PIC

From one of themost famous of the Beat writers, Kerouac’s final novel of brotherhood and travel,now reissued in a standalone edition following his centenary celebration

Pic—full name Pictorial Review Jackson—isa ten-year-old Black boy living in rural North Carolina with his grandfather inthe 1940s. When Pic is forced to move in with his aunt after his grandfather’spassing, his older brother Slim appears to rescue him. Together, they hitch aride to New York City, where Slim lives with his pregnant girlfriend, but thecity’s poverty shocks young Pic. When Slim loses job after job, the brotherswill pick up and head west, making their way to California across a countrysuffused with hardship, music, love, and danger. Kerouac’s last publishednovel, Pic is an endearing portrayal of brotherhood and the classicAmerican road trip, seen through the adventurous eyes of a child.