Charters, Ann, Kerouac, Straight Arrow Books, 1973.

This book is regarded as one of the most honest portrayals
of both Kerouac and the Beats in general.
Here, Charters thoroughly chronicles the life of the
man that some consider "king" of the Beats. In the
final section of the book, her description of a visit
she made to Kerouac's home in 1966 and the condition
in which she found Kerouac himself implies anything
but royalty.

Knight, Brenda, Women of the Beat Generation: The Writers, Artists, and Muses at the Heart of a Revolution, Conari Press, 1996.

This book profiles forty members of the Beat Generation
who are often overlooked—the women of the
movement. Although their exploits and accomplishments
are not as well publicized as those of their male
counterparts, female Beats wrote poetry, took drugs,
went on the road, listened to jazz, and lived on the
fringe just as...