After their initial meeting in a New York bar, Everhart leaves his lecturing career to join his new friend, Wesley, a merchant mariner, to enlist on the next sea voyage. Drinking, they hitch-hike to Boston, talking about women, the war, literature, baseball, borrowing money en route to eat and drink.
I think this story is better than most reviewers give credit to; young men with a developing friendship, sharing minor trials and tribulations that arise, whilst discussing what matters to them at the time; with descriptive observations of the surroundings and people.
Part two of this book contains Kerouac's writings: The Brothers, Detective Story (short stories, some unfinished), The Journal of an Egotist (diary entries as a student), I Resort to Another Barroom (a play), Eighty-eight Cents Worth of New York (diary), Washington in 1941 (diary).
Part three contains mixed writings of Sebastian Sampas and Jack Kerouac: letters, poems, sketches and photographs. Their shared love of Thomas Wolfe.
The whole book is well annotated by Dawn M Ward, with useful insights and explanations. ( )

"The Sea is My Brother" was Jack Kerouac's first book, and was just recently released. Whether this was withheld by the author over the years because of perceived flaws, or was just a "lost" document only found in the 1990's was unclear to me. But I enjoyed it. The book involves a young college teacher, yearning for more in life, together with another young man, disappointed in life, and brings them together for a stint in the merchant marine during WW II. While it may appear to be somewhat of an unfinished novel, developed only to the point where the two friends depart on a freighter from NY to Greenland, and you're left to your own imagination to bring their journey to a conclusion. But I felt satisfied as the book ended, enjoying the setting and the characters, and envisioning the ending of their journey in a way that satisfied me. ( )

Kerouac's first novel. A well written introduction precedes the story of two men, or really two versions of the same man: a free spirit and a safe person. Definitely an enjoyable read. ( )

If you like Kerouac you'll like this book. Jack's formative years from High School and college and early war years. Focused on being a writer early you can see the development of his style and life through the group of his HS friends, esp. Seb whose letters, most very whiney, make up the second half of the book. Also a look at the pressures on mobilized troops going to war. We never think but his comments about the bad stateside conditions and the high number of suicides was a surprise. This is never mentioned about the greatest generation. ( )

Being a fan of Kerouac for many years, I was pleased to find something new (old) of his. While unsophisticated among his works, it still gave me the sense of naive, existential pleasure that most of his books have given me. I wish I could express myself now the way he did at 21. ( )