Stubborn high school senior Bullet Tillerman equates freedom from home and school with cross-country running until the distant civil rights movement and Vietnam War begin to shape his days and his destiny. Readers who met Bullet's relatives in HOMECOMING (1981), DICEY'S SONG (1982) and A SOLITARY BLUE (1983) may be surprised by the harsh, tragic tone and realistic elements in this novel set a generation earlier. As in the novels above, THE RUNNER also bears Voigt's superb characterizations and symbolic uses of names, events and writing styles. (Age 14 and older)

A SPEEDING BULLET
Bullet Tillerman runs. He runs to escape the criticism of his harsh, unforgiving father. He runs to numb the pain of his mother's inability to express her love. He is the star of the school track team, but he isn't a team man and doesn't want to be. Bullet runs for himself.
Bullet is unlikely choice to be asked to coach a new, African-American team member. But in coaching Tamer Shipp, Bullet learns some things about himself -- who he is, and who he can perhaps become.