On the Wagon

by Lennox Nicholson

Jack Kerouac’s On the Road helped to define freedom for a generation. But when a young recovering alcoholic turned to the Beat classic for inspiration, he saw more warning signs and wreckages than enlightenment and self-discovery. Was that really freedom?

Setting off from Australia, Lennox Nicholson retraces the journey of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty but with one crucial twist – he will try to stay sober. Instead of booze, Benzos and stolen cars he will rely on the generosity of strangers he meets in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Along the way, Nicholson talks freedom with everyone he meets. In comparing his own experiences of excess , indulgence and freedom to that celebrated by the Beat writers, he discovers that the chalk-and-cheese forces of Beat and AA have plenty to learn from one another.

Paperback

Published July 25, 2017

Reviews

[Lennox Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent debut. But I'm a little bias, seeing I wrote it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

There would have been a time I was in raptures over this book but as my own relationship with AA has become increasingly ambivalent, my response to writing about it does too. I think it's a relatively measured approach and shouldn't ruffle any AA feathers for its content but perhaps because it exists at all. Personally I don't care if traditions are broken. I guess I've just heard a lot of the content a million times before, which is not the fault of the writer so the middling score is on me.

[Josh Guilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. This is the memoir of an Aussie recovering alcoholic retracing some of the road trip from Kerouac's On the Road. With the goal of winding up in Atlanta for a big AA meetingg.

The story's interesting enough, and the interpretation of Kerouac through the eyes of a recovering alcoholic is (in some ways) refreshing.

[Maria Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennox Nicholson has written a raw and honest account of his time as a recovering alcoholic. He wove his story in and around Jack Kerouac's novel 'On the Road', travelling across USA for six weeks and culminating in attendance at an AA convention.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and honest.
Look forward to reading more from this writer.

[Rich Castles · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is freedom? It is usually appended as freedom from or freedom to, so it’s no surprise the road is one of its enduring symbols. But what if what you want to be free from is yourself, are you really on a road to anywhere? Or stuck chasing kicks on Route 66? Recovered alcoholic Lennox Nicholson sets out to follow the white lines of Jack Kerouac’s misadventures in On the Road, minus the booze, lawlessness and jazz, and to contrast what he learns with the Kerouac myth. On the way, he relies on the good will of fellow Alcoholics Anonymous members, and chats to an array of characters about what freedom means to them. His journey is interwoven with the famous 12 steps of AA, but not in a listicle way (although there are 12 chapters). It is testament to Nicholson’s philosophy that On the Wagon reads like a breeze, a metaphor that feels more like what freedom should be, than the ultimately tiring beat of On the Road's debauchery.

* This review first appeared in The Big Issue (Aus) #545 8-21 Sep 2017

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest reflection on the meaning of freedom through the lens of recovery and defining the notion of freedom. Nicholson provides a fresh and sublime take on deconstructing the glorification of Kerouac's substance use with insights which can apply to the beat poet movement, modern American culture, and beyond. Highly unique and utterly enjoyable read.

Looking forward to seeing more from this writer.