The quintessential coming of age novel, Dan Wakefield shows that he knows youth, at least youth of a different era. The two main characters, Sonny and Gunner are caricatures of the ‘50s teens searching for themselves. Both have finished college and stints in the military and come home only to decide a person really can’t do that. They vow to strike out for the Big Apple to realize all of their dreams. Sonny’s epiphany at the very end of the novel shows his growth as a character and leaves the reader with a feeling of relief for what will become of him even though we never see the results of that epiphany. Dan Wakefield places his story in 1950s Indianapolis, his home town. The novel shows Wakefield never forgot where he came from, and aside from Kurt Vonnegut, Indianapolis never claimed a more talented writer. ( )

I really want to quip about this book being a 300-page discussion of sexual dysfunction. The main character, Sonny Burns, is a soldier returned from the Korean War (although he never left the US during his service) to his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. As a resident of Indiana, I really enjoyed the local references throughout this book and the historical period it evoked. I could sympathize with Sonny to a degree, but one of his problems in his failed relationships is a focus on women as bedroom partners and not people, which I suspect contributed to his dysfunctions throughout the book. ( )

Two former soldiers who served during the Korean War meet each other on the train going back home to Indiana. Willard 'Sonny' Burns - the photographer for the school newspaper when he was in high school - was a quiet, shy and rather introverted student, whose high school years were wholly unremarkable. Sonny has grown into a quiet, shy and rather introverted adult - preoccupied with thoughts of sex and women. Tom 'Gunner' Casselman - the typical 'Big Man on Campus' when he was in high school - was incredibly popular, with the type of reputation that inspired awe in his peers.

For good or ill, Sonny and Gunner search for love and fulfillment throughout their travels in middle America. They form an unlikely friendship after that first meeting on the train. In fact, it comes as a huge surprise to Sonny.to discover that Gunner truly respected him in high school. Sonny's unpretentious and inconspicuous demeanor was the quality that Gunner most admired. What follows is a coming-of-age novel about growing up in a time before free love, Vietnam and AIDS.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; quite a bit more than I was actually expecting I would. It was a very funny story, although in my opinion, Sonny and Gunner's friendship was probably not the most advantageous relationship for either of them. This book was a best-seller in 1970, and is considered to be Dan Wakefield's most famous novel. I give this book an A+!

Going All the Way was made into a movie in 1997 and won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. It starred Jeremy Davies as Sonny and Ben Affleck as Gunner. ( )

A significant book in contributing to my on-going growing awareness of how life is to be lived - a subtle and deep philosophy akin to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" ... and "True Believer". ( )