On the RoadOn the Road
Score Classic
What it's about
In the late 1940s, Sal Paradise, a young writer in New York, meets Dean Moriarty, a wild, charismatic con man from Denver, and they set off on a series of road trips back and forth across America and down into Mexico, chasing jazz, women, kicks and some kind of meaning. Based on Kerouac's own travels with Neal Cassady.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It defined the Beat Generation and has sent generations of readers out on the road.
You'll love it if you liked
The Catcher in the Rye
The Sun Also Rises
A Moveable FeastGood to know
It's loose and rambling by design. Its treatment of women is careless, and there's heavy drinking and drug use.
By the numbers
- Readers0 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller57 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Adventurous
If you like this, read next
The Color Purple
The Caine Mutiny
East of Eden
I, Claudius
A Room of One's Own
Angle of ReposeExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is On the Road worth reading?
Yes. It's on the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #1,468 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 68.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is On the Road about?
In the late 1940s, Sal Paradise, a young writer in New York, meets Dean Moriarty, a wild, charismatic con man from Denver, and they set off on a series of road trips back and forth across America and down into Mexico, chasing jazz, women, kicks and some kind of meaning. Based on Kerouac's own travels with Neal Cassady.
How long does it take to read On the Road?
About 8 hours (304 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after On the Road?
If you liked it, try The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway or A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway.