This Boy's Life is the autobiographical story of Tobias Wolff's childhood and young manhood. Tobias, who changes his name to Jack to celebrate author Jack London, treks across America with his mother during the 1950s. Beset by hardships, Jack struggles with coming of age and with his mother's insecurities. He seeks futilely to reconnect with his distant and troubled father, then finally washes out of school and joins the army just in time to serve in Vietnam.
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