Full Tilt Boogie

Struggling with the challenges of raising his autistic son, a rapidly changing career, and advancing middle age, writer Hal Walter sets out with a jenny donkey to win a seventh World Championship at one of the most obscure endurance sports on the planet. Walter's "Full Tilt Boogie - A journey into autism, fatherhood, and an epic test of man and beast" unfolds as a series of vignettes that weave together to tell a compelling story of determination, love and perseverance in the face of adversity. Following the lead of many writers who have literally pinned the "tale" on a donkey - from Robert Louis Stevenson to Zane Grey to the more contemporary Tim Moore - Walter lets the Rocky Mountains and the challenges of the gritty sport of pack-burro racing serve as a framework for the story. But "Full Tilt Boogie" is really about Walter's greatest challenge yet - parenting his autistic son, Harrison. The book is packed with parallels and metaphors for life's rocky trails. Says magazine columnist Martha Quillen in her review of the book: "This is an incredibly honest account of a father trying to do his best in the face of uncertainty. "Full Tilt Boogie" overflows with love, commitment, fear, hope, and courage, and is a powerful tale of a man preparing himself to face the long haul."