Salazar (with co-author John Brant, who also wrote about Salazar in Duel in the Sun) begins with the 2007 incident--where the great marathoner was declared clinically dead for 14 minutes--then circles back to his childhood, tracing his development into a world-class athlete. The book excels at defining the influence of Salazar's father, a onetime confidant of Castro who eventually became alienated from the dictator due to his devout Catholicism. Rebellion and faith would become huge components in the son's life throughout his running career and later shape his coaching philosophies. Salazar would prove to be as effective in this role, though always perceiving himself as the maverick and outsider. Salazar and Brant break up each period of Salazar's life with a different angle on the "14 minutes" and how his miraculous survival would alter the trajectory of his life.
14 Minutes succeeds as a biography of a top athlete, but it reaches a place of deeper and lasting resonance with its examination of how a near-death experience can renew spirituality and alter priorities in a positive manner. The fact that this exciting yet even-handed story never turns preachy or clichéd is its own quiet miracle. --Donald Powell, freelance writer