Boston Globe reporters Scott Helman and Jenna Russell tell the story of what took place at the finish line of last year’s Boston Marathon, and the aftermath, in their book, Long Mile Home: Boston Under Attack, the City’s Courageous Recovery, and the Epic Hunt for Justice (Dutton). They spoke about their book in an interview, which you can read here. Several other books—some with personal connections to the tragedies of last year’s race—have been published in the lead-up to the April 21 Boston Marathon. Here is a sample:
Stronger
By Jeff Bauman with Bret Witter (Grand Central Publishing)
In many ways Bauman became the face of the Boston Marathon tragedy. The photo of him in a wheelchair, legs tattered, face ashen, being raced from the finish-line site appeared across the globe. Stronger takes the reader to what happened before and, perhaps more important, after that photo was snapped. Following surgeries to save his life but not his legs, Bauman reflects on the rehabilitation process he endured. He also tells of being a key provider of information that led to the search for the Tsarnaev brothers.
Marathon Tragedy the Subject of Several Books: 12 seconds, 2 Brothers and the Marathon that Changed Their Lives
By JP and Paul Norden with David Smitherman (Palari Publishing)
Like so many others there at the finish line that day, JP and Paul Norden were enjoying the sun, the fun, the spectacle of the marathon. Then, in an instant, the moment disappeared. As the two brothers attempted to help Paul’s girlfriend following the first bomb’s detonation, the second bomb erupted. The brothers would each lose a leg from this explosion. Marathon Tragedy the Subject of Several Books tells, through the accounts of the Nordens and others close to them, what came next, and how they have moved forward.
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Photographs
By Douglas Potoksky (Green Circle Press)
Following the bombings, memorials to the victims began appearing on the streets of Boston. Potoksky, a freelance photographer, set out to capture them, and their meaning. In Remember Boston, Potoksky fills the tabletop book with more than 100 photos featuring the running shoes, flowers, religious symbols, and, of course, messages left by those who wanted to remember those killed and injured in the bombings. An earlier book by Potoksky, Plan Your BQ Race So It Will Count for Two Years, Plan Your BQ Race So It Will Count for Two Years.
4:09:43: Races - Places
By Hal Higdon (Human Kinetics)
An e-book written by the Runner’s World contributing writer, 4:09:43 (the time on the finisher’s clock when the first bomb exploded) provides a look at the events of April 15, 2013, from the perspectives of dozens of runners who raced that day. Higdon moves the narrative from the start at Hopkinton through the finish line on Boylston Street and even through to the departure gates at Logan Airport, where runners continue to retell stories from that day. Last August, when 4:09:43 was published, Higdon told RW Newswire, “These were wonderful stories, moving stories, sad stories, written mostly for friends and family. It seemed a shame to allow these stories to eventually disappear into cyberspace, read only by a few.”
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