FLIGHTLESS FALCON

LINDA MURPHY MARSHALL / AUTHOR OF IVY LODGE: A MEMOIR OF TRANSLATION AND DISCOVERY / Flightless Falcon is a brilliant novel that has something for everyone. I couldn’t put it down. It’s a coming of age story, an in-depth look at life in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the U.S. (complete with a song list at the end!), a poignant love story, an account of the pull-push emotions of a young man torn between serving his country and fighting in a war (Vietnam) he doesn’t believe in. It’s also a glimpse at a potpourri of interesting and divergent people of this period. The writing is beautifully lyrical, perfectly capturing the physical and emotional landscape in which the protagonist finds himself. It threads that difficult needle of entertaining readers while educating us. For instance, the author opens the book with a paragraph containing sobering statistics on injuries and loss of lives by all participants in the Vietnam War. The book is peppered with compelling statistics. The protagonist, Sam Roberts, resigns from what appears to be an ideal life: a cadet at the prestigious Air Force Academy in Colorado. After much soul-searching, he leaves and hitchhikes back home to St. Louis to plan his next move, hopefully one that avoids being drafted. On the way, he meets a cross section of characters who represent a slice of American life at the time. He also rekindles love with his high school girlfriend, Cheryl. The life of James Charles Smith, the author, seems to parallel the novel’s story in certain ways, to what degree, the reader never knows. Like Sam, he resigned from the United States Air Force Academy during his first year and returned to his hometown of St. Louis. I found this fact intriguing, and wondered how many of the quirky people Sam met on his trip back home represented flesh and blood people Smith met, how much of the love story reflected his own experiences, etc. That made the novel all the more fascinating. I highly recommend!

JOHN PODLASKI / AUTHOR OF CHERRIES: A VIETNAM WAR NOVEL / The story took me back to my late teen years and hitchhiking days. Debut author James Charles Smith covers topics ranging from life as a cadet at the Air Force Academy to those that were important in society during that era. Sam Roberts, the main character, did not believe in the Vietnam War and worried about the draft. He hitchhiked from Colorado to Missouri on I-70 and met some colorful people along the way. I also liked his mention of oldie songs that played on the radio and 8-track tapes throughout the story. It caused me to pause, momentarily, remembering scenes back in the day when I listened to them. Smith's writing seems to place readers right there within the scenes, taking them all along on his journey to find himself. Great story and easy to read.

KENN VISSER / AUTHOR OF PEACE OF OURSELVES / James Charles Smith’s Flightless Falcon secured my interest from the very first page. The novel quickly paints the lonely, anxious uncertainty of Sam Roberts, whose hitchhiking roadtrip, instead of being a trip to an unknown, exciting somewhere, becomes a destination of misgivings to an unwelcome nowhere. Sam’s dilemma is unique in how it contrasts the pride, honor and perceived future of his Air Force Academy appointment, and the swirling, empty feelings of doubt and concern triggered by the Vietnam War and his resignation.Sam’s journey also reveals how the war, regardless of one’s personal view, was a shared experience. With Smith’s honest, descriptive, and vulnerable writing style, Flightless Falcon captures the complex sensitivities of a turbulent and troubling time, evoking a vast spectrum of memories for those who lived through the Vietnam era and providing a historical marker of understanding for those who didn’t.

CRAIG WERNER / AUTHOR OF WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE: THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE VIETNAM WAR / Inviting readers on a road trip through the heart of an America at war with itself, James Charles Smith opens a window on a previously unexplored corner of the landscape of the late 1960s. Dropping out of the Air Force Academy, Sam Roberts embarks on a journey from the snowcapped Rocky Mountains to an uncertain future with the draft hanging over him and the sound of the Rolling Stones and the Doors echoing in his head. The gallery of memorable characters he meets along the way—hippies, veterans, supporters of the war—reminds us of the unresolved complexities of the Vietnam era and earns Flightless Falcon a place in the literature that maintains its hold on the American imagination.