledge about certain things. An uninhibited account of her “concerns” in her world.

This book is totally hilarious and completely relatable. One-time read that won’t disappoint you.

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Political Memoir
Imprint: Crown Publishers, New York
ISBN: 978-0-307-38209-2

Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America. He was a Senator at the time of this book’s release. He has penned few other books apart from this.

The Audacity of Hope is about Obama’s hope to make America great again, the same line which is used as slogan in this time’s presidential elections. In this book, he tries to convey all his dreams for a better USA than it is now.

To read this book, you need to be aware of the current scenario as well as history of politics of the USA. Otherwise, you have to hold this book in one hand and use the other hand to constantly search on Google for the historical figures that are named often. Not just historical, even the recent ones. Each chapter starts with a positive note about President Obama’s experience before and after he was elected as the President of the USA. But soon the whole chapter turns into a comparison between Democrats and Republicans, a comparison between Obama and Bush. Irrespective of what the chapter is about, it all boils down to comparison. I agree this is a political memoir, but it is not necessary to compare and make it a Democrat campaign. He could have written more about his experiences than comparing with Republicans.

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama is a disappointment. If you pick this book, then be prepared to be bored. It is okay if you are a political buff.

If You Were Me and Lived in Ancient Greece by Carole P Roman (Illustrations by Mateya Arkova)

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Children Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781523234295
Imprint: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC

Carole P Roman is children book author and is known for her series of books “If You Were Me and Lived In…” showcasing life in different countries and also different eras. Illustrations are by Mateya Arkova and her illustrations are cute and splendid at the same time.

If You Were Me and Lived in Ancient Greece belongs to the same series of children books by Carole P Roman. As the name suggests, the author tells the readers, children or adults, how their lives would be in ancient Greece. Starting with how Greece would have looked back then, where it is located, which era, what common names, democracy, Mount Olympus, gods and goddesses, cities and states, wars, households and family hierarchy to food and beverages, occupations, education, clothes, jewellery, hair, markets, trade, the Olympics, philosophers and Alexander the Great. The rich heritage of Greece in Western civilization makes this book more interesting and informative to children as well as adults.

This book is a good way to keep your children busy reading as there is no hint of boredom here.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Beat generation, nonfiction, memoir
Imprint: Penguin Modern Classics
ISBN: 978-0-141-18267-4

On the Road is Jack Kerouac’s novel that tells you about the road trip that Salvatore Paradise takes along with Dean Moriarty across the country of USA. Jack Kerouac belongs to the beat generation, the generation that prized the life of leaving on one’s own terms rather than by society norms. On the Road is the story of the author himself but the names of the characters in the story are changed. Jack Kerouac becomes Salvatore (Sal) Paradise and Neal Cassady becomes Dean Moriarty.

The book is in five parts. The first part sees Sal meeting Dean, not liking him much at first and later missing him and going off on a cross-country hitchhiking trip from New York to Denver to meet the later. Sal is a writer and Dean is a car thief. Sal sees Dean and Carlo Marx, a common friend, get high and talk their hearts out. Dean is in the process of divorcing his first wife Marylou and marrying Camille. Sal leaves Dean and others, and goes to San Francisco to be with his childhood friend, Remi, and his wife, Lee Ann. Lee married Remi thinking he is a wealthy man, but he is a night watchman at a sailors’ camp. He gets Sal a similar job. Both rob things from others to make a better living, but eventually blow things up. On his way back to New York, Sal meets Terry, a Mexican girl who has left her harassing husband and come out with her child. Sal and Terry fall in love and stay together for some time, but he eventually leaves her and comes back to New York. Part two shows what happened a year later. Dean, Marylou and Ed Dunkel come to pick Sal from his relatives’ place in Virginia, and go off again on a road trip to New Orleans and to San Francisco. Dean has left Camille with his new born daughter and come back to Marylou. Ed Dunkel is a lost soul. On this road trip, Dean comes up with creepy things making Sal uneasy. Once they reach San Francisco, Dean leaves Sal and Marylou stranded without money and food, and goes back to Camille. Disheartened with both Dean and Marylou, Sal leaves them and comes back to New York. Part three sees Sal going in search of Dean again a year after leaving him. Sal misses Dean and the excited life that comes along with the later. By then, Marylou is married to someone else. Seeing Sal with Dean, Camille is assured that the duo will again go away leaving her pregnant with the second child and to look after the first one, and she throws Dean and Sal out of their house. They both decide to go to Italy after reaching New York. On the way, Dean creates havoc and steals many cars for the sake of having fun. Sal and Dean quarrel for the first time. After reaching New York, Dean meets Inez and decides to marry her after he divorces Camille. Fourth part has Sal, Dean and Stan driving to Mexico to start a new life. The usual dope and girl chasing happens. Sal falls sick due to dysentery. Dean leaves him with Stan in that condition because his divorce from Camille came through and he is in a hurry to marry Inez and give her a child. Sal starts to hate Dean. Part five shows Sal falling in love with Laura, and Dean coming into their lives briefly and exiting again.

On the Road is not a story, but is an experience. It is not about bromance but about brotherhood. Sal wants to live an excitement filled life and thinks Dean has and can provide him one. Dean is a car thief who steals cars for fun, but likes to make a living in a decent way. Marylou, Camille and Inez are Dean’s wives. Of all of them, he loved Marylou more and keeps going back to her. Sal knows that Dean is a prick but still loves his company. Since the characters are the real life ones, there is not much of a character development.

This book gives a lot of insight about the beat generation. This generation lived as if there was no tomorrow. Work less, party hard. Dopes, sex, road trips, cars, parties and booze are what made that generation happy. The book is written is simple language using simple narration. It is not quite what I expected, but it did not disappoint me either. The experiences of Sal on the road with four trips are overwhelming and the emotions he goes through are a lesson for life. I might recommend it to the readers who want to read something on the road trips.

In the cover picture of the book, you see Jack Kerouac (Sal Paradise) on the left and Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty) on the right.