What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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Joshua
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. YA Coming-of-age fiction. A black boy (Joshua?) in the inner city wants to become a long-distance track runner. Attacked by other kids. Tries to get part-time job. Mother cleans house/laundress? Read in early 1970s. [s]
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Thanks for your reply, Rainbowheart, but no, that's not it.
Are you sure it was track and field and not some other sport?The only other books about African American athletes that I'm finding aren't about running. There's Anchor Man, but that's the same character, I believe.
Frank Bonham wrote inner city stories around that time period, but I can't find any about sports.
Rainbowheart wrote: "Are you sure it was track and field and not some other sport?"If it helps, I have a sort of a vague memory of this one too. It wasn't something I ever read, but I think it was one of my sister's books that I picked up, read the blurb, and decided I wasn't bored enough to read, a few dozen times. Cover with a picture (not a photo but a drawing) of a boy running.
Rainbowheart wrote: "Are you sure it was track and field and not some other sport?Yes. He was a distance runner. Once when looking for a part time job (and not being believed that he really wanted a job), the man said, if you're really a runner, run for me. So he took off across the park, and when he came back, the guy believed him and gave him the job.
After the attack which damaged his leg (calf or Achilles tendon?), he was stretching it out, trying to get back in shape, to try to run again.
I still want to say the boy's name was Joshua and that was the name of the novel, but I have tried repeatedly to find it, even in the Library of Congress, but come up empty.
SamSpayedPI wrote: If it helps, I have a sort of a vague memory of this one too. It wasn't something I ever read, but I think it wa... Cover with a picture (not a photo but a drawing) of a boy running. "
That sounds right.
The Savage?Couldn't find plot details, but some of the keywords are "high school students," "track and field," and "juvenile delinquency."
Rainbowheart wrote: "The Savage?Couldn't find plot details, but some of the keywords are "high school students," "track and field," and "juvenile delinquency.""
I can't find details to know if this might be it, but the title doesn't ring a bell at all. Amazing that a book can have no plot details any place you try to find it.
*sigh*
Thanks. I'm going to keep digging just in case this is it.
You could try emailing these sellers to see if they can check what the book's about.https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...
Also Durango Street came up on another thread. It's one of the books by Frank Bonham. It may involve sports, although I'm not sure it's track and field.
Thanks. Checked it out - not the right book. I appreciate your help though in trying to find it.
I'll keep looking!You ruled out both Durango Street and The Savage?
Harlem Summer?Teacup Full of Roses?
No evidence either of these involve sports, but I thought they were worth a mention just in case.
Wow, Rainbowheart, you are really on a mission, aren't you? LOLThank you.
No, neither of these is the book.
Haha, well, you never know!Are you sure the boy was black and not Puerto Rican? I've pretty much exhausted the African American category from that time period.
Yes, I'm sure. Thanks for all your effort!
Mod
You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)
Note: Similar to The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, but the boy is a long-distance track runner.
Kris wrote: "L.S., I added some details to the header/topic title at the top of the page, so your book might be recognized from that description alone. Many members only read the headers.You can update it by ..."
Thank you.
Mod
Here's the Google Books preview of Daisy's suggestion - The Runner by Cynthia Voigt:
https://books.google.com/books?id=TcP... There are different cover images.
Daisy wrote: "Long shot, but The Runner?"Thanks for looking, but no. The book I read was written in the '60s, and the details of The Runner don't fit. Again, thanks for looking.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Joshua (other topics)The Runner (other topics)
The Runner (other topics)
The Runner (other topics)
The Contender (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Cynthia Voigt (other topics)Robert Lipsyte (other topics)
Robert Lipsyte (other topics)
Instead of a boxer though, the book I'm trying to rediscover was about a boy (I believe his name was Joshua) who wanted to become a long-distance track runner. It may have been set in Harlem (like The Contender), but I can't say; it might have been in some other inner city area. I can't even say it was NYC.
Joshua had obstacles in wanting to be a runner, including neighborhood "friends" who were not happy that he was doing something positive with his life. He was attacked and his legs injured - I believe he had bad damage to his calf or maybe his Achilles tendon, and they said he'd never run again.
Details are sketchy. I remember that his mother cleaned houses (or maybe did laundry or ironing - seems to be I remember something about ironing) and he had memories of being in a fancy white person's apartment as a little kid and playing with the little white boy who was just his age. The boy's mother came home and was irate that her son was playing with a black boy and fired the mom.
Later in the book, he goes back to the rich boy's apartment to find the boy, who doesn't or maybe only vaguely remembers him, is a sad young man, with the inference given that money doesn't make one happy.