John Irving called VISION QUEST “the truest novel about growing up since ‘The Catcher in the Rye.' ” It was nominated for an American Book Award in 1981 (the American Book Awards were renamed the National Book Awards in 1987) and was named one of the Best of the Best YA novels by ALAN. It was at Stanford that VISION QUEST took flight. Recognized early as a gifted writer, Davis went from Eastern to study under John Irving at the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, and later at Stanford University as an honored Wallace Stegner Literary Fellow. The son of a housewife and a sales executive, Davis excelled at Shadle Park High School as a wrestler and basketball player, then went on to study English at Eastern Washington University where he met fellow student Chris Crutcher - a year his senior. Author Terry Davis was born and raised in Spokane, Washington where his character and literary bent was shaped.
