Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Chinook really is in the middle of nowhere.
Chinook hasn't grown much since Wolff wrote about it. According to the 2010 Census, it has less than 500 people. (Source)
Uranium mining for fun and profit!
Jack's mom wasn't the only one mad for uranium mining in the 1950s. The Utah government has the skinny. (Source)
Mr. Wolff Keeps Wandering
Wolff—excuse us, Professor Wolff—didn't entirely give up his wandering ways after becoming respectable. He has taught at at least four different universities, including Stanford, Goddard College, Arizona State and Syracuse University. (Source)
A Star-Studded Movie
The movie version of This Boy's Life contains a lot of future stars who hadn't hit it big yet. Besides a then-unknown Leonardo DiCaprio, the cast includes Tobey "Spider-Man" Maguire as Chuck Bolger, Chris "The Bourne Identity" Cooper as Roy, Eliza "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Dushku as Pearl and Carla "Watchmen" Gugino as Norma. (Source)
Art Imitates Life
The movie version also had a stamp of authenticity to it: it filmed in the real town of Concrete, Washington, including the high school where Wolff went and later wrote about. (Source)