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One and Only: The Untold Story of on the Road & Lu Anne Henderson, The Woman Who Started Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady on Their Journey
Lu Anne Henderson was a beautiful 15-year-old girl in Denver in 1945 when she met Neal Cassady, a fast-talking hurricane of male sexuality and vast promises. The two married, and soon they were hanging out with a group of young would-be writers, including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. But Neal and Jack initially didn't like each other very much. Lu Anne ended up loving them both, and she taught them how to love each other--in effect, making the Beat Generation possible, as well as giving Kerouac material for one of the seminal novels of the 20th century, "On the Road." "One and Only" traces the immense struggles of Lu Anne's own life, which ranged from the split-up of her family during the Great Depression, to the ravages of abusive men and the grief of losing the two most important men in her life; and shows how her life intertwined with Jack's and Neal's to the very end.
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First published November 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 18, 2012
After reading ‘On the Road’ by Jack Kerouac I read everything I could find about the people involved in the so-called beat generation. I read biographies of Kerouac and Neal Cassady, autobiographies by Jack’s daughter Jan Kerouac, Neal’s wife Carolyn Cassady and Kerouac’s wife Joan Haverty and many more. But I could never find anything about Lu Anne Henderson. Lu Anne was 16 when she married Neal Cassady and she was the third person in the car during the famous road trip in ‘On the Road’. So I was thrilled when I found out that Gerald Nicosia and Lu Anne’s daughter, Anne Marie Santos, had written a book about Lu Anne.
I think the only reader who would get much of anything from this book is a reader like myself who has become familiar with the lives of all the other players and who is curious about Lu Anne’s story. Most of the book is a transcript of an old tape of Lu Anne’s version of the story of ‘On the Road’ that was made by Nicosia many years ago when he was doing research for his biography of Kerouac. That part of the book is really just the same story of ‘On the Road’ but told from Lu Anne’s perspective. There’s really very little there that we didn’t already know and it’s not told terribly well. That part of the book probably deserves two stars. The last two chapters of the book are told by Al Hinkle, who was a good friend of Neal and Lu Anne, and Lu Anne’s daughter, Anne Marie Santos. I’m giving the book four stars because of those two chapters. Finally, in these last two chapters, we find out where Lu Anne has been all these years and how her life turned out. In my opinion Lu Anne lived a much more interesting, although difficult, life than either Jack Kerouac or Neal Cassady did. Apparently Lu Anne was able to always be loving, caring and optimistic through the good times and the tragedies in her life while her male counterparts, Jack and Neal, gave up hope and both died relatively young, angry and disillusioned. I’m so glad that the authors have finally decided to tell Lu Anne’s story.
I think the only reader who would get much of anything from this book is a reader like myself who has become familiar with the lives of all the other players and who is curious about Lu Anne’s story. Most of the book is a transcript of an old tape of Lu Anne’s version of the story of ‘On the Road’ that was made by Nicosia many years ago when he was doing research for his biography of Kerouac. That part of the book is really just the same story of ‘On the Road’ but told from Lu Anne’s perspective. There’s really very little there that we didn’t already know and it’s not told terribly well. That part of the book probably deserves two stars. The last two chapters of the book are told by Al Hinkle, who was a good friend of Neal and Lu Anne, and Lu Anne’s daughter, Anne Marie Santos. I’m giving the book four stars because of those two chapters. Finally, in these last two chapters, we find out where Lu Anne has been all these years and how her life turned out. In my opinion Lu Anne lived a much more interesting, although difficult, life than either Jack Kerouac or Neal Cassady did. Apparently Lu Anne was able to always be loving, caring and optimistic through the good times and the tragedies in her life while her male counterparts, Jack and Neal, gave up hope and both died relatively young, angry and disillusioned. I’m so glad that the authors have finally decided to tell Lu Anne’s story.
March 7, 2022
This is absolutely stunning. By far, the best book related to the Beat Generation to come along in quite a while. For ALL beat-generation fans, especially Kerouac and Cassady fans this is HIGHLY recommended. In fact, I recommend reading this alongside Kerouac's timeless modern-day classic, On the Road, so that you will be able to sort fact from fiction. In addition, Lu Anne mentions some other stories that are not mentioned in Kerouac's novel, and clarifies or corrects a few parts that Jack changed.
Most of this book is based on a transcribed interview between Lu Anne Henderson ('Mary Lou' in On the Road) and Gerald Nicosia, who famously wrote the most detailed account of Kerouac's life in his biography on the beat legend, Memory Babe. Incidentally, the Centennial Edition of Memory Babe is being republished as I write this, and also receives my highest recommendation for those who have not read it yet.
As others have said elsewhere, here Lu Anne is given her own voice and she really is the missing 'link' to the On the Road story. Although it is impossible to prove that everything she touches upon or remembers is accurate, everything she says does make perfect sense based on what we already know about Cassady and Kerouac.
By the time I made it to the final chapter, I did not want it to end! Lu Anne is so open and warm-hearted and......brilliant! that I could have listened to her for hours.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that I liked this book even AS MUCH as Kerouac's On the Road, not to take away anything from Kerouac's classic novel but this is equally brilliant.
And then, at the end of the book, I was literally in tears. Despite all of Neal's shortcomings and weaknesses, I realized just how much Lu Anne dearly loved Neal, even though she went on to marry another 3 husbands and loved them all in her own way. Neal said that Lu Anne was his "one and only" woman and wife and by the end of the book, you realized that she felt the same way about Neal. The way Lu Anne (through the interview), Nicosia and her daughter Anne Marie Santos put this across so poignantly in this book was almost painful to read. What was especially sad was how Neal never went onto college and became the writer he had wanted to become, the potential writer Kerouac saw in him Lu Anne desperately wanted Cassady to follow his own dreams but alas, it was not to be.
Her chapters on Kerouac are also very revealing. In that famous scene when Neal comes roaring back into San Francisco to cruelly drop Lu Anne and Jack off on the sidewalk and then summarily leave them (both in the book and the movie), Lu Anne talks about how there was a missed chance for her and Jack to really 'make' it as a couple because Kerouac was too blown away and hurt by how Neal just left them. And the same thing happened again later in Mexico when Kerouac was sick and Cassady ran back to Carolyn (although Lu Anne wasn't on that particular trip). The way Lu Anne describes it, something went wrong with Kerouac around that time and he was never the same again. The multiple rejections by publishers who thought little of his work, all the disappointments building up, the numerous times they went hungry on the road etc. ended up 'breaking' Jack, as Lu Anne recounts in one of the most fascinating parts of the book, to the point where by the time he eventually became famous in 1957, he was already a broken man. This was all immensely revealing to me, as I had always wondered what had triggered Kerouac's decline into an alcoholic haze. It makes perfect sense, combined with the fact that he was too sensitive to handle all the unfair jibes and cheap shots from the press.
Without giving too much more away, I just want to say, quite emphatically, that everyone should read this! Not only is her story ESSENTIAL in order to understand the lives of Kerouac and Cassady, but also as Nicosia rightly points out early in the book, Lu Anne Henderson / Cassady is such a fascinating woman in her own right, and a 'pioneer' feminist in a way, considering how determined she was to live life her own way, on HER OWN TERMS, in a time of such stultifying conservatism.
Highly, highly, highly, recommended - this book shines like a million Roman candles exploding not only across the night, but also in the reader's own mind. Now, the next time I read On the Road, and as the sun goes down, I think not only of Dean Moriarty but also Lu Anne Henderson, the secret missing link between Cassady and Kerouac, the woman we never found.....until now.
Most of this book is based on a transcribed interview between Lu Anne Henderson ('Mary Lou' in On the Road) and Gerald Nicosia, who famously wrote the most detailed account of Kerouac's life in his biography on the beat legend, Memory Babe. Incidentally, the Centennial Edition of Memory Babe is being republished as I write this, and also receives my highest recommendation for those who have not read it yet.
As others have said elsewhere, here Lu Anne is given her own voice and she really is the missing 'link' to the On the Road story. Although it is impossible to prove that everything she touches upon or remembers is accurate, everything she says does make perfect sense based on what we already know about Cassady and Kerouac.
By the time I made it to the final chapter, I did not want it to end! Lu Anne is so open and warm-hearted and......brilliant! that I could have listened to her for hours.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that I liked this book even AS MUCH as Kerouac's On the Road, not to take away anything from Kerouac's classic novel but this is equally brilliant.
And then, at the end of the book, I was literally in tears. Despite all of Neal's shortcomings and weaknesses, I realized just how much Lu Anne dearly loved Neal, even though she went on to marry another 3 husbands and loved them all in her own way. Neal said that Lu Anne was his "one and only" woman and wife and by the end of the book, you realized that she felt the same way about Neal. The way Lu Anne (through the interview), Nicosia and her daughter Anne Marie Santos put this across so poignantly in this book was almost painful to read. What was especially sad was how Neal never went onto college and became the writer he had wanted to become, the potential writer Kerouac saw in him Lu Anne desperately wanted Cassady to follow his own dreams but alas, it was not to be.
Her chapters on Kerouac are also very revealing. In that famous scene when Neal comes roaring back into San Francisco to cruelly drop Lu Anne and Jack off on the sidewalk and then summarily leave them (both in the book and the movie), Lu Anne talks about how there was a missed chance for her and Jack to really 'make' it as a couple because Kerouac was too blown away and hurt by how Neal just left them. And the same thing happened again later in Mexico when Kerouac was sick and Cassady ran back to Carolyn (although Lu Anne wasn't on that particular trip). The way Lu Anne describes it, something went wrong with Kerouac around that time and he was never the same again. The multiple rejections by publishers who thought little of his work, all the disappointments building up, the numerous times they went hungry on the road etc. ended up 'breaking' Jack, as Lu Anne recounts in one of the most fascinating parts of the book, to the point where by the time he eventually became famous in 1957, he was already a broken man. This was all immensely revealing to me, as I had always wondered what had triggered Kerouac's decline into an alcoholic haze. It makes perfect sense, combined with the fact that he was too sensitive to handle all the unfair jibes and cheap shots from the press.
Without giving too much more away, I just want to say, quite emphatically, that everyone should read this! Not only is her story ESSENTIAL in order to understand the lives of Kerouac and Cassady, but also as Nicosia rightly points out early in the book, Lu Anne Henderson / Cassady is such a fascinating woman in her own right, and a 'pioneer' feminist in a way, considering how determined she was to live life her own way, on HER OWN TERMS, in a time of such stultifying conservatism.
Highly, highly, highly, recommended - this book shines like a million Roman candles exploding not only across the night, but also in the reader's own mind. Now, the next time I read On the Road, and as the sun goes down, I think not only of Dean Moriarty but also Lu Anne Henderson, the secret missing link between Cassady and Kerouac, the woman we never found.....until now.
February 27, 2014
Saddest damn book I ever read. Tears were rolling down my face at the end at the sad fate of Jack and Neal -- Jack turned into a hopeless alcoholic calloused over and trying to feel nothing inside, and Neal transformed from American legendary living hero into Ken Kesey's dancing bear.
And it was caused by Jack's genius. That the horrible irony. The better he wrote,the worse their fates would get.
The book is based a long interview with LuAnn Henderson (the Mary Lou of the story)and remains true to its origins. It's spoken in her voice. She skips around and doubles back to thoughts she's already had like real people do. And she's retelling a story On The Road readers already know very well, but from her woman's perspective.
LuAnn went through four husbands herself, became a junkie for a while but cleaned up, ran nightclubs in North Beach San Francisco, had a whole big life of her own. She maintained a friendship with them both to the end and tells the tragic story of their decline as she saw it. Her daughter writes the last part.
It's just a heartbreaking book, but essential to anyone who has been affected by Kerouac's writing.
I'm still sort of stunned this morning. But it's a good stunned.
And it was caused by Jack's genius. That the horrible irony. The better he wrote,the worse their fates would get.
The book is based a long interview with LuAnn Henderson (the Mary Lou of the story)and remains true to its origins. It's spoken in her voice. She skips around and doubles back to thoughts she's already had like real people do. And she's retelling a story On The Road readers already know very well, but from her woman's perspective.
LuAnn went through four husbands herself, became a junkie for a while but cleaned up, ran nightclubs in North Beach San Francisco, had a whole big life of her own. She maintained a friendship with them both to the end and tells the tragic story of their decline as she saw it. Her daughter writes the last part.
It's just a heartbreaking book, but essential to anyone who has been affected by Kerouac's writing.
I'm still sort of stunned this morning. But it's a good stunned.
September 27, 2012
Headline: Menage a trois: the lady in the middle
Quote
"We'll be together, you are my one and only wife." –
Neal Cassady in a letter to LuAnn.
Summary
Lu Anne Henderson was a beautiful 15-year-old girl in Denver in 1945 when she met Neal Cassady, a fast-talking hurricane of male sexuality and vast promises. The two married, and soon they were hanging out with a group of young would-be writers, including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. But Neal and Jack initially didn't like each other very much. Lu Anne ended up loving them both, and she taught them how to love each other - in effect, making the Beat Generation possible, as well as giving Kerouac material for one of the seminal novels of the 20th century, On the Road. One and Only traces the immense struggles of Lu Anne's own life, which ranged from the split-up of her family during the Great Depression, to the ravages of abusive men and the grief of losing the two most important men in her life; and shows how her life intertwined with Jack's and Neal's to the very end.
Review
As a reference to my review headline - the ménage a trois you're probably thinking about is the suggested threesome between Neal Cassady, Lu Anne and Allen Ginsberg...but then, it could also mean the threesome between Neal, Lu Anne and Jack Kerouac. Talk about a love dodecahedron.
On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, is one of the cornerstones of modern literature. What gets me is that compilations or literary Beat collections - it's the boys who get all all the press. What i loved about this book, was that I got to really hear the voice of Lu Anne, the inspiration for jailbait-esque MaryLou in On the Road. Oversexed, undereducated martyr with daddy issues? Or...selfless muse with the penchant for a bit of masochism? The book chapters alternate between interviews with real life Lu Anne (at her deathbed), her daughter, and biographer Gerald Nicosia.
I love books like these because it absolutely belongs within an entire web of information - this could be your own private literary investigation. You should definitely start by checking out On the Road, by Jack kerouac. Then maybe following up with The Beats : from Kerouac to Kesey : an illustrated journey through the Beat Generation / Mike Evans - this book changed my perspective of poetry when I was 13. I know k-Stew has been making the headlines for well, being a bit of a lemon tart... Do I like that she plays MaryLou aka Lu Anne, in the movie biopic On the Road which has just hit the cinemas? Possibly not. But it is definitely worth the watch. Try not to consume too many fluids before the film...it is LONG. Finally, finish with a perusal of the famed poem Howl by Allen Ginsberg. Beat poetry and snooping into the lives of Beat poets is an obsession of mine. Even if you don't appreciate it as an art form, you will be affected. Danny, my long-suffering other half who hates most of my 'arty farty' movie picks, said he left the movie feeling sort of like someone strangled and then chopped up a fluffy bunny in front of him. Oh oh oh...and because everyone loves a good catfight - check out Off the Road - the other story by the OTHER woman, Carolyn Cassady.
Beat fans, literary nerds, snoopsa: this is for you. The only hiccup for me is I feel that the heavy matters were glossed over There was a bit too much of this c'est la vie attitude, which is quite un-beat. I wanted to hear more gritty details about Lu Anne's subsequent 3 failed marriages and simultaneous tragic reunions with Neal. But otherwise, I really wish Lu Anne was still alive. I'd totally follow her on Twitter.
Quote
"We'll be together, you are my one and only wife." –
Neal Cassady in a letter to LuAnn.
Summary
Lu Anne Henderson was a beautiful 15-year-old girl in Denver in 1945 when she met Neal Cassady, a fast-talking hurricane of male sexuality and vast promises. The two married, and soon they were hanging out with a group of young would-be writers, including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. But Neal and Jack initially didn't like each other very much. Lu Anne ended up loving them both, and she taught them how to love each other - in effect, making the Beat Generation possible, as well as giving Kerouac material for one of the seminal novels of the 20th century, On the Road. One and Only traces the immense struggles of Lu Anne's own life, which ranged from the split-up of her family during the Great Depression, to the ravages of abusive men and the grief of losing the two most important men in her life; and shows how her life intertwined with Jack's and Neal's to the very end.
Review
As a reference to my review headline - the ménage a trois you're probably thinking about is the suggested threesome between Neal Cassady, Lu Anne and Allen Ginsberg...but then, it could also mean the threesome between Neal, Lu Anne and Jack Kerouac. Talk about a love dodecahedron.
On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, is one of the cornerstones of modern literature. What gets me is that compilations or literary Beat collections - it's the boys who get all all the press. What i loved about this book, was that I got to really hear the voice of Lu Anne, the inspiration for jailbait-esque MaryLou in On the Road. Oversexed, undereducated martyr with daddy issues? Or...selfless muse with the penchant for a bit of masochism? The book chapters alternate between interviews with real life Lu Anne (at her deathbed), her daughter, and biographer Gerald Nicosia.
I love books like these because it absolutely belongs within an entire web of information - this could be your own private literary investigation. You should definitely start by checking out On the Road, by Jack kerouac. Then maybe following up with The Beats : from Kerouac to Kesey : an illustrated journey through the Beat Generation / Mike Evans - this book changed my perspective of poetry when I was 13. I know k-Stew has been making the headlines for well, being a bit of a lemon tart... Do I like that she plays MaryLou aka Lu Anne, in the movie biopic On the Road which has just hit the cinemas? Possibly not. But it is definitely worth the watch. Try not to consume too many fluids before the film...it is LONG. Finally, finish with a perusal of the famed poem Howl by Allen Ginsberg. Beat poetry and snooping into the lives of Beat poets is an obsession of mine. Even if you don't appreciate it as an art form, you will be affected. Danny, my long-suffering other half who hates most of my 'arty farty' movie picks, said he left the movie feeling sort of like someone strangled and then chopped up a fluffy bunny in front of him. Oh oh oh...and because everyone loves a good catfight - check out Off the Road - the other story by the OTHER woman, Carolyn Cassady.
Beat fans, literary nerds, snoopsa: this is for you. The only hiccup for me is I feel that the heavy matters were glossed over There was a bit too much of this c'est la vie attitude, which is quite un-beat. I wanted to hear more gritty details about Lu Anne's subsequent 3 failed marriages and simultaneous tragic reunions with Neal. But otherwise, I really wish Lu Anne was still alive. I'd totally follow her on Twitter.
December 30, 2011
One and Only is the essential, long-missing tale of the young woman who captured the hearts of Cassady and Kerouac when they first got on the road. Though the bulk of the book is an edited transcription of a seven-hour taped interview Henderson offered Nicosia, Nicosia does offer his unique insights into the psyches and emotions of the key players of the Beat Generation. It’s a must-read for any Beat fan.
Read
December 11, 2020Here’s a significant archaeological discovery of the recent past. Gerald Nicosia, in 1978, met and extensively interviewed Lu Anne Henderson, a character in On the Road. (Kerouac called her Marylou.) She’s an intelligent woman with a high school education, whom Nicosia calls a saint. Now I’m rethinking the Beats.
Maybe the women are, really, at the center of the story? It’s easy to be a self-assured semi-criminal hyperactive “con artist”. (That’s the term Gerd Stern used to describe Neal Cassady the other day, and he knew him!) It’s more difficult to be the girl who loves Neal, steals for him, comforts him in his despondencies. According to this book, Neal and Jack Kerouac – two egoistic men – mutually disliked each other at first meeting. It was Lu Anne ¬who pulled them together.
Kerouac’s book is the story of very young people who keep changing their minds – for one simple reason: they love each other but are too crazy to settle down. The three protagonists of On the Road – Jack, Neal, and Lu Anne – in fact, never really found stability. She had three husbands and ended up finally alone, Jack had the same number of wives, but his mates seemed more like caretakers than lovers. Neal had two wives and innumerable girlfriends, and perished in Mexican solitude. Lu Anne, this book implies, was the wisest of the three.
One and Only is based on two conversations Gerald Nicosia had with Lu Anne in 1978, when she was a heroin addict in Daly City, California. She comes across as a working-class intellectual, an amateur psychologist, in love with writers and jazz musicians.
I never had this experience before, but I fell in love with the woman reading the audiobook: Vanessa Hart. Her voice is sexy, wistful, full of turquoise inflections.
Maybe the women are, really, at the center of the story? It’s easy to be a self-assured semi-criminal hyperactive “con artist”. (That’s the term Gerd Stern used to describe Neal Cassady the other day, and he knew him!) It’s more difficult to be the girl who loves Neal, steals for him, comforts him in his despondencies. According to this book, Neal and Jack Kerouac – two egoistic men – mutually disliked each other at first meeting. It was Lu Anne ¬who pulled them together.
Kerouac’s book is the story of very young people who keep changing their minds – for one simple reason: they love each other but are too crazy to settle down. The three protagonists of On the Road – Jack, Neal, and Lu Anne – in fact, never really found stability. She had three husbands and ended up finally alone, Jack had the same number of wives, but his mates seemed more like caretakers than lovers. Neal had two wives and innumerable girlfriends, and perished in Mexican solitude. Lu Anne, this book implies, was the wisest of the three.
One and Only is based on two conversations Gerald Nicosia had with Lu Anne in 1978, when she was a heroin addict in Daly City, California. She comes across as a working-class intellectual, an amateur psychologist, in love with writers and jazz musicians.
I never had this experience before, but I fell in love with the woman reading the audiobook: Vanessa Hart. Her voice is sexy, wistful, full of turquoise inflections.
January 2, 2014
Truly one of the saddest books I have read in a long time. On the Road is undoubtedly my favorite novel of all time, and it greatly saddens me that the basis characters who I grew to love and appreciate essentially became self destructive and defeating though out the years following publication. Lu Annes reflection of the two of the main instruments of the Beat Generation in Jack and Neal tells the story of two care free live life to the day types that let there free living tendencies fall to the side and allowed reality that most faced finally set in…one that they were not prepared to deal with. Two individuals that gave the appearance that they had their versions of life all figured out when in reality the opposite was true and were truly flying by the seat of their pants until life finally caught up to them. Many times this case was truly unfair, in other situations they should have known better, but in the end, One and Only delivers a portrait of their demise set forth by the memoirs of a young 16 year old girl that was willing to travel the world with these two individuals. The breakdown is tough, the thrills and adventures will cause jealously, but the reality is simple, reality is not always what is beautifully portrayed.
On another note, those who take on the feminist agenda need to take note that the actions carried out in this period piece do not reflect modern times, so to hold them accountable to what is deemed acceptable and not acceptable today is quite unfair.
On another note, those who take on the feminist agenda need to take note that the actions carried out in this period piece do not reflect modern times, so to hold them accountable to what is deemed acceptable and not acceptable today is quite unfair.
April 26, 2012
Reading this after finishing a re-read of On the Road was one of the best decisions I ever made in my reading life.
Reading On the Road one can't help but thinking: What was going through that girl's head? What drew her in to that crazy, high strung crowd?...Well, this book has the answer. In the words of Lu Anne Henderson "Marylou" herself.
Lu Anne was fierce, she was larger than life, and getting to understand her was absolutely wonderful. As a young, relatively-sheltered, woman I can't help but to marvel at her independence and zest for life. She wanted to live and to love and that's what she did, she went for it! How many of us can say the same?
Absolutely loved reading the bits about shooting the movie and all the many wonderful people that were involved in it. I have high hopes that it will acurately portray the journey that inspired generations.
Reading On the Road one can't help but thinking: What was going through that girl's head? What drew her in to that crazy, high strung crowd?...Well, this book has the answer. In the words of Lu Anne Henderson "Marylou" herself.
Lu Anne was fierce, she was larger than life, and getting to understand her was absolutely wonderful. As a young, relatively-sheltered, woman I can't help but to marvel at her independence and zest for life. She wanted to live and to love and that's what she did, she went for it! How many of us can say the same?
Absolutely loved reading the bits about shooting the movie and all the many wonderful people that were involved in it. I have high hopes that it will acurately portray the journey that inspired generations.
January 15, 2017
Great book expounding on the sensitive and emotional lives of the Beats not told in any other book. LuAnne Henderson's (MaryLou in On The Road) story as told by her through Gerald Nicosia finally comes to light.
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December 14, 2011Essential reading alongside "On the Road." There are many shocking secrets that will amaze BEAT aficionados!
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August 11, 2020Review of: One and Only, The Untold Story of ‘On the Road’, (Gerald Nicosia & Anne Marie Santos, (Viva Editions, Cleis Press, Inc., Berkeley, 2011)
I have just finished Gerald Nicosia and Anne Marie Santos’ One and Only and must share my reaction. In a panorama of works of homage and exposé of the characters in the Beat Generation, these authors find an unsung hero and lets her tell her untold story. The book is a laying out of interviews with and from Lu Anne Henderson, the young wise-beyond-her-years companion of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady on their famous journey across America and through the middle of a century-in-chaos. They stand back and lets Lu Anne’s voice ring clear in what she says about herself and the characters in that legendary time.
One and Only, The Untold Story of ‘On the Road’ fills out the characters who energized and reinvented the American literary sensibility in the mid-twentieth century. This is not small accomplishment. So much has been written, mis-written, and contorted in film, about these disarmingly obsessed personae, that finding a soberly told tale that frames any one of them humanely is a very rare treat.
Nicosia and Santos facilitate the voice of their subject with two major interviews and discreet commentary. The rendering of the intermediary material is almost seamless in keeping the intimate personal tone to the book. The result is an engaging and thoroughly luminous work. Though, as Gerald points out, Lu Anne was not an educated woman, the book highlights her inherent depth of perception, shared poetically in her own way.
Just buy it. Plan to share it. Buy two copies.
I have just finished Gerald Nicosia and Anne Marie Santos’ One and Only and must share my reaction. In a panorama of works of homage and exposé of the characters in the Beat Generation, these authors find an unsung hero and lets her tell her untold story. The book is a laying out of interviews with and from Lu Anne Henderson, the young wise-beyond-her-years companion of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady on their famous journey across America and through the middle of a century-in-chaos. They stand back and lets Lu Anne’s voice ring clear in what she says about herself and the characters in that legendary time.
One and Only, The Untold Story of ‘On the Road’ fills out the characters who energized and reinvented the American literary sensibility in the mid-twentieth century. This is not small accomplishment. So much has been written, mis-written, and contorted in film, about these disarmingly obsessed personae, that finding a soberly told tale that frames any one of them humanely is a very rare treat.
Nicosia and Santos facilitate the voice of their subject with two major interviews and discreet commentary. The rendering of the intermediary material is almost seamless in keeping the intimate personal tone to the book. The result is an engaging and thoroughly luminous work. Though, as Gerald points out, Lu Anne was not an educated woman, the book highlights her inherent depth of perception, shared poetically in her own way.
Just buy it. Plan to share it. Buy two copies.
May 29, 2012
This is a much read after reading both On the Road the original edited version and the On the Road The Original Scroll version. This gives you a clear view of the view of Luanne Henderson rather than just the view of Kerouac in On the Road and throughout the Beat Movement.
August 24, 2025
At the core of One and Only lies a reasonably complete transcript of a two-day interview with Lu Anne Henderson—the inspiration for "Marylou," the teenage bride of Dean Moriarty/Neil Cassady, in On the Road. The interview took place in 1978 but languished in university archives for many years, only be to be exhumed and published in 2011.
The interview itself is fascinating. Lu Anne—far from the passive figure of Jack Kerouac's book—exudes charisma, compassion and wisdom throughout. Jack and Neil are refreshingly demystified. If their counterparts in On the Road come across as shallow, immature and even psychopathic at times, it seems that reality was a lot more nuanced. In Lu Ann's telling, Jack was a shy, sensitive, and considerate soul, while Neil's periodic destructiveness—directed both inwardly at himself and outwardly at those closest to him—arose in the context of some serious childhood trauma. Both men are shown to be remarkably insecure in their masculinity.
The remainder of the book is padded out with reflections from other parties, such as Al "Ed Dunkel" Hinkle and Lu Anne's daughter, Annie Marie Santos, who alas fail to contribute little of interest. (A decent chunk of the book is spent describing Kirsten Stewart's efforts to understand Lu Anne's character while filming the 2012 adaptation of On the Road.) But Lu Anne's own words form an invaluable—I'd go so far as to say essential—supplement to Kerouac's classic (albeit deeply flawed) novel.
The interview itself is fascinating. Lu Anne—far from the passive figure of Jack Kerouac's book—exudes charisma, compassion and wisdom throughout. Jack and Neil are refreshingly demystified. If their counterparts in On the Road come across as shallow, immature and even psychopathic at times, it seems that reality was a lot more nuanced. In Lu Ann's telling, Jack was a shy, sensitive, and considerate soul, while Neil's periodic destructiveness—directed both inwardly at himself and outwardly at those closest to him—arose in the context of some serious childhood trauma. Both men are shown to be remarkably insecure in their masculinity.
The remainder of the book is padded out with reflections from other parties, such as Al "Ed Dunkel" Hinkle and Lu Anne's daughter, Annie Marie Santos, who alas fail to contribute little of interest. (A decent chunk of the book is spent describing Kirsten Stewart's efforts to understand Lu Anne's character while filming the 2012 adaptation of On the Road.) But Lu Anne's own words form an invaluable—I'd go so far as to say essential—supplement to Kerouac's classic (albeit deeply flawed) novel.
November 23, 2021
A good book with key info to help the decipher the beat legacy. for example i never understood how neil met kerouac, Ginsberg and company in NYC. Also i'm Luann got to set the record straight regarding her rivalry with neil with his Carylo Cassidy, it wasnt luann after dean as CC says it was Neil who couldn't let go of LuAnn and Carolyn was more the repressive, oppressive wife keeping me on a tight lease.
But it was interesting to see LuAnns perspective, sort of an innocent bystander who was right in the middle of everything, literally and figuratively. She seems like she was a wonderful person, who made everyone comfortable, usually when women are that beautiful they think they're too good to spit on you. The idea that shed invite you to put your hands down her pants when they were driving in freezing weather makes me think of her as a saint.
but the biggest contribution to the book is how well she understook Jack and neil, their strengths and weaknesses, how their lives parelled each others and the dynamics of their relationships, how they wanted to be each other, jack wished he had neil confidence esp. with women and neil wished he got write like Jack. And she know that by the time On the Road was published Jack was a broken person and so was neil and that what they were really trying to kill themselves.
you get a great glimpse of luanns personality and its not coincidence that she had a front seat in On The Road.
But it was interesting to see LuAnns perspective, sort of an innocent bystander who was right in the middle of everything, literally and figuratively. She seems like she was a wonderful person, who made everyone comfortable, usually when women are that beautiful they think they're too good to spit on you. The idea that shed invite you to put your hands down her pants when they were driving in freezing weather makes me think of her as a saint.
but the biggest contribution to the book is how well she understook Jack and neil, their strengths and weaknesses, how their lives parelled each others and the dynamics of their relationships, how they wanted to be each other, jack wished he had neil confidence esp. with women and neil wished he got write like Jack. And she know that by the time On the Road was published Jack was a broken person and so was neil and that what they were really trying to kill themselves.
you get a great glimpse of luanns personality and its not coincidence that she had a front seat in On The Road.
November 8, 2021
I'm in the UK where the 'beats' aren't that well known. Having read 'On the Road' I started researching more about the real life characters and how they acted as a catalyst for the massive counterculture movement of the 60's. Loads of info about Kerouac and Cassady, but hardly anything about Lu Anne Henderson. It struck me how Kerouac and Cassady had won fame but it was as though Lu Anne had been airbrushed out of history despite also being one of the beat originators. Thankfully I found Gerald Nicosia's book. It sets the recorded straight, as Kerouac sometimes portrayed Lu Anne's character quite negatively in 'On the road'. I enjoyed 'On the Road' a great deal but found this even more fascinating. A brilliant read to follow on with.
November 12, 2022
(2.5 Stars)
I love The Beat Generation -- I'll read just about any book about it. There were a lot of people trapped inside the orbit of "The Beats". And Lu Anne Henderson was just one such person. To hear her tell it, she was instrumental in bringing together Jack and Neal, but other books argue this fact and have her as more of a minor player.
At any rate, this is a good book about Lu Anne, and her story... as she sees it.
This book would be good for anyone who likes to read about The Beat Generation, but honestly would have little to offer anyone not interested in the source material. Especially of Jack and Neal... who play major roles in this book, but as supporting actors to Lu Anne.
I love The Beat Generation -- I'll read just about any book about it. There were a lot of people trapped inside the orbit of "The Beats". And Lu Anne Henderson was just one such person. To hear her tell it, she was instrumental in bringing together Jack and Neal, but other books argue this fact and have her as more of a minor player.
At any rate, this is a good book about Lu Anne, and her story... as she sees it.
This book would be good for anyone who likes to read about The Beat Generation, but honestly would have little to offer anyone not interested in the source material. Especially of Jack and Neal... who play major roles in this book, but as supporting actors to Lu Anne.
February 2, 2023
A very thorough portrait of an interesting woman in her own words. Marylou/Luanne has always been written off or pigeonholed, although I think many of us really liked the character of Marylou in On The Road. Luanne, contrary to the "Teenaged Sexpot," and "Neal's Clueless Wife" roles, was an observant, loving freespirit with many non-beat adventures under her belt. And it seems she was very loved by those around her. The Beat movement was notorious for giving it's women short shrift; but this book atones somewhat for that by bring Luanne to complex, rich, likeable life.
November 17, 2022
Historically so interesting. Clear eye to what was a disaster of youth indulging youth and hurting each other and themselves. Peels away the falsely romantic view of what was really just sad and abusive on so many levels.
May 28, 2025
The author was a little too focused on himself for much of the beginning of the book, once he finally got last name dropping the celebrities and actors he’d met, and got to the actual interview it was really good
June 17, 2017
Important. Different. Insightful.
March 15, 2023
Another history of the characters in On the Road, this time the real life Marylou.
March 7, 2014
Made up mostly of a 1978 interview Nicosia conducted with Lu Anne Henderson, the Marylou of On the Road, this offers fresh perspectives on the famous novel and those who became its characters. Lu Anne's story mostly agrees with Kerouac's. Her telling differs only in small details from the events of the novel. What's most valuable is her insights into the events and into Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac. She was, of course, one of the travelers on the early cross-country sprees as well as being Neal's wife and, for a couple of weeks, Jack's lover.
Nicosia writes that the friendship of Neal and Jack is the "sperm and the egg" at the beginning of the Beat Generation. At first I discounted it but then began to see Beats as a public perception, not as a way Kerouac and his friends thought of themselves, so perhaps the idea fits. What is overblown is Nicosia's claims for Lu Anne. While she arguably may be the glue holding Neal and Jack together, Lu Anne can also be seen as wanton and dissolute and willing to be led into petty crime by Neal. And this is in sharp contrast to Nicosia's picture of her as breaking new ground for women and their roles in society. As Neal's companion and kind of muse to On the Road she was a valuable observer, but to consider her a proto-feminist and revolutionary is to seriously overstate the case.
The closing 2 sections are recollections by Al Hinkle, lifelong friend to all of them and fellow traveler on that famous road, and Anne Marie Santos, Lu Anne's daughter. It's in these sections that we're made aware of what a tender love story it was. Lu Anne made it clear she always loved Neal. And he told her, his 16-year old bride, that she was his one and only wife. They always had feelings for each other, and Hinkle tells us they continued to have a sexual relationship during their subsequent marriages, right up to a few months before Neal's death in 1968.
Well, it's all clumsily written. Sometimes I thought Nicosia's transcription of Lu Anne's oral history, which he claims is true to her speech patterns, the best prose in the book. Nevertheless, it's all terribly interesting. I think this is probably essential reading for all fans of the On the Road legend. Nicosia waited until after Lu Anne's death to bring it to us, but the wait was worth it.
Nicosia writes that the friendship of Neal and Jack is the "sperm and the egg" at the beginning of the Beat Generation. At first I discounted it but then began to see Beats as a public perception, not as a way Kerouac and his friends thought of themselves, so perhaps the idea fits. What is overblown is Nicosia's claims for Lu Anne. While she arguably may be the glue holding Neal and Jack together, Lu Anne can also be seen as wanton and dissolute and willing to be led into petty crime by Neal. And this is in sharp contrast to Nicosia's picture of her as breaking new ground for women and their roles in society. As Neal's companion and kind of muse to On the Road she was a valuable observer, but to consider her a proto-feminist and revolutionary is to seriously overstate the case.
The closing 2 sections are recollections by Al Hinkle, lifelong friend to all of them and fellow traveler on that famous road, and Anne Marie Santos, Lu Anne's daughter. It's in these sections that we're made aware of what a tender love story it was. Lu Anne made it clear she always loved Neal. And he told her, his 16-year old bride, that she was his one and only wife. They always had feelings for each other, and Hinkle tells us they continued to have a sexual relationship during their subsequent marriages, right up to a few months before Neal's death in 1968.
Well, it's all clumsily written. Sometimes I thought Nicosia's transcription of Lu Anne's oral history, which he claims is true to her speech patterns, the best prose in the book. Nevertheless, it's all terribly interesting. I think this is probably essential reading for all fans of the On the Road legend. Nicosia waited until after Lu Anne's death to bring it to us, but the wait was worth it.
May 28, 2013
Lu Anne Henderson is the real Mary Lou from Kerouac's book On the Road. She was Neal Cassady's (Dean Moriarty) first wife. In the late 1940s Lu Anne, at the age of 15, runs away with Neal for a road trip adventure. Their union was soon legalized and she became Mrs. Cassady although the marriage left her jaded, when Neal began seeing Carolyn. Neal jumped from Lu Anne to Carolyn and back again for several years. Despite all the craziness, Lu Anne and Neal both held deep feelings for each other throughout life.
Jack joins the party on several trips across country and becomes close to Lu Anne. With Neal the relationship was more detached, until Lu Anne brought the two together. Her ability to get the two talking and understanding each other resulted in the birth of the Beats. Nicosia suggests that this woman, in a sense, became the catalyst for countercultures in years to come. Following the Beat Generation, came the hippie lifestyle, and then punk rock.
I found Lu Anne to be daring and headstrong. She loved life and everyone she met. Parts of the memoir came from her daughter's perspective and what it was like to grow up in the club scene with her mom. She had a whirlwind life and plenty of ups and downs along the way. Times weren't always easy, but she was a survivor.
Jack joins the party on several trips across country and becomes close to Lu Anne. With Neal the relationship was more detached, until Lu Anne brought the two together. Her ability to get the two talking and understanding each other resulted in the birth of the Beats. Nicosia suggests that this woman, in a sense, became the catalyst for countercultures in years to come. Following the Beat Generation, came the hippie lifestyle, and then punk rock.
I found Lu Anne to be daring and headstrong. She loved life and everyone she met. Parts of the memoir came from her daughter's perspective and what it was like to grow up in the club scene with her mom. She had a whirlwind life and plenty of ups and downs along the way. Times weren't always easy, but she was a survivor.
March 27, 2014
Jack Kerouac's book On the Road has been my favorite novel since I was nineteen years old. When I saw this book on Goodreads, I thought I would check it out. Nicosia's book gives some extra background on the true story of On the Road and the men and women of the Beat Generation (Lu Anne Henderson's character in On the Road was Mary Lou). I enjoyed reading about the reality of the characters' lives in the late 1940s and early 50s, though I've come to view many of the characters in a different light as I've aged, and especially after finishing this book. At one time, they were my heroes; now, I think Jack Kerouac, while an excellent writer, was a sad alcoholic, incapable of sustaining meaningful employment or relationships, and Neal Cassady was, frankly, a womanizing scumbag.
Then again, I'm sure they'd both think I was bourgeois dullard if they had the chance to know me.
There's also some interesting insight into the film version of On the Road, which came out a few years ago. In my mind, no film could do the novel justice, and I was unsurprisingly disappointed when I saw the movie. Kristen Stewart played Marylou, and her performance doesn't seem to match the real-life Lu Anne's warm, fun-loving personality.
All said, it's a good book for those interested in Kerouac, the Beat Generation, and On the Road.
Then again, I'm sure they'd both think I was bourgeois dullard if they had the chance to know me.
There's also some interesting insight into the film version of On the Road, which came out a few years ago. In my mind, no film could do the novel justice, and I was unsurprisingly disappointed when I saw the movie. Kristen Stewart played Marylou, and her performance doesn't seem to match the real-life Lu Anne's warm, fun-loving personality.
All said, it's a good book for those interested in Kerouac, the Beat Generation, and On the Road.
November 15, 2014
I recommend this book if you are an On The Road fan or completest. It offers many insights to Jack and Neal; their personalities, hopes, dreams, ambitions and their relationship, as well as other personages like Alan G., told from the perspective of Lu Anne, Neal's teenage wife and apparently love of his life. It adds considerably to ones understanding of On The Road and how Neal inspired Jack. Neal was Jacks muse, and although Lu Anne doesn't state in explicitly she seems to understand Jack was in love with Neal. It also provides a lot of biographical information about Neal's early life and upbringing, or lack thereof, bringing his personality and psychology into clearer focus. It's also very sad and poignant as one appreciates how all their lives post On The Road essentially fail. Lu Anne survives ok, she has her share of difficulties in life: abusive marriages, drug addiction and other health issues but she comes across as one whose patience and understanding and acceptance of people and events enables her to carry on.
August 8, 2016
Told mostly through extensive interviews with LuAnne Henderson (with some additional material from her daughter), this tells the story of the woman portrayed as Mary Lou in Jack Kerouac's On the Road.
She married Neal Cassady when she was 16, perhaps in part to get away from a predatory step-father. The real story of their travels is one of extreme deprivation and chaos. She tells interesting and unvarnished stories about that and subsequent times.
The book is sometimes touted as the story of a woman who was a pioneer of the sexual revolution, and perhaps for nothing more than her open-mindedness and candor she is that. But I was left with a sad impression that this was a woman whose story will continue to be told in terms of her relationships with men—both because those men were so famous, but also because she did not have a chance to live up to her own unique potential.
Very recommended reading if you're interested in the Beat era, and especially if you want to be diabused of the romantic notions you may have around On the Road.
She married Neal Cassady when she was 16, perhaps in part to get away from a predatory step-father. The real story of their travels is one of extreme deprivation and chaos. She tells interesting and unvarnished stories about that and subsequent times.
The book is sometimes touted as the story of a woman who was a pioneer of the sexual revolution, and perhaps for nothing more than her open-mindedness and candor she is that. But I was left with a sad impression that this was a woman whose story will continue to be told in terms of her relationships with men—both because those men were so famous, but also because she did not have a chance to live up to her own unique potential.
Very recommended reading if you're interested in the Beat era, and especially if you want to be diabused of the romantic notions you may have around On the Road.
June 8, 2012
I am just getting started with this new opus by Gerald Nicosia. It is about a woman who was influential in many of the Beats' lives -- Lu Anne Henderson, the first wife of Neal Cassady.
Since Nicosia's success with his biography of Jack Kerouac, he has written several other works, including several books of poetry; and edited a book of tributes to Jan Kerouac, Jack's daughter and a decent author in her own right.
One and Only grew out of Nicosia's advising the actors in the new Walter Salles movie, "On The Road." He discovered in his archives of his Jack Kerouac bio, Memory Babe, a rather extensive taped interview with Lu Anne (Kristin Stewart plays her as the character "Marylou" in the movie). Although Lu Anne had passed on by this time, Kerouac sought out Lu Anne's daughter Anne Santos to help him complete this story of her mother's life.
Since Nicosia's success with his biography of Jack Kerouac, he has written several other works, including several books of poetry; and edited a book of tributes to Jan Kerouac, Jack's daughter and a decent author in her own right.
One and Only grew out of Nicosia's advising the actors in the new Walter Salles movie, "On The Road." He discovered in his archives of his Jack Kerouac bio, Memory Babe, a rather extensive taped interview with Lu Anne (Kristin Stewart plays her as the character "Marylou" in the movie). Although Lu Anne had passed on by this time, Kerouac sought out Lu Anne's daughter Anne Santos to help him complete this story of her mother's life.
August 1, 2016
A fascinating insight into the Beat Generation, from a perspective you don't come across often: a woman's. Nicosia was obviously greatly enamoured by Lu Anne - so much so that you may start to question his credibility, but it remains a good read regardless. Lu Anne helps to take some of the sheen off of the god-like figures of Cassady and Kerouac, and places their creative movement in the real world. An inspiring woman, it seems a shame we haven't heard more from her over the years; or is that her beauty? It's also nice to get several views on the same person, including a lovely last chapter by Lu Anne's own daughter.
February 6, 2012
I don't get the appeal of the Beatnik's or the Beats. To me these were just a bunch of kids with no direction and did anything that popped into their heads. Not much different from kids today. Had the events of this book happened today, they would all be on a trashy reality tv show. It was a good thing that these like minded people found each other as they created an environment where their actions were embraced. I haven't read the book, On the Road, I think I will give it a try and maybe even see the movie that is supposed to come out about it later this year.
March 10, 2012
This book-on-CD was disappointing to me. While it was kind of interesting to get a fresh viewpoint of the whole Beat scene, I found myself growing bored with the constant repetition in Lu Anne's narrative. I think the author failed her in this endeavor. Although I understand that he wanted to stay true to Lu Anne's "voice", I still feel Nicosia should have done some serious editing to make it more listenable. In the end, I just wanted to read some Kerouac instead.
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