Roger Saltsman

One Last Mile by Roger Saltsman is a inspirational novel about a young runner named Eric, who is a star runner on his high school team. As the book starts, our protagonist is a bit arrogant in his ways, though we learn more about him as he talks about his upbringing with his widowed single mom. A life altering tragedy kills his dream of a full athletic scholarship at any of the best colleges, and Eric has to do some soul searching to make alternative plans after high school.
The story follows a few years in his life. At one point, Eric is given a possible opportunity to compete again as a runner, but it will take a lot of will power and coming to terms with his past to get there.
I really enjoyed the book a lot. You can tell when an author spends a lot of time on a book, or when it’s a rush job. I can see the care that went into crafting this story and creating these characters. It’s an inspiring story about confronting your past and following your goals. Bonus points if you’re into running, there are a lot of descriptions of the training and mindset of an athlete, as well as exciting descriptions of the races.
I look forward to reading more from Roger Saltsman.… (more)

Running is Eric Roberts' life. He lives, breathes, and works to run. A star athlete, Eric has difficulty with the fact that he can't beat Trey Allison, the only runner who has ever beat him. When a tragic accident occurs that Eric inadvertantly causes, he's forced to reassess his goals in life and his obsessions in a difficult way. To overcome his self-doubts and find the courage within, he'll need the help of his good friend, Mary and much more. Will he succeed?

A touching, inspirational story. The 70's dialect was hard to follow at first, but the story was worth the read. The characters seem fairly well-developed. Runners and fans of inspirational ficion would enjoy reading thing.… (more)