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The Life of Jack Kerouac

Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac was born on March 12, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Jack, as he was later called, spoke no English until he was around six years old. At home, his family spoke a "colored" French language called Québécois French. Leo and Gabrielle Kerouac, Jack's parents, were both descendants of French-Canadian immigrants who settled in New England. Life in Lowell during Jack's childhood was not easy. While it had once been an important industrial town, businesses were on the decline and the Great Depression hit Lowell's economy hard. Many families, including the Kerouacs, had trouble making ends meet. Gabrielle worked in factories off and on throughout Jack's lifetime. Jack's father worked as a newspaper reporter, eventually owning his own printing business until a devastating flood hit Lowell and he was forced to sell it. After this failure, Jack's father turned to gambling and never regained financial success.

Leo and Gabrielle had......

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Approximate Word Count: 830
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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