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newdayvow's review
3.0
It was okay. I'm not upset I read it, but I wouldn't recommend it. I feel like he should have ended it with the "where are they now" chapter.
siaeme12's review
2.0
This is an incredible story to tell, and highly insightful in many regards, but unfortunately, the actual narrative structure was lacking. It began to feel more like a series of short journal entries rather than a holistic narrative, and I found myself not feeling attached to any of the characters, as much as I wanted to.
kangaruthie's review
4.0
This book reads like half-memoir, half "outdoor quest"-esque nonfiction. For part of the book, Noé Álvarez reflects on his childhood as a Mexican American living in Yakima, Washington and working on fruit farms with his family to struggle to make a living. Other parts of the book detail Álvarez's experience participating in the PDJ, or the Peace and Dignity Journey, during which indigenous people from around North America join together on a 6,000 mile relay run throughout North America's indigenous and stolen territory.
I enjoyed the memoir portions of the book the best. I found Álvarez's account of his family's experiences as migrant workers compelling and horrifying. It is important to learn the dark underbelly of U.S. industry's that rely on migrant labor, and Álvarez exposes many such injustices taking place in Washington's fruit orchards. As someone who grew up in Washington state and frequently purchases produce that is a product of other people's exploitation, Álvarez's account made me think critically about my buying choices as a consumer and my complicity in the system.
I did also enjoy his narrative about the PDJ. His descriptions shed light on many of the troubles and injustices Native American/First Nation communities face in our society. However, he spent most of the time discussing the interpersonal dynamics and conflict between the group of runners. While this was still interesting, I had been hoping to learn more about the run itself and the communities and landscapes they traveled through (though you do still get tastes of that here and there).
Overall, an eye-opening story that made for a quick and educational read.
I enjoyed the memoir portions of the book the best. I found Álvarez's account of his family's experiences as migrant workers compelling and horrifying. It is important to learn the dark underbelly of U.S. industry's that rely on migrant labor, and Álvarez exposes many such injustices taking place in Washington's fruit orchards. As someone who grew up in Washington state and frequently purchases produce that is a product of other people's exploitation, Álvarez's account made me think critically about my buying choices as a consumer and my complicity in the system.
I did also enjoy his narrative about the PDJ. His descriptions shed light on many of the troubles and injustices Native American/First Nation communities face in our society. However, he spent most of the time discussing the interpersonal dynamics and conflict between the group of runners. While this was still interesting, I had been hoping to learn more about the run itself and the communities and landscapes they traveled through (though you do still get tastes of that here and there).
Overall, an eye-opening story that made for a quick and educational read.
gwalt118's review
3.0
"Here I recognize the ways in which running is transforming me. Through it, I am inflicting violence upon myself and my body, submerging myself in pain like I did when working in the warehouses alongside my mother, so that I may control the turmoil within me. But unlike any other labor, running relieves me of the weight that I should become better than my parents, my people. I still don't know that it is okay to be unexceptional, ordinary, unremarkable. That there is greatness and pride to being common, so to speak. But I am learning to believe that it is okay to be flawed, imperfect. Running is helping me to see that" (p. 95-96).
Noe Alvarez is a Mexican-American who comes from a working class family in Washington. In order to come to terms with his own identity, he participates in a Peace and Dignity Journey - a Ragnar-like run that spans from Canada to Guatemala. The group is somewhat of a motley crew, coming from various cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Along the way, Alvarez learns about Indigenous and Native cultures, particularly their customs and traditions. From the big picture perspective, this is a wonderful story and an important memoir.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the way this book was written and the way Alvarez told his story. The book was choppy. Rather than a clear narrative, the chapters were more of random vignettes that occurred over time. Alvarez tried to embed his parents' stories with his own - in some places, it worked wonderfully, and in other places, it did not work at all. There was an opportunity with this book for Alvarez to embed his story with the story of the land, which is what the subtitle of this book led me to believe would happen. But, it didn't. All in all, this book fell sort of flat for me...and I'm kind of bummed about that.
Noe Alvarez is a Mexican-American who comes from a working class family in Washington. In order to come to terms with his own identity, he participates in a Peace and Dignity Journey - a Ragnar-like run that spans from Canada to Guatemala. The group is somewhat of a motley crew, coming from various cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Along the way, Alvarez learns about Indigenous and Native cultures, particularly their customs and traditions. From the big picture perspective, this is a wonderful story and an important memoir.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the way this book was written and the way Alvarez told his story. The book was choppy. Rather than a clear narrative, the chapters were more of random vignettes that occurred over time. Alvarez tried to embed his parents' stories with his own - in some places, it worked wonderfully, and in other places, it did not work at all. There was an opportunity with this book for Alvarez to embed his story with the story of the land, which is what the subtitle of this book led me to believe would happen. But, it didn't. All in all, this book fell sort of flat for me...and I'm kind of bummed about that.
theshaggyshepherd's review
3.0
Spirit Run // by Noe Alvarez
This is a title that I have been looking forward to for a while but am now struggling to organize my thoughts about. The blurb had me excited about learning about immigration and the First Nations/Native American movement from a new angle, connecting with the land through running. The beginning of the book was very much like I expected: We learn about his experiences in the work force and about his family with a lot of focus on his parents. I learned a lot about the industry and inhumane practices, about the poverty that so many immigrants struggle with and the unfair treatment of them by the citizens of a country that would not exist were it not for the many immigrants of the past and the present.
But the deeper I got into the story, the more I struggled with it. I found myself taking a lot of breaks from it and dreading coming back to it. The group of runners was not what I expected at all, especially with the name Peace and Dignity Journey. I loved learning about their rituals and thoughts of connecting with the land, but peace and dignity seemed far from their reality within the group itself. I also started to miss the deep reflections that I enjoyed at the beginning of the book when he spoke about the issues in society and with immigration. I do appreciate how personal he got about describing the way hunger, thirst and pain drove everybody to their limits, but at numerous times, that suffering just felt unnecessary when looking at it from the outside; the consequences of petty and immature behavior sometimes.
This might be an issue about incorrect expectations, but I was honestly expecting a book that would be inspirational and maybe even show us a way forward, but instead it was mostly depressing and I never really felt a sense of closure. Alvarez told us about the multiple degrees he completed after finishing the run, but I did not really see the point of getting those and spending hard earned money on them since it seems like he did not actually use them to his advantage. I do hope we get to hear more from him in the future and see where this experience takes him.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a title that I have been looking forward to for a while but am now struggling to organize my thoughts about. The blurb had me excited about learning about immigration and the First Nations/Native American movement from a new angle, connecting with the land through running. The beginning of the book was very much like I expected: We learn about his experiences in the work force and about his family with a lot of focus on his parents. I learned a lot about the industry and inhumane practices, about the poverty that so many immigrants struggle with and the unfair treatment of them by the citizens of a country that would not exist were it not for the many immigrants of the past and the present.
But the deeper I got into the story, the more I struggled with it. I found myself taking a lot of breaks from it and dreading coming back to it. The group of runners was not what I expected at all, especially with the name Peace and Dignity Journey. I loved learning about their rituals and thoughts of connecting with the land, but peace and dignity seemed far from their reality within the group itself. I also started to miss the deep reflections that I enjoyed at the beginning of the book when he spoke about the issues in society and with immigration. I do appreciate how personal he got about describing the way hunger, thirst and pain drove everybody to their limits, but at numerous times, that suffering just felt unnecessary when looking at it from the outside; the consequences of petty and immature behavior sometimes.
This might be an issue about incorrect expectations, but I was honestly expecting a book that would be inspirational and maybe even show us a way forward, but instead it was mostly depressing and I never really felt a sense of closure. Alvarez told us about the multiple degrees he completed after finishing the run, but I did not really see the point of getting those and spending hard earned money on them since it seems like he did not actually use them to his advantage. I do hope we get to hear more from him in the future and see where this experience takes him.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
kski83's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.0
While the stories, journey, and purpose of the novel were all well intended, the execution fell a little flat for me. I was left wishing for more details related to the journey and some more context relating the run to the flashbacks.
emmaas_bookshelf's review
3.0
A big fan of this memoir. I learned a lot about the PDJ, indigenous life and pain and healing. It left me inspired. Wonderful quick read
rmarcin's review
3.0
Young college man decides to leave college and find some answers to his ancestry on a 6,000 mile marathon across North America. He needs to face harsh conditions and personalities. Returning to Washington State, he decides what to do with his life.
Part memoir, part coming of age in his 20s, this was a book about discovering our heritage and facing grim realities.
Part memoir, part coming of age in his 20s, this was a book about discovering our heritage and facing grim realities.