Runner: A Novel
Ashton Lattimore
(37 Ink, 2026)

One fateful summer in Prohibition-era Martha’s Vineyard, Earl Jameson, a successful Black fisherman-turned-rumrunner, disappears in a suspicious shipwreck. His daughter Lena steps up to take over his dangerous, illegal trade, working to save her family’s fortunes while preserving her own dream of a college education. That decision takes Lena and her siblings from the safe, colorful streets of Oak Bluffs, through gangland Boston, to the jazz-filled clubs of Harlem during its Renaissance, all in search of quick money—and the truth about the shipwreck and their father’s death.

This event is presented in partnership with Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice (SDARJ).

About the Author
Ashton Lattimore is a graduate of Harvard College, Columbia Journalism School, and Harvard Law School. Her debut novel, All We Were Promised, was featured at HBF in 2024, becoming a Book of the Month Club pick and a Washington Post and NPR Best Book of the Year. A native of New Jersey, she lives there with her family.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.

About the Festival
The History Book Festival is the first and only book festival in the United States devoted exclusively to history. With the help of our presenting funding partner —  The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | PenFed Realty — as well as our program and community partners, volunteers, and donors, the 2026 History Book Festival will be full of great discussions with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction. 

Thanks to all our donors, especially our education and outreach funding partners: Carolyn & Aaron Nayer, Jen Mason & Clare Hancock, the Red Wagon Foundation, and Browseabout Books. HBF authors visit classrooms in Delaware, and HBF provides their books to schools, libraries, and community organizations.

Our Keynote event is presented by Griswold Home Care for Sussex & Kent Counties and Groome Church; our Closing event is presented by the Delaware Community Foundation. The Spirited Discussion, our gathering for attendees and presenters to celebrate and discuss their day, is presented by Dogfish Head Beer & Benevolence.

Special thanks to our Program Partners for their continuing support: the Lewes Public Library for event promotion and production; Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, official bookseller of the History Book Festival; and Historic Lewes for event promotion and author hospitality. Thanks also to the Lewes Chamber of Commerce for event promotion, and the Cape Gazette and Delmarva Public Media, our media partners.