PIC By Jack Kerouac. First Paperback Printing. 1971. Near fine condition.

Pic, whose full name is Pictorial Review Jackson, is a ten-year-old Black boy residing in rural North Carolina alongside his grandfather during the 1940s. Following his grandfather’s demise, Pic is forced to relocate to his aunt’s residence, only to be rescued by his older brother, Slim. Together, they embark on a journey to New York City, where Slim resides with his pregnant partner. However, the stark realities of poverty in the city deeply affect young Pic. As Slim encounters successive job losses, the brothers decide to venture westward, traversing a nation fraught with adversity, music, affection, and peril, eventually arriving in California. Kerouac’s final published novel, Pic, offers a tender depiction of brotherhood and the quintessential American road trip, viewed through the adventurous lens of a child.

Using anecdotes, swift characterizations, and flashes of conversation in the vernacular, Kerouac sketches the road culture of the 1940’s in an engaging story.