The Author: John Gilstrap
The Book: Nathan’s Run
The Genre: Adventure Fiction
Lives In: Fairfax
The Story: “Nathan’s Run is about a 12-year-old, Nathan, who’s in a juvenile detention center,” says Gilstrap. “When a guard tries to attack and kill him, Nathan kills the guard and runs away. It becomes a media sensation for all the wrong reasons.” As Nathan is on the run, a radio talk show host discusses the case on her show, ranting about Nathan. “He calls in and tells his side of the story. It changes the media narrative,” says Gilstrap. “Oh, and there’s an assassin trying to get him.”
Looking Back (and Forward): The original release of Nathan’s Run was in 1996, with the recent re-release including a new ending. “It’s substantively different,” says Gilstrap. “When I first released the book, it was my first novel and it was a worldwide sensation. My agent and editor at the time didn’t like my original ending and they talked me into a different one. The newer version that just came out is my original.”
This article originally appeared in our March 2020 print issue. For more Local Author Love and other cultural pieces, subscribe to our weekly newsletters.
