Merge

<p>John Sutton has seen the world through a runner's eyes and in <em>Merge</em> he captures running's power</p><p> to unite people in a world that divides.</p><p><br></p><p> ~Dean Karnazes author of the NY Times bestseller <em>Ultramarathon Man</em></p><p><br></p><p>It's tough enough to be a teenager in the best of times. In 1970s' Oakland where racial tensions are bubbling and violence is brewing it's <em>really</em> tough to figure out who you are and whose side you're on.</p><p><br></p><p>But this is what Steve Ida and Levi have to do. Despite their very different backgrounds the three find themselves working together at a local grocery store. Steve the privileged son of a judge is dedicated to becoming a world-class runner. Ida is also a talented runner but has to balance that passion with helping her family try to recover from race-based violence. Levi the quick-witted son of a single mother is on the brink of self-discovery. As they battle bullies and prejudice their lives become intimately intertwined.</p><p><br></p><p>A story of friendship told by the friends themselves in a series of short action-packed chapters <em>Merge</em> takes us on a breathless thought-provoking race to do the right thing.</p><p><br></p><p>Understandably a lot of novels see the struggle against racism and injustice from one perspective. <em>Merge</em> sees it from both a black and a white perspective. The author offers a new refreshingly honest approach with Steve and Ida recognizing the chasm between their worlds. Through their stormy friendship the divide is spanned and their paths begin to merge.</p>