Road to Redemption
Published on 15. July 2025
304 pages
979-8-9892569-9-0 (ISBN)
Description
Toeing the start line of the 1983 Boston Marathon, Cooper McKenzie finds himself in a race to make meaning of his troubled, unimpressive life.
Cooper McKenzie is contending with the stark realities of middle-age?he is fully disenchanted with his career, he is struggling to meet the financial needs of his young family, and he has accumulated an unbearable number of "what ifs" and even regrets. Amid his mounting anger, the effects of aging manifest into a serious medical diagnosis, and he feels he's been handed a death sentence.
As Cooper takes inventory of the pivotal moments of his life, things left unfinished, unfortunate outcomes, and a negative sense of self, it's clear he is entrenched in a hopeless cycle. Dealt an unbelievable blow, he resolves to rewrite his script of failure even as his own body is failing him.
A story of resiliency builds as Cooper makes his way to the start of the Boston Marathon, a distance he has never completed, let alone attempted. His reasons for risking it all to finish are painstakingly clear, but with such high stakes, finishing could mean the end.
The Road to Redemption captures a personal journey that is altogether universal. We must traverse our own lived experience, particularly those moments of vulnerability and shame, to reach the end goal of knowing the truth of what we can do and who we are.
Cooper McKenzie is contending with the stark realities of middle-age?he is fully disenchanted with his career, he is struggling to meet the financial needs of his young family, and he has accumulated an unbearable number of "what ifs" and even regrets. Amid his mounting anger, the effects of aging manifest into a serious medical diagnosis, and he feels he's been handed a death sentence.
As Cooper takes inventory of the pivotal moments of his life, things left unfinished, unfortunate outcomes, and a negative sense of self, it's clear he is entrenched in a hopeless cycle. Dealt an unbelievable blow, he resolves to rewrite his script of failure even as his own body is failing him.
A story of resiliency builds as Cooper makes his way to the start of the Boston Marathon, a distance he has never completed, let alone attempted. His reasons for risking it all to finish are painstakingly clear, but with such high stakes, finishing could mean the end.
The Road to Redemption captures a personal journey that is altogether universal. We must traverse our own lived experience, particularly those moments of vulnerability and shame, to reach the end goal of knowing the truth of what we can do and who we are.
More details
Person
In a career spanning more than a half-century, Tom Fitzgerald has authored a wide-ranging collection of impactful books, including the bestselling novel Chocolate Charlie, the popular fitness title Get Tough!, and the critically acclaimed Poor Richard's Lament.
Raised in Upstate New York on the St. Lawrence River, Fitzgerald completed a series of solo open-water swims in his late teens and early 20s before joining the United States Navy and serving in Vietnam as a member of the Special Forces. He later ran the Boston Marathon three times.
Fitzgerald began working on Road to Redemption (originally titled A Private Agony) in 1982, completing the novel after a lengthy hiatus at the urging of the second of his three sons, Matt Fitzgerald, himself the author of many books on running.
Raised in Upstate New York on the St. Lawrence River, Fitzgerald completed a series of solo open-water swims in his late teens and early 20s before joining the United States Navy and serving in Vietnam as a member of the Special Forces. He later ran the Boston Marathon three times.
Fitzgerald began working on Road to Redemption (originally titled A Private Agony) in 1982, completing the novel after a lengthy hiatus at the urging of the second of his three sons, Matt Fitzgerald, himself the author of many books on running.
