A
novel written by
William Wharton in 1978. About two
young boys who are friends before
WWII. Story is about the
adventures these boys have, and who they turn into as they
grow up. Alfonso becomes more and more interested in
sex, while Birdy becomes more and more obsessed with the
canaries he's breeding, and
learning to fly himself. Both boys are
drafted, and upon returning Birdie is committed to an
asylum, where Alfonso tries to reach him by recounting all the
crazy things they did as kids.
The story was made into a movie in 1984, starring Matthew Modine, and Nicolas Cage. Though I believe they move the time period up to around Viet Nam. Both the book and the movie are excellent if you're in the right frame of mind.