Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia by Robert Greenfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found it difficult to read about the self-destructive side of Jerry Garcia. I like to think of him only as a wildly talented Buddha, but of course he was human and flawed, as we all are. If you are interested in Jerry Garcia, the sixties and the Dead, I think you'll like adding this to what you know about all of them.

I had a similar reaction when I read the bio of the legendary Neal Cassady of the beat and Prankster eras.  Honored and loved for his brilliance and charm, Cassady's dark side was all too human and flawed. It is surprising that he bridged two eras of outlaw creative worlds without ever writing anything. 

Off the Road: My Years with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg by Carolyn Cassady
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you're interested in Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg as well as the Merry Pranksters who travelled with Ken Kesey, this book gives you insight into the personal life of Cassady through the eyes of his wife of many years. Although Cassady is a legendary figure, being married to him and having three children by him sounds like a total nightmare. I couldn't help wondering all through the book why Carolyn Cassady stayed with him. "I loved him" didn't seem possible as enough of a reason, but that's not for me to say. She tells her story well and I got a deeper understanding of him and to a certain extent, the people he ran with.

It's been hard reading about the sixties in these two books. They show the side of the sixties I never really got into, probably because I never had money or fame. Now I feel lucky for the way I went through those times. I may have broken lots of rules, but self-destructiveness didn't overwhelm my survival instincts. What a time--so much hope, light and dark ... I am sometimes amazed at all we dealt with.

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