Remembering Jack Kerouac.

The article discusses the cultural impact of the novel "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac and the author's own connection to Kerouac and his books. The author met Kerouac in 1957 while he was waiting for "On the Road" to be published and enjoyed an affair with him. The author considers the expectations that U.S. society had for young women and men that earned her age group the nickname the Silent Generation. While some feminists criticized the novel's characters for their treatment of women, the author found the book liberating.