A review by sujuv
Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir by Joyce Johnson

4.0

Working my way (selectively) through the NYT list of 50 best memoirs of last 50 years. Very subjective list, obviously, but very happy to have been pointed towards Minor Characters, which I doubt I would have found on my own. Joyce Johnson has become an award-winning writer who has outlived her Beat cohorts by a mile, but during the 50s she was an aspiring writer who was involved with Jack Kerouac for over a year, during the time when he became famous. She manages to touch on what a male world it was without ever making herself seem small and without ever making the men around her out to be monsters. It's quite an accomplishment as well as being a fascinating read that immerses the reader in the time and the place. And if you're interested: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/26/books/best-memoirs.html