Again To Carthage

John Parker's first novel Once a Runner is the cult novel for runners. Self-published in the late '70s, and for years sold out of the trunk of the author's car at running events, it went on to sell over 100,000 copies and achieve legendary status among runners, especially college and high school track and cross-country athletes. It perfectly captured the intensity, relentlessness and sheer lunacy of a serious miler's life. Kenny Moore of Sports Illustrated-himself an Olympic runner-called it "by far the best fictional portrayal of the world of a serious runner . . . a marvelous description of the way it really is." For over 25 years, fans of Once a Runner have wanted more. Parker has finally written the sequel, which begins in the early '70s where the previous book left off. The nation is mired in the dregs of Vietnam and the early intimations of Watergate. The protagonist of the first book, Quenton Cassidy, has lost his best friend and teammate from college, a helicopter gunship pilot who dies a horrific death after crashing in the jungle. Cassidy is plunged into a depressive spiral in which he is forced to re-examine his studiously carefree life as a single young attorney. A former Olympic silver medalist, some painfully won insights into his own life and into his family's deep roots in the red clay of North Carolina ultimately lead him back to competitive running in an unpredictable way and he finds to his surprise that his fierce competitiveness and uncanny running abilities have not much waned. Parker's writing style is as deep, knowing and captivating as ever. John L. Parker, Jr. is the author of Once a Runner, Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot and Runners & Other Dreamers. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida and Bar Harbor, Maine.Parker, John L., Jr. is the author of 'Again To Carthage', published 2005 under ISBN 9781891369506 and ISBN 1891369504.