RETURNING: A Spiritual Journey

by Dan Wakefield ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1988

The prodigal son returns--to his Christian faith, to his Indiana homeland, to mental, physical, and moral welt-being--in this harrowing, heartening autobiography by the author of the novels Going A II the Way and Starting Over. He had it all: successful writing career (best-sellers, movie deals), plenty of friends, a pad in Hollywood, life in his pocket. But ""one balmy spring morning. . .a month or so before my forty-eighth birthday, I woke up screaming."" Why? Wakefield begins his courageous confession by recounting an apple-pie Hoosier childhood (church-goer, Boy Scout, ardent sports fan) just waiting to be devoured by the gnashing teeth of adulthood. At Columbia University, he became an atheist; as a young writer, he tumbled for alcohol and easy sex. Psychoanalysis glowed for years as his golden calf, until he recognized it as also ""a black hole."" ""a ticket to irresponsibility,"" ""a crashing bore."" More than once he slit his wrists. Meanwhile, his career flourished, nurtured by several ""guardian angel guides""--Michael Harrington, James Baldwin, Robert Coles among them (the book teems with bright cameos)--who kept alive the embers of religiosity. Rock bottom came the year his parents died, his money dried up, his love life withered. Through some grace that he reports but never attempts to explain, Wakefield found solace in the Bible, then in the companionship and tutelage of other Christians. He now lives a steady life in Boston, off the booze, on the Exercycle, in the Faith. A sad memoir of the sterility of the 1950's; a terrifying ride to Hell and back; a moving testimonial to religion and sobriety; a sometimes maudlin salute to the men and women who anchor him. Certain to boil the blood of Freudians and warm the hearts of most everyone else.

Pub Date: March 1, 1988

ISBN: 0807027111

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1988

Categories: NONFICTION