Books published by publisher Harpers,2005. Reprint Edition

After reading the book at age 11, Ronald Reagan noted that this book provided a lasting impact on his life, shaping his own moral sense. He identified with the central character, Dick Falkner. Falkner’s childhood was one of poverty and abuse from an alcoholic father. Recognizing his life for what it was, he ran away from his home, but he could not run away from all of his problems. Sixteen years later he found himself hungry of body and empty of spirit in a small Midwestern town.