After soldiers attack a small village in Zimbabwe, Deo goes on the run with Innocent, his older, mentally disabled brother, carrying little but a l...
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Feb 08, 2012
Kellee
rated it: 
Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/02/...
Summary: In a dusty field in the province of Mosvingo in Zimbabwe, Deo plays soccer with his friends will his older brother Innocent watches. Then the soldiers show up and Deo and Innocent's world is turned upside down. They are now on the run, refugees from their own village, and must find a way to survive. As Deo works to protect his mentally challenged older brother while still making hard decisions, there are struggles at e More...
Summary: In a dusty field in the province of Mosvingo in Zimbabwe, Deo plays soccer with his friends will his older brother Innocent watches. Then the soldiers show up and Deo and Innocent's world is turned upside down. They are now on the run, refugees from their own village, and must find a way to survive. As Deo works to protect his mentally challenged older brother while still making hard decisions, there are struggles at e More...
Feb 05, 2012
Suzanne
rated it:
Several times in his journey away from the soldiers who slaughtered everyone, including his mother and grandfather, in his home village of Bikita in Zimbabwe, 15-year-old Deo must run for his life. As if that isn't difficult enough, he must also bear the burden of an older brother whose developmental age presents the challenge of a much younger one instead. From station to station along a perilous trip to city and border with South Africa to cross a river and brave lions and hyenas only to work
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Jan 19, 2012
Deo and his brother Innocent do their best to enjoy life in their Zimbabwean village even though war rages around them and they are constantly hungry. When the soldiers come and demand food from an American shipment that has not arrived, Innocent, who is mentally challenged, gets upset and runs off. When the brothers return to the village, their family and many of their neighbors have been killed. They take off to seek the help of their mother's friend, but are told that they will need to go to
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Jan 03, 2012
Deanna
rated it: 
Realistic fiction, immigration, global, soccer, survival, xenophobic, South Africa
Based on true events that occurred in 2008 this gripping novel will keep you awake till you finish it. This was another 2 hour book that I couldn't put down. Definitely one of the best books I read in 2011.
One day some soldiers enter Deo's village in Zimbabwe and murder almost everyone. He escapes with his older brother to a neighboring village where a policeman helps them escape to South Africa More...
Based on true events that occurred in 2008 this gripping novel will keep you awake till you finish it. This was another 2 hour book that I couldn't put down. Definitely one of the best books I read in 2011.
One day some soldiers enter Deo's village in Zimbabwe and murder almost everyone. He escapes with his older brother to a neighboring village where a policeman helps them escape to South Africa More...
Nov 01, 2011
Vanessa
rated it:
Although he’s the younger brother, Deo protects and shields idiot savant Innocent, 10 years older, when soldiers raid their village in Zimbabwe, killing the rest of their family and neighbors. With slender funds, luck, and a few courageous friends, they run through their terror and reach South Africa, only to be met by anti-immigrant violence.
The boys’ escape—through checkpoints hidden in a tiny compartment in a heavy truck, fighting the current in the Limpopo River, and running past lions More...
The boys’ escape—through checkpoints hidden in a tiny compartment in a heavy truck, fighting the current in the Limpopo River, and running past lions More...
Jul 23, 2011
Betsy
rated it:
Honestly, this book really exceeded my expectations. I recommend this to anyone looking for an uplifting story, to soccer fans, and to anyone who is interested in what is going on in Africa.
Deo and his brother Innocent live in Zimbabwe until their village is destroyed. Then they must make the terribly difficult journey to South Africa in search of their father--who neither one of the brothers really knows. Deo loves playing and watching soccer. He has dreams of playing professional More...
Deo and his brother Innocent live in Zimbabwe until their village is destroyed. Then they must make the terribly difficult journey to South Africa in search of their father--who neither one of the brothers really knows. Deo loves playing and watching soccer. He has dreams of playing professional More...
Jul 12, 2011
Alison
rated it:
Now is the Time for Running is a heart-aching story told from a teenager’s point of view. It is a novel full of brother love, loss, self-discovery and dealing with the world around you.
The story is eye-opening. The events that occur in this novel are things you don’t want to hear about but they’re real. Every cry for mercy, every soul that is lost and every person who has given up is what is going on every day. Reading this novel in a safe, warm spot of your home makes your heart ach More...
The story is eye-opening. The events that occur in this novel are things you don’t want to hear about but they’re real. Every cry for mercy, every soul that is lost and every person who has given up is what is going on every day. Reading this novel in a safe, warm spot of your home makes your heart ach More...
Jul 03, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
Deo and his older brother Innocent are refugees. They fled their home in Zimbabwe after a massacre in their village. Their journey leads them, eventually, to South Africa.
This is a hard book to describe without spoiling something. So I will say that it is about family and courage and soccer.
There's a lot in the world I don't know about, but two of them are "Africa" and "soccer." So it's probably surprising to some that I loved this book as much More...
This is a hard book to describe without spoiling something. So I will say that it is about family and courage and soccer.
There's a lot in the world I don't know about, but two of them are "Africa" and "soccer." So it's probably surprising to some that I loved this book as much More...
Jan 13, 2012
Mark
rated it:
"All of the people in the room want to be somewhere else. None of us wants to live on the streets of Cape Town.
All of the people in the room want to belong somewhere and be treated as somebody, not something.
As each person speaks, the stories get easier to tell and easier to listen to. I notice too that as each of the people in the room talks, something changes in their faces. A light goes on in their eyes. It's like they were gray, but now they have color. No one is More...
All of the people in the room want to belong somewhere and be treated as somebody, not something.
As each person speaks, the stories get easier to tell and easier to listen to. I notice too that as each of the people in the room talks, something changes in their faces. A light goes on in their eyes. It's like they were gray, but now they have color. No one is More...
Nov 05, 2011
marcus
rated it:
This book follows a teenage boy, Deo, and his older brother, Innocent who has some sort neurological disorder. Deo lives in a village in Zimbabwe which votes the wrong way. This prompts a visit from the President's militia, which carries out a massacre. Deo and his brother flee after his mother and grandfather are killed, but without any real idea of where they will head. The author follows the brothers as they make their way to the border with South Africa and then cross into the country. Witho
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Oct 21, 2011
Peg
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When Zimbawean soldiers arrive in fourteen-year-old Deo's rural village, he is stunned when they brutally massacre nearly the entire village, including his mother and grandfather. He and his older brother, who is mentally disabled, escape the slaughter and flee the village. Although he is ten years older than his brother Innocent, Deo is forced to assume responsibility for their flight. He seeks aid from a family friend in a nearby town, who is able to get the boys on a truck headed for South
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Jul 26, 2011
Sara E.
rated it:
A very interesting read about a young man who escapes war and terrors in Zimbabwe, escapes as a refugee to South Africa and lives on the streets. Deo cares for his older brother Innocent (who seems to be on the Autism spectrum). When his mother and village are attacked by government troops, they must make a terrifying escape to South Africa, towards the father that has been non-existent for most of their lives. Tragedy strikes, and Deo finds himself struggling to keep his brother safe and surviv
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Oct 21, 2011
Maria
rated it: 
Deo is normal kid from Gutu, Zimbabwe who has an unusual brother names Innocent and a mean right foot in soccer. When government soldiers destroy his village because people "voted wrong," Deo must flee with innocent to South Africa. There, the brothers find that "safety" is far from assured -- they face poverty, prejudice and deception. Will they ever be able to feel at home?
This book starts out with a bang and draws you in -- you care about Deo and Innocent right More...
This book starts out with a bang and draws you in -- you care about Deo and Innocent right More...
Oct 04, 2011
Meg
rated it:
This is a brutally honest, yet compassionate piece of reality fiction. Sounds like I can’t make up my mind about what this story is, but when you read it, you’ll know that it’s exactly what I just said.
Deo, a 15 year old boy loves to play soccer. He plays it with a handmade ball on a dusty field in his village in Zimbabwe. The entire village is desperately poor, yet there is love here. But just like so many places throughout the world, political violence changes everything, and soon Deo an More...
Deo, a 15 year old boy loves to play soccer. He plays it with a handmade ball on a dusty field in his village in Zimbabwe. The entire village is desperately poor, yet there is love here. But just like so many places throughout the world, political violence changes everything, and soon Deo an More...
Jul 26, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
From Apartheid to political differences and diamonds, the citizens of African countries struggle to survive every day. Although a work of fiction, Deo's story is based on a culmination of true events and people. Tragically heart breaking and pain stakingly healing, Deo's many losses and sacrifices lead him to a place of oblivion until a soccer ball unites the African continent.
Deo's journey begins in his little village while he plays a game of soccer, using the ball his grandfather ma More...
Deo's journey begins in his little village while he plays a game of soccer, using the ball his grandfather ma More...
Jun 09, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
This is a gripping story of what happens when a government and its leaders get out of hand. Fifteen-year-old Deo and his older brother Innocent flee their village in the Zimbabwe countryside when government soldiers kill everyone, including their mother and grandfather. They carry only a soccer ball filled with money and a box filled with Innocent's treasured items. Their journey takes them across a river, through a game preserve, and into the populous city of Johannesburg as they flee into Sout
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Nov 25, 2011
Martha
rated it:
Wow did I learn from this book! I had no idea that a World Cup Street Soccer Tournament is held in conjugation with the World Cup Soccer Tournament; I was clueless about the refugee camp situation as it stands although I know about border crossings; and I did not know that the child soldiers acted on their own without leaders, I thought they were always drugged and coerced into fighting. This was definitely an eye-opener for me.
Running takes on a very different meaning in this book about a More...
Running takes on a very different meaning in this book about a More...
Feb 05, 2012
AnnieM
rated it:
There aren't words for how fabulous I feel this book is. I live in a town where 30% of our population is a refugee from somewhere. Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Bosnia, Kurdistan and more.
I wish this could be required reading in school. I wish it could be required reading for everyone. It definitely makes one take stock in their life and maybe your kid not picking up his socks or a spouse's whining about work isn't so bad.
The troubles in South Africa didn't end when apartheid ende More...
I wish this could be required reading in school. I wish it could be required reading for everyone. It definitely makes one take stock in their life and maybe your kid not picking up his socks or a spouse's whining about work isn't so bad.
The troubles in South Africa didn't end when apartheid ende More...
Oct 04, 2011
Meg
rated it:
This is a brutally honest, yet compassionate piece of reality fiction. Sounds like I can’t make up my mind about what this story is, but when you read it, you’ll know that it’s exactly what I just said.
Deo, a 15 year old boy loves to play soccer. He plays it with a handmade ball on a dusty field in his village in Zimbabwe. The entire village is desperately poor, yet there is love here. But just like so many places throughout the world, political violence changes everything, and soon Deo an More...
Deo, a 15 year old boy loves to play soccer. He plays it with a handmade ball on a dusty field in his village in Zimbabwe. The entire village is desperately poor, yet there is love here. But just like so many places throughout the world, political violence changes everything, and soon Deo an More...
Dec 24, 2011
Johnp
rated it:
This story is a brutal, honest portrayal of what it takes for two teens, Deo and Innocent, to make it out of Zimbabwe and find a ‘better’ life in neighboring South Africa. The first few chapters are indeed brutal, and you wonder if the book might just end there, but the two brothers manage to find the right people to help them with the next stage of their journey. What follows is just as brutal, but also uplifiting, as the boys realize that things aren’t what they seem and the promised land of
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Oct 03, 2011
Anne
rated it:
Deo’s tranquil village life in Tanzania is destroyed when government soldiers come to steal food and slay most of the village. Deo and his Innocent, his developmentally delayed older brother flee to South Africa where they find work on a farm and are hated by the locals because they are willing to receive less that the going wage. Seeking a better life, the two brothers head for Johannesburg where life becomes even more grim and tragic. In the end, it is his love of soccer that offers Deo eve
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Oct 10, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
This was an interesting look at one child's life through a war torn world in Africa. I felt a lot of the storylines were a little underdeveloped, and there were opportunities for more emotional growth or change. I was a little let down I didn't get to know Deo's real internal thoughts about himself or what he was experiencing, as he was so focused on other people.
The story line about xenophobia plays into the story a little too late for me, given the amount of back matter there is on More...
The story line about xenophobia plays into the story a little too late for me, given the amount of back matter there is on More...
May 24, 2011
Dora
rated it:
Wonderful. A must-read for anyone who loves international YA fic or has any interest in soccer or what's going on in Zimbabwe & ethnic cleansing in South Africa. This book was very brave-- addressing some really scary things that are happening in that part of the world. It was in simple teen-appropriate language but not dumbed down at all.
One of my favorite aspects was the way kids with disabilities were featured in the book and their participation in sports. They were valuable members More...
One of my favorite aspects was the way kids with disabilities were featured in the book and their participation in sports. They were valuable members More...
Dec 21, 2011
Lindsay
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 21, 2011
Allie
rated it:
Now Is the Time for Running!
I gave my book Now Is the Time for Running 5 stars, because I absolutely loved it! It wasn’t just the fact that it was about soccer but it’s over all moral and they way it was set up. When I started reading it, it was probably the worst thing I had read, not because it was a bad book or boring but it talked about Africa and its Dictator/President. He was killing people like they meant nothing. I hated it but, as you get farther into the book it became a g More...
I gave my book Now Is the Time for Running 5 stars, because I absolutely loved it! It wasn’t just the fact that it was about soccer but it’s over all moral and they way it was set up. When I started reading it, it was probably the worst thing I had read, not because it was a bad book or boring but it talked about Africa and its Dictator/President. He was killing people like they meant nothing. I hated it but, as you get farther into the book it became a g More...
Jun 27, 2011
Heather
rated it:
Review of an advance copy:
I didn't intend to read this one. I accidentally clicked this title on netGalley, intending to request the one below it. I am rather glad about that mistake. This book really opened my eyes. The whole time I was reading the book I was saying to myself I can't believe this could happen in the modern world. This story is so full of extremes. There are good people who will give you everything they've got and there are plenty of others who would steal everything you h More...
I didn't intend to read this one. I accidentally clicked this title on netGalley, intending to request the one below it. I am rather glad about that mistake. This book really opened my eyes. The whole time I was reading the book I was saying to myself I can't believe this could happen in the modern world. This story is so full of extremes. There are good people who will give you everything they've got and there are plenty of others who would steal everything you h More...
Mar 18, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Now Is the Time for Running by Michael Willams, follows Deo a young boy who is forced to leave his home in Zimbabwe after his family is killed in political violence. Deo is out playing soccer with his friends and his older mentally challenged brother Innocent when soldiers roll into town. They abuse his brother and then kill everyone in his town while Deo is trying to save his brother. Deo and Innocent escape and through the help of friends and strangers they escape and cross the border into
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Sep 15, 2011
Patricia
rated it:
Timely story of the political brutality in southern Africa & the plight of children & teens who have lost their families to war. Two brothers try to make their way from Zimbabwe to South Africa, hoping to find a father they have never known. Soccer games for homeless youth help the younger brother to improve his life & focus on something other than the horrible things that have left him alone & homeless.
Aug 29, 2011
Hal
rated it:
I am always intrigued by stories from Africa. How, amid the heartache and unrest, the determination of the survivors goes beyond anything I can comprehend. This story is raw and real. Based on true events, the author portrays the true hardship and suffering of refugees in South Africa. Deo is a young teen, ripped from his home and forced to flee from one hardship to another. He is given too much responsibility, becoming the only caregiver for his mentally challenged brother. The author use
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Feb 22, 2012
Arthur
rated it:
25 year-old Innocent is the big brother but 15-year-old Deo has always been expected to take care of him because Innocent is "different".
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