Off the Road - by Carolyn Cassady (Paperback)

About the Book

Neal Cassady was a living legend immortalized in the bible of the Beat generation, Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." In this vivid account of the people who brought this country into the 1960s, Neal's wife captures the turbulence and raw excitement of her years with Cassady, Kerouac, and poet Allen Ginsberg.

Book Synopsis

"Rich with gossip, historically significant photographs, intimate memories, unpublished letters." (The New York Times)

This memoir by the woman at the center of the Beat movement is "a great book as well as a wonderful autobiography." (The Washington Post Book World)

Written by the woman who loved them all--as wife of Cassady, lover of Kerouac, and friend of Ginsberg--this riveting and intimate memoir spans one of the most vital eras in twentieth-century literature and culture, including the explosive successes of Kerouac's On the Road and Ginsberg's Howl, the flowering of the Beat movement, and the social revolution of the 1960s.

Artist, writer, and designer Carolyn Cassady reveals a side of Neal Cassady rarely seen--that of husband and father, a man who craved respectability, yet could not resist the thrills of a wilder, and ultimately more destructive, lifestyle.

"To the familiar history of the Beat generation, Carolyn Cassady adds a proprietary chapter marked with newness, self-exposure, love and poignancy." (Publishers Weekly)

"A poignant recollection--truthful, coarse, and inviting--teeming with the spirit of the men who inspired and symbolized the dreams of a generation." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Review Quotes

"A great book as well as a wonderful autobiography." "Washington Post Book World "
"A poignant recollection--truthful, coarse, and inviting-- teeming with the spirit of the men who inspired and symbolized the dreams of a generation." "San Francisco Chronicle"
"This is the book to be read in tandem with Kerouacs "On the Road, " Ginsberg's "Howl," and Tom Wolfe's "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." It fits like the lost half of a broken plate." "The Literary Review""

"This is the book to be read in tandem with Kerouacs "On the Road, " Ginsberg''s "Howl", and Tom Wolfe''s "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test". It fits like the lost half of a broken plate."---"The Literary Review"

"A poignant recollection--truthful, coarse, and inviting-- teeming with the spirit of the men who inspired and symbolized the dreams of a generation."---"San Francisco Chronicle"

"Offers a human approach to a group of men who are too often treated merely as legends."

About the Author

CAROLYN CASSADY was born in Michigan, graduated from Bennington College, Vermont, and earned her MA in fine Arts and Theater Arts from the University of Denver. While at Denver, she met Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg, and in 1948 she and Cassady married in San Francisco.