- Sal Paradise, young and innocent, joins the slightly crazed Dean Moriarty on a breathless, exuberant ride around the United States. Their hedonistic drive for release through drink, sex, drugs and jazz becomes an exploration of personal freedom, a test of the limits of the American dream.A brilliant blend of fiction and autobiography, Jack Kerouac"s exhilarating novel defined the new "Beat" generation. It had tremendous impact on both sides of the Atlantic and made him famous overnight.