The main reasons to read The Running Dream
The Running Dream published in 2011 and written by Wendelin Van Draanen is an amazing book. It covers the story of a runner by the name of Jessica, a star runner who set a school record for the 400m run at 55 seconds. All seemed well for Jessica until one day, a truck carrying cars to a junkyard with faulty breaks hits the side of Jessica's bus. This accident kills the truck driver, a fellow student by the name of Lucy, and destroys Jessica's leg beyond repair. This information is only correlated to the audience through flashbacks, and we never experience the accident like the characters. The rest of the first section is filled with the struggles of Jessica, as she wakes up without almost any leg below the knee. This infuriates her and she begins to believe that she will never be able to take up her hobby, running, ever again.
The story is accentuated through the dialogue the characters have and Jessica's inner thoughts. One of the mos punctual moments is when Draanen lets Jessica expresses the following "... but I can't help thinking that Lucy is the lucky one. For Lucy there's no pain, no rehab, no learning to live disabled"(Draanen 38). In that scene, Jessica is expressing how she feels about the accident and how she considers Lucy lucky. She thinks of death as an easy way out, she can no longer participate in her favorite hobby, so her desperate thoughts turn dark. This, of course, could not be further from the truth, as after death there is nothing, no happiness, no sadness, no regret, no positivity, Jessica is just venting her frustration. Another similar moment happens when Jessica has this frustration "When they're here, I'm quiet and awkward and I can't wait for them to leave. When they're gone, I cry" (Draanen 53). Jessica feels lonely, however, she feels like her friends do not understand her and so she distances herself from them, causing her to become more lonely. This turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy as Jessica pushes away her friends, who later just find a new area to hang out, instead of Jessica's home.
The story is not the only thing intriguing about The Running Dream, however, another one of the great strengths is the formatting. The chapters of the book are usually only between two to three pages, with few outliers. This makes the book feel like quick concise thoughts that Jessica is currently having about the situation. It gives the bok a more informal feel and makes it feel like the section is much smaller than it is, as you are not forced to drone on and one in 20 or 30-page chapters. Another positive of the formatting accentuated by the two-page chapters is the informality of the writing, trying to mimic how a teen thinks. Draanen does an amazing job of conveying the thoughts and feelings of a teen in this odd situation. For example, there is this moment with Jessica "Kaylee's been in and out, but I always tell her I'm tired. Or just pretend I'm asleep." (Draanen 21). Jessica, feeling her sister would not understand the situation shuns her out of her life for a brief time. This action seems rash and unneeded, but it feels like something a 16-year old would actually do.
The Running Dream seems like an innocuous book at first glance, but it holds an amazing and complex story. It is a story of hardship and overcoming the problems life throws at you. But, it is also a story of a girl who loves running, and how she thinks about her previous life. The following words by Jessica show as much "A new record for the league. It's also the last race of my life. My finish line"(Draanen 11). Jessica is reliving her glory days of when she had two feet, and how she could run so fast. However, now she thinks she'll never reach that score, not even with her in the making prosthetic leg. Jessica wants to be able to do a race like she did previously but sees it as hopeless to even try. Jessica is not just a one-dimensional character who is always optimistic. She is real, she has her ups and downs, she feels like a real character.
Draanen, Wendelin Van. The Running Dream. Wendelin Van Draanen Parsons, 2011.
Like Jessica, I also like to run. If I were to face the same pain as she has, I would have also felt the frustration and misery that she experienced, and spend most of my time thinking back to the past when I could run without any physical help. Aside from this, The Running Dream would be a perfect fit for my schedule with its quick pace, as you have explained in the post. Thanks for introducing me to the next book I will read!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine going through something like Jessica did, but the book seems to show what it feels like. It sounds like the book has a lot of imagery and is very vivid. I think I'll read this book soon because of the short chapter length and the imaginative writing style. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting how each chapter is only a few pages! It probably helps in making the book move faster. I would love to read this book since it seems fast paced and energetic in a way. I usually get so bored or lose focus when chapters are more than 20-30 pages.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very good book! I think books are much more interesting to read when they tweak the normal format for a novel and do something different, while still making sense with the story. It sounds like the author was very intentional with the things she switched up.
ReplyDeleteThe plot of this book sounds really interesting! I love reading books where we really get to know the inside of the main character's mind, so this book sounds great. The main character also sounds very relatable even though she is going through something I have never gone through, which makes a book a lot more engaging to read.
ReplyDeleteBoth the plot and writing style of this book seem like something that I would really enjoy. I like that there is a very clear struggle, and it will be interesting to see how all the other negatives(like loosing her friends) will play out later in Jessica's story.
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in this book. I think its interesting and sad how Jessica thinks that maybe dying would be better than living disabled. I really enjoy books that tell the story of overcoming struggles, especially from a teenagers perspective. I will put this on my reading list!
ReplyDeleteThis is something I would definitely enjoy reading. As a student athlete myself, one of my biggest fears is having a career ending injury. I understand why Jessica feels the way she does and the fact that the author does such a good job to really bring Jessica's character to life makes the book all the more intriguing. This is definitely a book that I would check out.
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