The Beats

I recently watched HOWL, starring James Franco as Allen Ginsberg. The movie, though entertainingly hallucinogenic and well-acted at times, is nothing spectacular. But it does provide insight into the conservative mindset of the early 1960s, and it shows how important Ginsberg and the other Beatnick writers were to the destruction of censorship. Fueled on jazz, amphetamines and a youthful fascination with the possibilities of life, the Beats forever changed literature, music and style. Kerouac is an absolute must-read for any young man as they try to find themselves.