The Frisco Kid

by Jerry Kamstra

San Francisco's as far-out as you can go in America without falling off. THE FRISCO KID is Jerry Kamstra's far-out novel of Edge City and the reckless, creative, insane bunch of artists, writers and hangers-on who spilled out their energies in tender bawdy celebration of a golden era in the life of sensation. The Frisco Kid lives and loves and deals with Hube the Cube, Shoeshine Devine, Linda Lovely, Doorknob, Trout Fishing in America Shorty, Cornsilk, Dr. Frick Frack and all the other beats, boppers, café loungers, winos, oddballs and dreamers who made North Beach in San Francisco a famous American place and time.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book may be very good, but it's hard for me to enjoy it because the author clearly doesn't think of me as a human being.

It's about living in San Francisco during the late fifties and Beat culture. If you read "On the Road" and wanted something with more racism, sexism, and homophobia, this is the book for you.

But yeah, it's very much a product of its time - and it's not sensitive to the problems of the era or intelligently reflective - it's pure sensationalism. Read the Silverstein Playboy article on Beatniks: this book's like that, but less fun to read.

Read Trout Fishing in America instead. (Trout Fishing in America Shorty is in this book for about five minutes!)

Man, for someone who hates the Beat generation, I sure have read a lot of stuff about them.

[Tcherek · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad wrote this book. Therefore it is stellar.