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.