What starts as a lighthearted account of college, young love, and
military service takes a shocking turn in this unforgettable memoir. Set
in the late 1960’s and the early 1970’s, “It’s a Long Way to Youngstown”,
follows James Thomas from Steel mills and frat houses to the haunted
halls of Fort Monroe, where he served as an Army journalist during
the Vietnam era. Along the way, he interviews sports legends, dodges
explosions, spars with boxers, and unknowingly shares dozens of
long drives with a serial killer. Both deeply personal and humorously
charming, this is a true story about fate, ambition, and the unnerving
reality that we might not really know the people closest to us.