The Dharma Bums
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouacby Jack Kerouac
Shares rank 74 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it as a favorite Kerouac book, including readers who have read most of his work. No criticism recurs in the quotes.
People recommend it as a favorite Kerouac book, including readers who have read most of his work. No criticism recurs in the quotes.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Favorite Kerouac book among readers
“I can remember that one being my favorite too but I can't remember anything about it.”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” “Dharma Bums is my favorite Kerouac book, and I've read most of his.”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” Recommended by readers of most Kerouac
“Dharma Bums is my favorite Kerouac book, and I've read most of his.”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Dharma Bumsby Jack KerouacThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I can remember that one being my favorite too but I can't remember anything about it.”
“Dharma Bums is my favorite Kerouac book, and I've read most of his.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.