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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School Hardback - 2004

by Sam Kashner

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Reader reviews for When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

From the publisher

As a restless kid on Long Island, Sam Kashner lapped up the beauty and madness of the Beats, living vicariously through the novels, poems, and stories of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs. Their words were revolutionary, and they turned their very lives into art. Kashner didn't want to just study the Beats, he wanted to be one of them. So when he heard that Ginsberg had founded an unconventional writing program in Boulder, Colorado, he convinced his parents that college could wait, and became the first certificate student of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.

In one motion, Kashner stepped out of a sheltered suburban life and plunged into the chaotic world of his idols. What he discovered was both everything and not at all what he expected. The Beats were facing their twilight years and feeling it in their joints and in their minds. Some of them, like Ginsberg and Burroughs, had achieved international fame, while others, like Gregory Corso, had not, and were coming to the realization that they might never receive the recognition they deserved. In his new role as student, secretary, and psychiatrist, Sam Kashner was caught up in the hilarity of the hijinks and the cross fire of old arguments, finding himself in hot tubs with Ginsberg and on field trips to the marijuana ranch cultivated by Burroughs and his ill-fated son, Billy.

Out of this rich material Kashner brings us a funny, touching, and irreverent portrait of the Beats never before seen: one that explodes the myths surrounding these American icons, but one that is also deeply felt and full of admiration. After reading this book, you'll never look at the Beats in quite the same way again.

When I Was Cool is also a very personal journey of a young man coming of age on the Beat slope of Mount Parnassus ("the Lower East Side" of the Rockies), a kind of Holden Caulfield for the postmodern era.

Details

  • Title When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
  • Author Sam Kashner
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 318
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Harper, New York
  • Publication date 2004
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780060005665 / 0060005661
  • Weight 1.3 lbs (0.59 kg)
  • Dimensions 9 x 6 x 1.09 in (22.86 x 15.24 x 2.77 cm)
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Poets, American - 20th century, Beat generation
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2003047822
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
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Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
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Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: HarperCollins, 2004. Reasonable and presentable library withdrawal. A card pocket is pasted on the inside cover page in the plastic protective covers. The text flows cleanly!. Hardcover. Good.
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

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Harper. 1. Very Good. With dust jacket. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

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Fine in fine dust jacket.
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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HarperCollins Publishers. 2004. Hard cover. Fine in fine dust jacket.. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 318 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. . No previous owner's name .
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
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HarperCollins Publishers. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
Quantity available
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Description:
HarperCollins Publishers. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$10.91
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
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When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Kashner, Sam

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
Quantity available
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Harper. Used - Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner’s name, short gifter’s inscription or light stamp.
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When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
Stock photo: cover may vary

When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Sam Kashner

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
Quantity available
1
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Description:
HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. Hardcover. Very Good. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Item price
A$11.29
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When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

When I Was Cool : My Life at the Jack Kerouac School

by Sam Kashner

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780060005665 / 0060005661
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$11.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.29
Free Delivery to USA