The Running Dream
Join us Thursday, September 21st at 6:00 p.m. for our book club. Courtesy of our friends at the El Paso Community Foundation, each participant will receive at no cost a copy of the book The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen prior to that date so you will be ready to discuss it.
When Jessica is told she’ll never run again, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than ever before. The acclaimed author of Flipped delivers a powerful and healing story.
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She’s not comforted by the news that she’ll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?
As she struggles to cope, Jessica feels that she’s both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don’t know what to say act like she’s not there. Jessica’s embarrassed to realize that she’s done the same to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she’s missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.
With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that’s not enough for her now. She doesn’t just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.
If you will need the book in an alternate format as an accommodation other than a standard text-size printed book, please let us know by emailing us at molly.saenz@thearcofelpaso.org.