Book I, Part I - Desolation in Solitude: Chapters 14 - 19 Summary

The only book to read on Desolation Peak is "The God That Failed", a tome written by ex-communists who quit the party when "they recognized its totalitarian beastliness". The book leaves Kerouac wanting something else, something not as depressing or conspiratorial. In looking for something else, Kerouac turns to the nightly lookout radio conversations.

Kerouac shares the only truth he has ever heard. Spoken by Buddha, the truth was that what Buddha said was neither true nor untrue. Kerouac can appreciate this and other teachings such as the infinity of the inner Buddha and how each person should reach beyond self and into the all there is to find enlightenment.

Kerouac devotes the entire chapter to a single poem. The poem details a foretelling of...