In this Vietnam-era coming of age novel, a young man abandons military life and becomes an eyewitness to America’s deep divisions over the war.
Adrift and alone in 1969 America, a young man takes to the road.
When Sam Roberts resigns from the Air Force Academy, his father is furious.
His mother is understanding but offers little support. All Sam knows is he doesn’t believe in the US’s involvement in the Vietnam War and he can’t be part of it any longer.
Cut loose from a life he once believed in and the woman he once loved, Sam hitchhikes across the country in search of himself. As a passenger in the countless cars who stop to offer rides, he encounters people from all walks of life: Hispanic youths on their way to a quinceañera, retired WWII veterans with surprisingly different perspectives on the war, even a hippie who just left the military himself. His journey is an eye-opening tour through the polarized politics of 1960s America, a transporting exchange of ideas that sends Sam on his way to becoming the man he’s meant to be.
James Charles Smith
21 June 2024
Historical Fiction | Coming-of-Age
235 Pages
I didn't have time to read this for the tour, but I'm hoping to dive in sometime in the near future. It sounds like a great story!
James Charles Smith is a talented author who embarked on a journey from journalism to engineering before finding his true calling as a novelist. Born in Texas, he traveled widely as a US Air Force brat and then with his own wife and kids. He first attended college at the United States Air Force Academy and resigned during his first year, which is the inspiration for this story. He is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism from the University of Missouri. Following journalism school, he worked for various newspapers before settling down in television production. He worked for ten years as a writer, editor, cameraman, and producer/director, but it's a family tradition to change one's mind.
To better provide for his family, James returned to school for an engineering degree. As both an engineer and engineering manager, his duties included the writing and publishing of technical reports, engineering investigations, and training materials. Serving as a consultant to the Electric Power Research Institute, he edited their report on the instrumentation and control upgrade plan for the commercial nuclear power industry. Currently, he lives with his dog, Abel, in the foothills of Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Flightless Falcon is his first novel.
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