At the End of the Road: Jack Kerouac in Mexico

At the End of the Road: Jack Kerouac in Mexico, translated by Daniel C. Schechter (of the Netherlands) from Spanish author Jorge Garcia-Robles, chronicles enough of the travelogue to give a crisp understanding of Jack Kerouac and The Beats. It is also a compelling account of Kerouac’s fascination with Mexico. He spent some of his more idealistic days there searching for himself and for answers to his theological questions. The nation to the South inspired some of his less famous works like Mexico City Blues and Tristessa, which Garcia-Robles translated into Spanish, him being the Beat expert in Mexico.

Mexico provided Kerouac some youthful freedom to search out his beliefs and his muse. He also could escape some of the suffocation that he would have faced living in America. The Beats as shown here were world citizens finding new stomping grounds all over the world. Kerouac was a world traveler who also found “magic” in Mexico. His was a fast youthful life that some may have frowned upon because they were jealous that he was having so much fun away from the typewriter. One is taken for a fun trip in this slim authoritative book which captures the spirit of Kerouac and his friends who defied boundaries.