Madrone

The year is 1969. After an interminable four years under the boot of the US military, twenty-four-year-old Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers is ready for his real life to begin. His plans are straightforward: spend as much time as he can with his girlfriend, Jane, finish college, and become a writer.

But when Nate is denied admission to UC Santa Cruz, he decides that a bachelor's degree isn't necessary for the path he's laid out for himself. He can learn about literature on his own, and he'll have...