The running dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

This six-weeks I read The Running Dream which is a fictional novel.  It was written by Wendelin Van Draanen and was published in January 2011. This book follows a 16-year-old named Jessica who loves running with all her heart. On the way to a track meet a bus accident occurs and leaves her with a stump instead of a leg, a huge hole in her heart and no hope that she will ever run again. However, throughout the book Jessica’s spirits rise when family and friends try to overcome every obstacle to be able to get her running again. I believe that the theme of the story is perseverance. Throughout the book Jessica is pushed to her limits when money and family issues get in the way of getting what she wants; however, she refuses to stop doing whatever she can to reach her goal of running again.

                This story is told from first person point of view. I believe this because Jessica is the narrator as the story goes along and uses words such as “I.” I think that the intended audience is preteens or teens due to the fact that the story is quite intense. Descriptions of how she must care for her wound and physical therapy after amputation are included and it is quite emotional. The genre of this book is Young Adult and I think the author sticks to this because once you read the book you can hear the pain in the way Jessica tells the story but if you think harder about it you will see that there was much more than just pain. The author keeps me interested by always making Jessica have a goal that’s she’s trying to reach so she always has something to overcome. I think the author’s style is affective for the intended audience because she uses words that are not extremely difficult and keeps it at a reasonable difficulty.

                The book affected me quite intensely. I may have cried once or twice but because my mother is a runner and had an accident like this, not with her leg, but still an accident, I felt like I related to this book on a much higher level. When I first glanced at the book it did not strike me as a meaningful, relatable read. I noticed that once I got farther into the book I caught myself thinking things such as “why do we take sure simple things such as being able to walk down and up the stairs for granted?” The book made me do a double take on things that come so easily to us but harder to people such as Jessica. However, this book did not really bring up memories that I have of other books or authors.

               
I give Draanen a huge round of applause of this work of art. It is not only a true tear jerker, but many people can relate to it on a more person level which is something amazing. I recommend this book to anyone who likes an inspirational story with much meaning behind it.

Emma Talbot

12/18/13

***** 5/5