The Running Dream

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen is an inspirational story based off of real experiences.  Wendelin Van Draanen is a very accomplished author with many different stories ranging from mystery to teen survival.  The Running Dream shows many examples of struggle, perseverance, love, friendship and it shows that no one should ever lose hope. Nothing brings sixteen year old Jessica more joy then running, the feeling of completion and satisfaction that she gets from running could never be replaced.  Jessica’s world falls apart when she loses a leg in a bus accident bring her back from the best meet in her track career.  Having her passion ripped away from her Jessica is lost and gives up on the idea of her ever running again.

Jessica has a great support team trying to help her heal, and while she put on a brave face for her loved ones, she is really falling apart inside.  She finds it hard to find a reason to live when there is no way that she will ever be the same.  Jessica finally returns to school after continuous coaxing from her best friend Fiona, it takes a while for people to learn how to approach her but eventually people embrace her like she had never left. School was tough everything reminded her of track and what she had lost.  She avoided anything that had to do with track, until a visit to the doctor’s office where a woman with the same injury was living a normal life for the first time since she lost her leg Jessica had hope and hope was all that it took for her to achieve her new found goal to run again. With the help of her family her newly found friend Rosa and her team Jessica works her way back to the way it used to be.  “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no… it’s Jessica Carslisle!”(Draanen 274).

This is one of the most inspirational books that I have ever read and I think that everyone should read it.  This book makes me realize how lucky I am and that I take way to many things for granted. It almost makes me feel bad for being lazy and complaining about having to exercise when there are people in the world that would die to be able to walk again.  The way that the author writes puts you into the role of the character, I found myself feeling her pain with her. At time the story can get graphic but that is what makes it real and interesting.  Reading this story makes me realize that I can do anything that I set my mind to and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. 

  

Book Review by Hanna W.