threegoodrats's review against another edition

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2.0

I really liked all the parts about Alvarez's early life and family, but as for the run itself, I had a hard time finding a clear narrative. Alvarez tells us about all the ways he was mistreated, such as not being fed enough, denied water, having to run more than he should in the course of a day. It put me in the uncomfortable position of not liking the organizers of a run that was all about connecting indigenous people to the land that was stolen from them. Which isn't my complaint, actually. Life is complicated and it *should* make us uncomfortable. But Alvarez seemed fairly unbothered about these things that definitely weren't ok, while still feeling like the run was something he needed to do and I don't think he explored this conflict enough. In the end, I'm just not sure what I was supposed to take away from this book. It didn't feel deep or meaty enough for me somehow.

I listened to the audio version, narrated by Ramon de Ocampo. I was very excited to see that he was the narrator as I really enjoyed his reading of Red, White, and Royal Blue (a very different book!) He did a great job on this one too. I find his voice very soothing and pleasant.

hngryctrpllr's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

3.0

ruffian23's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.0

nickscoby's review against another edition

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4.0

I am so grateful that my friend Gina recommended this book to me. This unassuming narrative delivers way more than it has to, to be honest. Ostensibly, it is about a young man who embarks on a marathon run but there are so many themes that unfold: cultural identity and authenticity, bullying,
immigration, etc. I only have two quibbles: 1) it was difficult to discern some of the runners (maybe this is a deliberate writing choice); 2) I want to hear more about the author's return to college. Perhaps he is saving those stories for the next book?

michalow's review against another edition

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3.0

I loved that this book exposed me to the voices of people I don't often hear from -- not just the author, but also the indigenous Americans he shared his journey with. This books covers 6,000 miles plus a personal story of Alvarez and his family in fewer than 250 pages, so there's not a lot of depth. I was left wanting to know more of each of the runners' stories.

envy4's review against another edition

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3.0

Read via audiobook!
Quote: We Cover our faces so you can finally see us.
I assumed this would be an adventure book, but I was very wrong. This book is a deep, mourning of the Indigenous people of North and Central America. I assumed his journey would be like my Israeli birthright trip but with more working out. His journey was of pain and suffering to heal the wounds these people endured. I didn’t get to the soul of this book, it could just be me.

fedorasommora's review

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informative inspiring sad medium-paced

3.0

protoman21's review against another edition

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3.0

Sadly, I couldn't connect with this at all. I'm not sure the author really knew what direction they were going, but it all seemed very mundane with very little appreciation even for the physical and mental effort it must have taken to run that kind of distance.

akmatz's review

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adventurous challenging reflective fast-paced

3.25

nikipez's review against another edition

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3.0

started out so goood, but came off hella preachy and messy by the end