Too Far to Walk Hardcover – January 1, 1966 by John Richard Hersey
 
John Fist was a talented over-achiever in his first year at Sheldon. But then he suddenly lost his drive, his sense of purpose and identity. One of his friends promises him all the extreme experiences of modern life; love, war, orgy, beachcombing, poverty, sex, protests (and protests against protests), and total "freedom." First there is Margaret, simple, open, affectionate. But Fist is restless and breaks with her after a marvelously funny and touching night in a motel. Then there is Mona, the bright, high-class whore who somehow knows quite a lot about how professors talk. Fist takes her home to his middle-class parents, and the masquerade turns into one of the most hilarious and yet moving scenes in the book. Even the devastating release of LSD is powerless to help Fist, who finally realizes that identity cannot come to him artificially, through any escape, drug, or indulgence, but must be dredged up from deep within. Thus John Fist becomes a man. And thus ends a rich and moving and distinguished novel about some very real contemporaries.
 
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