The Road by Jack London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great book. When I found the free e-book I didn’t realize it was an autobiography until I was a few pages in, then did some research on it. That just made it better. Jack London has to be one of the most fascinating figures in American literature.

This slim book is a series of vignettes about the time he spent as a train-jumping hobo in his youth. It is a fantastic look into a long-past time and a unique culture. Many of the stories are funny, such as how he would win food or elude the bulls. Some inspire social outrage, like when he was imprisoned. The one that stuck with me the most concerned the gypsy camp.

If it offends you to see black people called “coons” and the dreaded N word, you might want to avoid this. Otherwise, I very highly recommend it.

The book gets four starts instead of five simply because I wish there’d been at least a one-paragraph epilogue explaining why he gave up the tramp life.

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