Desolation Angels (Penguin Books)

"Desolation Angels" is the wild and soulful story of the legendary road trip that Jack Kerouac took before the publication of "On the Road", told through the persona of Jack Duluoz and accompanied by his thinly-disguised Beat cohorts Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and William Burroughs. As they hitch, hop freight trains, walk and talk their way across the world, from California to Mexico, London to Paris and on to opium-ridden Tangiers, Kerouac bronicles their poetry, partying, mountain vigils and spiritual contemplation with unsurpassable energy and humanity.