Aug 18, 2025
John Graham
graduated from college with no real training, no direction, and no
one to help him. As a result, he went through eight career detours,
moving from state to state, feeling helpless, alone, and not
knowing what to do or where to go much of the time.
It was not
until he and his wife committed to helping others who were
struggling more they were and founded Good Samaritan Home that he
found his place and a sense of purpose.
John Graham
had gone from homelessness, a series of career restarts over the
years, to a business owner and a published author. He was a
door-to-door salesman, children’s home counselor, substitute
schoolteacher, truck driver, fireman, building contractor,
minister, and journalist.
At 75, he
published his debut novel called Running As Fast
As I Can, which had been rejected nearly 200
times. John is familiar with second, third, and fourth chances
that many of us need to reach our goals. It is in developing what
he calls calloused hands and a tender heart, along the
journey.
Click HERE to buy book
For Fans of WHERE
THE CRAWDADS SING, A LITTLE LIFE, and FORREST GUMP
"... often profound
historical novel. Our verdict: GET IT!" - KIRKUS REVIEWS
Growing up in the mill slums of Pittsburgh, Daniel Robinson was a
punching bag for his drunken father, ignored by his mentally ill
mother, and trapped in the grip of poverty. He’s finally freed from
the torture of that home, only to crash land in another hell when
he’s abused by the pastor who takes him in.
Daniel escapes once again, spending the next decade wandering
homeless throughout the country during the turbulent 1960s. On his
journey, he gets caught up in the hippie drug invasion in San
Francisco, racial violence in Cleveland and Detroit, and especially
a deadly anti-war protest at Kent State. Daniel finally finds love
with someone who was running from her own demons. Together, they
get a second chance at happiness and the family they both want.
Because of his experience on the street, Daniel is offered a job
helping men coming from prison. When asked to find housing for
Charles Vickers, a black man who spent twenty years in prison for a
rape that Daniel is convinced he never committed, he and his wife
open their own home to him. This enrages the community, especially
when a local girl disappears. Violence erupts—with Daniel as the
focus of their rage.
Should he stay and fight for Charles—and put his family at risk, or
run away again?
RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN is
an unforgettable, multi-award-winning story about overcoming
childhood abuse and the generational trauma of poverty to find
love, forgiveness, and redemption. Daniel’s story, with its
harrowing social themes conveyed through an intense personal
odyssey, vividly portrays a traumatic period in our history, while
grappling with intense emotional and social issues we still face
today.
CONNECT WITH JOHN
HERE
Website Good Samaritan Home
