Book Review

Hello all! Hope you are having a lovely Wednesday! Well, today I thought I'd tell you all about an incredible book I just finished. It's called The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. Here's the summary from inside the front page.

"What would you do if you lost the one thing that mattered most? Sixteen-year old Jessica is a runner. It's not just what she does, it's who she is. So when a tragic accident causes her to lose one of her legs, she is shattered inside and out. Though doctors say she'll be able to walk with a prosthetic limb, recovery is slow and full of pitfalls. Jessica wonders if the girl who died in the accident didn't get the better end of the deal. But as she struggles to reclaim her life, Jessica gets to know Rosa-a girl with cerebral palsy whom she and her friends had always overlooked. Not only does Rosa come to Jessica's rescue in math, she also helps her reach for a future that is full of unexpected opportunities. And Jessica starts to wonder: Is it possible not only to walk again, but to run?"

As an athlete, this book meant so much to me. I've never really experienced an injury before (Except for a broken wrist which, thank goodness, was not during volleyball season!). So I can't even imagine going through something like what Jessica did in this book. It's like the question at the beginning of the summary, "What would you do if you lost the one thing that mattered most?".

What made me love this book so much is that Jessica didn't let this injury stop her. It inspires me to work hard at everything I do, and not let one "injury", big or small, stop me. It doesn't matter if you do sports or not. An injury in your life could mean a lost loved one, or a broken heart. But we can't let those things drag us down into a big pit. We were created to get back up and trust that God's got it in control.

Now, this book is fiction, which I didn't realize until about a forth of the way through. But that doesn't mean these things don't happen in real life. Have you heard of pro-sufer Bethany Hamilton? Her arm was bit off by a shark when she was just thirteen. But she didn't let that get in the way of her surfing dream. She worked hard, got right back up on her board, and is now an incredible pro-surfer. Amazing right? Have you heard of Oscar Pistorius? When he was 11 months old, he had to have his legs amputated. But that didn't stop him. He ran in the 2012 London Olympics. Oscar is called the fastest man on no legs.

It really inspires me to see these people get up after such traumatic experiences. I hope you all get the chance to read this book, I know you'll love it!