Luke McCullough

I first read pieces of it for a writing class, and after the class was over it ended up on my “to read” shelf. The author attempts to define, survey, and categorize writing style though both inspection of texts and insightful conversations with an amazing selection of writers. Not just popular and literary fiction writers, but critics, journalists, poets, humorists and writers of most every stripe and color are interviewed discussing their own works and style and the style and works of their influences (and counter-influences as well.)

I could have ended this review with the clichéd “...and it changed the way I...”, but instead I will say that as a reader it fascinated me to watch linguistic gymnastics of an author's style analyzed down to the separate movements that a page, a paragraph, and even a sentence take to land. As a fledgling writer, I found it more inspiring and interesting than any navel gazing “on writing” book. The focus was not on how, but on what. What does style mean, what goes into constructing it.

A page turner, which is a bit of a feat for a history book, even if it is about pirates. The beginning of the book with the overview of the life of a sailor is one of the more fascinating parts, but the lives of the pirates is the meat of this work. Following, more or less, three of the more important figures of the era and the man who ended up taking them down the book never really has a dull moment.
Highly recommended.

The cover for this book is perfect. The title barely matters, the only thing you need to see is: WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS and JACK KEROUAC. And the book delivers on exactly what is promises to be: an early, previously un-published, short work (with huge type and a bordering on indulgent afterword/biographical piece, it barely makes a short novel) callobrated on by the two authors.

The format of the book is alternating chapters, each one written by one author. They each write from the point of view of a barely digused version of themselves.

Not on part with any of their other works, but if the idea of characters from On the Road running into the cast of Junkie in 1940's New York sounds like a good read, you will enjoy this quick read.