On the Side of the Road — James Jones

This is the story of a young man in DC on the road to success after college. But, something about what he is being urged to conform to just doesn't feel right. He struggles with it, hits bottom and bails, hitchhiking in a series of provocative encounters across the country to San Francisco, where he creates a very different life. These are his intro- and extro-spective journals. Ever taken a big risk to be free, or wanted to?