The First Third by Neal Cassady
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Book Reviews of The First Third
Book Review: Neal was a man of action, not words.
Summary: 3 Stars
I have read beat literature for years and am completely fascinated with the culture and characters of the time. I've read Kerouac, Kesey, Wolfe, Ginsbug and was impressed with them all. When I finally scrounged up enough money to pick up this collection of Cassady's writings, I was very excited about what I expected to find. And then I started reading.Cassady had some great ideas, but his prose was forced and eclectic. He doesn't have any one writing style. Instead he jumps from style to style, sometimes as often as he breaks for paragraphs. It makes for some very frustrated reading at times. The other problem is with the editing of the novel. I'm not terribly concerned with grammar and punctuation, but several times a page there were editing mistakes. Whether this was a carryover from the original document or a mistake of the actual editor I can't say, but it again distracts one from the true thread of the book.
Overall, I would have to rate this collection fairly poorly, for its inconsistancy and lack of real purpose. I don't mean to demean from the legend that Neal Cassady was, but I simply believe that he was a man of action, not of words.
Book Review: A valuble source of Cassady's history
Summary: 3 Stars
Neal Cassady, the epitome of beat, wrote this volume of work (the First Third, and other writings), with a completely amateur approach, the book contains a lot of biography-oriented material that must be read in order to appreciate his chaotic poetical climaxes which occur sporadically throughout the text. The First Third is the least impressive part of the book, while the excerpts from letters stand out as the highlights for me, only because they contain the majority of Cassady's insane spontaenous surges.I loved "The First Third" because I have always been enthralled with Neal Cassady as the human being he really was, and not so much the mad voodoo child that Kerouac sometimes makes him out to be. "The First Third" ultimately shows Cassady as a relatively normal individual who popped like a firecracker out of middle-class Denver into the party known as the Beat Generation.
This book is great for its history and few moments of glory, but had not Neal Cassady wrote it, but some other guy who lived in the fifties, the book wouldnt have been all that impressive.
Book Review: The Holy Goof!
Summary: 3 Stars
Although I like Neal's letters (I wish that most of the infamous "Joan letter" was not lost) at the back better than the book itself, I believe it is still an important story in the BEAT Canon. Cassady was the energy behind two iconic books: On the Road and Electric Kool-Aid. He was a physical and mental marvel and that seemed to have a genuine kindness behind his madness. He never seemed able to escape his demons, however, and died too young. Still, his energy is still felt in some circles today and I have never met a fan of the BEAT Generation that wasn't a fan of Neal Cassady.Book Review: The Pen Was Just Too Slow For Neal Cassady
Summary: 2 Stars
A few chosen people are meant to be artists. Of the artists, there are painters: others sculptors, musicians, poets or writers. For some, like Neal Cassady, their medium was Being.
Although a muse for the likes of Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Ferlingetti, and in many ways the adrenaline to the Beat Generation, Cassady was not a writer. Writing wasn't Neal's gig. Perhaps the pen was too slow for him; the medium just couldn't convey his essence. Rather Neal was a live show. It seems cruel to find him trapped on paper - like watching a tiger at the zoo, the wild drained off through those all confining bars.
The first few chapters of The First Third are slow and seem forced. However, the vibe changes drastically once Neal's family tree is throughly discussed. It's as if Cassady has quit the pretentious wordplay and dictated thoughts to paper, which give the remainder of the book a much more genuine feel.
The most enlightening segment of the book is the select correspondence between Neal, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey and others. It provides an insight into Neal that is raw, unedited and seems a much more accurate description than Cassady's own attempt at biography.
Book Review: For Die-Hards Only
Summary: 1 Stars
As a reader who came to this book from a curiosity about Neal Cassady the person, I was disapointed to say the least. It's ironic that the book that offers the least insight into the workings of Neal Cassady's mind would be his own autobiography. I can't say very much about his prose either--his letters, if anything, capture the best of his essence for posterity. Perhaps Neal was just too pragmatic before a daunting typewriter and the task of recording his life--he is too chronological and spends too much time on his family tree, which is not fascinating enough to warrant it. The book, which reads more like a school paper, ends with Neal still a child. He should have started with "The Third Third" and worked backwards.