Gerald Nicosia

Exhaustively researched book about the Vietnam Veterans' protest movements against the war, against the Veterans' Adminsitration and the movement to build the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. Examines motivations of the movement's leaders, including Jan Scruggs. While the book contains very little information on women veterans of the war and their activities, it is still a valuable source of information on the ideals and beliefs of the movement. Jan Scruggs is described as "a mildly disabled Army vet who had gotten his master's degree in psychology from American University and was still unemplpoyed two years later." Scruggs was attempting to get a government job with the 10 point veterans preference and claimed that it was not enforced by CPOs. Scruggs eventually (in 1977) handed out 600 questionnaires to Vietnam vets at local universities and discussed his findings with a [Washington?] Post reporter...and also suggested that in order to recover from the war, America needed a "national reconcilation"— read monument. Now the interesting thing is that NOW was by then pressuring Congress to end the veterans preference in hiring (so few women were veterans) and President Carter agreed with them. This didn't happen; the veteran's preference is still there - but it explains a lot.… (mere)

Saddest damn book I ever read. Tears were rolling down my face at the end at the sad fate of Jack and Neal -- Jack turned into a hopeless alcoholic calloused over and trying to feel nothing inside, and Neal transformed from American legendary living hero into Ken Kesey's dancing bear.

And it was caused by Jack's genius. That the horrible irony. The better he wrote,the worse their fates would get.

The book is based a long interview with LuAnn Henderson (the Mary Lou of the story)and remains true to its origins. It's spoken in her voice. She skips around and doubles back to thoughts she's already had like real people do. And she's retelling a story On The Road readers already know very well, but from her woman's perspective.

LuAnn went through four husbands herself, became a junkie for a while but cleaned up, ran nightclubs in North Beach San Francisco, had a whole big life of her own. She maintained a friendship with them both to the end and tells the tragic story of their decline as she saw it. Her daughter writes the last part.

It's just a heartbreaking book, but essential to anyone who has been affected by Kerouac's writing.
I'm still sort of stunned this morning. But it's a good stunned.… (mere)

Reading this after finishing a re-read of On the Road was one of the best decisions I ever made in my reading life.

Reading On the Road one can't help but thinking: What was going through that girl's head? What drew her in to that crazy, high strung crowd?...Well, this book has the answer. In the words of Lu Anne Henderson "Marylou" herself.

Lu Anne was fierce, she was larger than life, and getting to understand her was absolutely wonderful. As a young, relatively-sheltered, woman I can't help but to marvel at her independence and zest for life. She wanted to live and to love and that's what she did, she went for it! How many of us can say the same?

Absolutely loved reading the bits about shooting the movie and all the many wonderful people that were involved in it. I have high hopes that it will acurately portray the journey that inspired generations.… (mere)