Born a few years too late to be drafted into the Vietnam War, the seven varsity runners on the 1974 St. Theresa High School cross-country team were a group of scrubbed prep boys who barely noticed the ebbing tide of the ghastly Vietnam conflict in Southeast Asia. In fact, from their small bayside enclave of Bellport, New York, the war was unimaginable to them. It was not because they couldn’t see it, besieged as they were by the newsreels and photographs. Rather, their world was the rugged cross-country terrain, which for them represented their ultimate goal of winning the state championship in November. For three team members, however, their world was turned upside down on a late summer night, when a confluence of sinister forces, with ties to the Catholic Church as well as the war, left their lives shattered and in ruin. Sitting Bull Run tells the dark but hopeful tale of these three boys as they fought all odds to continue their quest for a state title. Set against the backdrop of actual workouts and races, the story represents a microcosm of what countless high school athletes have experienced over the years, and that is, confronting deeply personal trauma even as they persevere in a sport they love.
What readers have said about Sitting Bull Run:
“I could not put this book down…Sitting Bull Run is the best book about being a track geek since I first read Once a Runner. This tale deserves to be considered with Parker’s masterpiece, and I think it is better than his sequels.” Rich Degnan, All-American runner and National Scholastic Athletics Foundation Coach of the Year
“This book brings back memories of high school cross country teams, track coaches, the Viet Nam war, and coming of age in Catholic school. A well written, and at times intense, story about a high school cross country team, destined for greatness.” James Forster, municipal judge and collegiate runner
“One of the saddest and funniest novels I have ever read.” Larry Bacon, collegiate runner and track coach
“Sitting Bull Run does for running what Malamud`s The Natural did for baseball. In substituting the running shoes for the baseball bat, Daly fuses the rugged elegance of cross-country running with the tragedy and redemption that often accompanies the quest for glory.” Warren Jankowski, university professor
“Sitting Bull Run hit the nail right on the head with the struggles of the team on a daily basis and the championship part of the season.” Ed McGraw, Illinois Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame
“A must read for the lover of sports competition…A terrific page-turner to boot.” Alex Munson, scholastic harrier
“A homage to small town America — with all its grittiness, humor and cast of characters! Sitting Bull Run tugs at the dark memories of our teenage years that many of us may prefer to forget. You’ll want to hug the teenage boys as they stumble through their adolescence, throw tomatoes at the parish priest whose gone rotten, and cheer for the underling janitor who reminds us all how fragile a stoic man can be. Throw in a few cross-country races for good measure, and you’ll never put Sitting Bull Run down!” Germaine Reinhardt, scholastic half-miler