Funny and inspiring, RUNNING FULL TILT by Michael Currinder happily lingers in my mind long after I finished the book. Leo stumbles into running, mostly because his brother Caleb, who is autistic and is very unpredictable, violently attacks Leo and Leo's defense is to run. Quickly, Leo finds out what a runner's high is and learns he is quite adept at running. Joining his high school running team lets him thrive and excel at running, while also creating a training structure Leo can depend upon and look forward to, which compared to his unpredictable home life, provides Leo a welcome relief of structure and defined purpose.
Currinder's writing style sophisticated yet relatable; he crafts an excellent story with up and downs, successes and failures, but maintains a high schooler's coming of age voice of hope, trepidation, and wonder. Being a runner myself, I found the way that Currinder wrote about running comes from a strong connection to running and in a way a non-runner couldn't have written. The way Currinder handles the brother's (Cale)situation is through humor, harsh reality, and compassion; and by doing so, we see the underlying love and dedication Leo has for his brother, no matter what his brother throws at him.
Any runner, or someone who is familiar with a person with an autistic or other mentally disabling problem I'm convinced will feel a strong connection to RUNNING FULL TILT. Those who don't will still find Currinder's book exciting and uplifting tale with a rewarding ending.
Thank you to Charlesbridge, Michael Currinder, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )