For a taste of the Beats, Jack Kerouac's 1966 Satori in Paris (19,980) is a possibility. Satori is clearly labeled a novel by its publisher, Grove Press, but nearly 20,000 words may be a bit generous on my part; it was difficult to calculate because of all the white space. There are several one- and two-paragraph chapters. Satori was published not long before Kerouac died in 1969, but it definitely has the flavor of the author's 1957 classic On the Road. Like the classic, Satoriis glaringly autobiographical. The main character, Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac (no less), travels to France to track down the origins of his family name. Also like Kerouac's classic, Satori in Paris is at times a bit risque; therefore, not all teachers would be comfortable using it in class.
