If you'd asked me a few years back to name my top three road trip books, the answer would’ve come fast and loud: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (We can't stop here, this is bat country!), On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. That was the holy trinity - chaos and freedom wrapped in three very different rides.

But then Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance showed up on my radar and now it’s a top-four list. I refuse to bump any of the others off.

I was already a dad by then, which probably explains why it caught my attention. Yes, it’s about philosophy. Yes, it dives into metaphysics and quality and the tension between logic and feeling - all that stuff. But what really makes this book linger is the relationship between the narrator and his son, Chris. Underneath the engine grease and the cerebral spirals, it's a deeply personal, sometimes painful, always honest story about a father trying to connect with his kid. Trying to be understood. Trying not to lose him, or himself, along the way.

If you’re a parent - especially a dad - this book reads like a mirror. Not always a flattering one, but a necessary one. It confronts the questions you don’t always have time (or courage) to ask when you’re packing lunch boxes, fixing broken toys, or coaxing your kid to sleep after another rough day.

And here's the kicker: the book is over 50 years old, and it’s still doing laps around most "modern content." Unlike your favorite TikTok memes, this one’s not expiring in 48 hours. It'll still be worth reading in another 50.

It’s not always an easy ride, but that’s fatherhood too. And like any good trip, it changes you - whether you planned for it or not.