Joe Head

I am not a professional book reviewer or collegiate caliber runner, but have been running marathons since the late 1960's. I've been fortunate enough to meet some of the runners mentioned in this novel and to actually visit the high altitude training site where the 1968 U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials took place. Paul Maurer's novel took me back there, took me back to my days of running cross country and track, to the interactions I had with my own high school coaches, coaches I stayed in touch with for the rest of their lives. Paul's book was a delight to read. He writes well. I personally found what he's written to be both insightful and inspiring. I felt sad coming to the end of his novel as I had bonded so strongly with the main characters. This book would make a great gift for any aspiring high school runner, or for those who coach them. Thank you, Paul.