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Running for My Life
by
Ann González
Running for My Life is the powerful story of Andrea McKane, a fourteenyear- old who struggles to cope with her mother's schizophrenia. She must face the heartbreaking fact that her mother, with whom she once laughed and played, has vanished into her disease, possibly forever. The book accurately portrays the difficulties a teen faces when dealing with the illness, the abus...more
Hardcover, 237 pages
Published
March 1st 2009
by Westside Books
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Disclaimer: Ann was a student of mine in the Whidbey MFA program. It is not simply that connection that prompts me to recommend this book, which is a sensitive, honest, gritty and sweet-natured story of a teen-age girl coping with the effects of her mother's mental illness. It may sound dark but it's not; Ann tells Andrea's story with touches of genuine humor (Joan Bauer has said humor allows us to shine a light into life's darkness)and typical teen problems, including what to wear on a first da...more
I enjoyed this story of a girl trying to deal with the aftermath of abuse by her mentally ill mother. I liked that Gonzalez showed how hard it is to deal with PTSD - how much energy it takes. I also liked that she touched on how hard it is to get help for people with mental illnesses and that we are in the infancy of mental health care. Doctors give their best guess on how to treat it, and sometimes it works and sometimes is doesn't, and often, it only works for a short period of time.
I liked t...more
I liked t...more
Running for My Life focuses on a girl traumatized by her mother's mental illness and shows us how she begins to heal through therapy and running (and spitting, believe it or not). It's a book that strives to illuminate the issues of mental health and the healing benefits of therapy but it is bogged down by improbable situations, unrealistic characters, and unpolished writing.
The book begins with the main character, Andrea, in such an overwrought state that it was hard for me to get into the sto...more
The book begins with the main character, Andrea, in such an overwrought state that it was hard for me to get into the sto...more
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I didn't connect with it at all, just felt like a detached observer.
Wow. From Nanowrimo to MFA thesis to print. Way to go, Ann G! I loved Pedro and I loved that Margie kept her Camp Casey T-shirt intact.
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We are not alone when it comes to mental illness touching our lives, and the general fear of it's consequences. Family members, government, and friends are at a loss sometimes with the internal struggle and external struggle inherent in every relationship that includes mental illness.
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