The Illegal

Keita Ali is an elite marathon runner from the poor, mountainous island nation of Zantoroland, where running offers a path to respect and riches. When his father, a dissident journalist, is murdered, Keita is forced to flee his homeland. He signs with a notorious marathon agent, Anton Hamm, to run the Boston marathon for a major cut of the winning prize, but when he fails to place, he escapes into Freedom State. Freedom State is a wealthy island nation with a government bent on deporting undocumented refugees who live in a community called AfricTown. Keita’s very existence in Freedom State is illegal, and he must stay on the run, eluding capture from both the authorities and his former agent. He trains in secret and surfaces to race in local road races to earn cash, desperately trying to survive and eventually run not just for his own life, but also for his kidnapped sister's life. The novel is a fast-moving political thriller that examines the plight of an undocumented refugee struggling to survive in a nation that does not want him.

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