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Better Together: A Memoir of Persistence, Inclusion, and a Family's Power to Overcome
When parents Nichole and Shaun Evans are informed that their one-year-old son, Shamus, has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, the growing family refuses to let it limit them. They do whatever is necessary to help Shamus participate in everything he wants to try. One of those things is a passion for running. As soon as he is able to safely sit in a jogging stroller, Shamus rolls with dad as Shaun trains with Olympic dreams in his heart. A series of injuries and subsequent surgeries provide setbacks to Shaun’s athletic career, but then Shamus presents the family with a goal that would inspire them a run across America! His dream is to roll from coast to coast in his running chair while promoting inclusion by donating such chairs to kids along the way. The Evans family then teams up with the not-for-profit organization Ainsley’s Angels of America to make Shamus’s BIG dream a reality. Better Together recounts the family’s 3,205 mile journey across the continental United States, including moments of hardships, happiness, and surprises. Shaun finds both his motivation and his stride in knowing that stiff, sore, and cramped legs are a daily occurrence for his son. With Nichole and Simon’s unwavering support as pit crew, the hospitality of Americans en route, and Shamus’s optimism leading the way, the family demonstrates how anything is possible and accomplishments are so much better when they are achieved together!
- GenresNonfiction
312 pages, Hardcover
Published June 6, 2022
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 10, 2022
I may be a bit partial to this book being the author's son, but "Better Together" by Shaun Evans is five stars. It is full of emotion and heartfelt memories that will inspire (and maybe bring a tear to) anyone who reads it. This book is a memoir of Shaun Evans, from his upbringing, his very impressive college years, his Olympic dreams, and his family running across America. Anyone who reads this book will thoroughly enjoy it.
There are many reasons I enjoyed reading this book. The first being the use of imagery. Evans uses many descriptive words to describe multiple injuries, the joy he felt while running, and maybe a little too much detail when talking about what his urine looked like after running 50 miles on one day. Another reason I like this book is the use of motivational quotes before each part and how they connected to them. For example one of the quotes is "We may not have it all together but together we have it all"(Unknown). Evans then applied the chapter to this by talking about how Murphy's Law completely threw off our running plans for the entire day but in the end our family was together and laughing about the mishaps we had.
The book "Better Together" by Shaun Evans was very heartwarming. Anyone who reads this will feel motivated and may even give running a try. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a book that can make you cry tears of joy. I hope there are more to come.
There are many reasons I enjoyed reading this book. The first being the use of imagery. Evans uses many descriptive words to describe multiple injuries, the joy he felt while running, and maybe a little too much detail when talking about what his urine looked like after running 50 miles on one day. Another reason I like this book is the use of motivational quotes before each part and how they connected to them. For example one of the quotes is "We may not have it all together but together we have it all"(Unknown). Evans then applied the chapter to this by talking about how Murphy's Law completely threw off our running plans for the entire day but in the end our family was together and laughing about the mishaps we had.
The book "Better Together" by Shaun Evans was very heartwarming. Anyone who reads this will feel motivated and may even give running a try. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a book that can make you cry tears of joy. I hope there are more to come.
August 28, 2022
This is a story about my incredible son and his incredible family. A story about love, inclusion and tenacity. It will touch your heart and maybe make you a little better person. Curl up in your favorite chair and have a read. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you won't be able to put it down❤
June 11, 2022
The memoir Better Together by Shaun Evans takes you on a heartfelt and motivating journey through his life. From Shaun’s fourth grade field day, his upbringing, and academic career, to experiences as a runner, raising his two sons (Shamus and Simon) with wife Nichole, and how he and his family were able to run across the country in the Summer of 2015, Better Together has it all. This journey tells you that with hard work, dreaming big, and working together, anything is possible. Throughout his writing and sharing his life experience Shaun teaches us that although there are many doubters in the world, you have to focus on the good things that are surrounding you (even though they may be hidden). Anyone who reads this book will learn many great lessons such as how far your dreams can go and how together, you can do anything. Overall I think that Better Together was a great book.
I chose to give the memoir Better Together the overall rating that I did because in my mind, this book was great. It had a perfect ratio of Shaun’s childhood, family life, running career, and the renowned Power to Push: Run Across America. This book was very well written and every chapter in the book had you rooting for Shaun. Some of my favorite chapters from this book were during the Evans family’s mission to run across America. Specifically the parts where running chariots were donated to other kids who could not run themselves stood out to me. Shaun was able to capture the magic of these very heartwarming moments perfectly. One example of this is when the Evans family made an impromptu chair donation to a young boy named Lucas. Evans wrote “Lucas’ face lit up when he saw the chair, and I asked if he wanted to go for a ride---provided it was okay with his mom. A few minutes later, I was transferring Shamus into his wheelchair and loading Lucas into our ‘racing wheels.’ His squeals of glee propelled my tired legs. The grounds had a pond with a paved path encircling it, so I took Lucas around the half-mile track again and again as he shouted, ‘Faster, faster!’ ” (Evans 268) I really feel like Shaun was able to describe the joy that chair donations brought to him and the recipient of the running chariot perfectly. I appreciate the way that Shaun was able to share these wonderful moments with the readers in the way that he did.
Overall, I think that Better Together was a great book. I would recommend this book to everyone of all ages. The book contains great lessons that everyone can learn from and has a great and intriguing story. When reading this book, nothing was boring and every chapter was heartfelt and inspiring. I would highly recommend reading the memoir Better Together by Shaun Evans.
I chose to give the memoir Better Together the overall rating that I did because in my mind, this book was great. It had a perfect ratio of Shaun’s childhood, family life, running career, and the renowned Power to Push: Run Across America. This book was very well written and every chapter in the book had you rooting for Shaun. Some of my favorite chapters from this book were during the Evans family’s mission to run across America. Specifically the parts where running chariots were donated to other kids who could not run themselves stood out to me. Shaun was able to capture the magic of these very heartwarming moments perfectly. One example of this is when the Evans family made an impromptu chair donation to a young boy named Lucas. Evans wrote “Lucas’ face lit up when he saw the chair, and I asked if he wanted to go for a ride---provided it was okay with his mom. A few minutes later, I was transferring Shamus into his wheelchair and loading Lucas into our ‘racing wheels.’ His squeals of glee propelled my tired legs. The grounds had a pond with a paved path encircling it, so I took Lucas around the half-mile track again and again as he shouted, ‘Faster, faster!’ ” (Evans 268) I really feel like Shaun was able to describe the joy that chair donations brought to him and the recipient of the running chariot perfectly. I appreciate the way that Shaun was able to share these wonderful moments with the readers in the way that he did.
Overall, I think that Better Together was a great book. I would recommend this book to everyone of all ages. The book contains great lessons that everyone can learn from and has a great and intriguing story. When reading this book, nothing was boring and every chapter was heartfelt and inspiring. I would highly recommend reading the memoir Better Together by Shaun Evans.
September 2, 2022
I read this book in less than 24 hours. I picked it up after my kids went to bed and found myself reading past my bedtime, then gladly reading through a long wait at the mechanic's the next morning. Better Together was utterly engrossing to me, and I can forgive it for causing me to cry in public.
The book is a moving portrait of Shaun's exuberant childhood energy and how his father harnessed it into athleticism, allowing Shaun to ultimately discover running. Eventually, Shaun allows himself to dream about--and train for--Olympic trials. However, he ultimately finds the real win in running as a father.
Shaun runs with his first baby, Shamus, and with his second, Simon. When he is a year old, Shamus is officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Around the time he is 7, the family realizes he has outgrown his jogging stroller, and search for an adaptive running chair so that Shamus can continue spending this precious time with his father.
Shaun runs with Shamus in an ultramarathon, which inspires Shamus to suggest that they run together across America. From the mouth of babes, huh? While Shaun and his wife, Nichole, initially brush this off as a child's idle suggestion, a true spark has been ignited, which quickly bursts into a firestorm of planning, organizing, and training as the family makes Shamus's dream come true. They partner with an organization, Ainsley's Angels, and dedicate a summer to running across America, coast to coast, donating adaptive running chariots along the way to other families.
This is an incredibly moving story. Shaun's love for his family shines through in every description, and their shared dream project is inspiring. I lost count of how many times I choked up or outright cried (yes, even at the mechanic). I think this is exactly the kind of true story many of us need right now. Shaun is an engaging storyteller, and you feel like you're in a moment with a friend, living the scene, as he writes.
The book is a moving portrait of Shaun's exuberant childhood energy and how his father harnessed it into athleticism, allowing Shaun to ultimately discover running. Eventually, Shaun allows himself to dream about--and train for--Olympic trials. However, he ultimately finds the real win in running as a father.
Shaun runs with his first baby, Shamus, and with his second, Simon. When he is a year old, Shamus is officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Around the time he is 7, the family realizes he has outgrown his jogging stroller, and search for an adaptive running chair so that Shamus can continue spending this precious time with his father.
Shaun runs with Shamus in an ultramarathon, which inspires Shamus to suggest that they run together across America. From the mouth of babes, huh? While Shaun and his wife, Nichole, initially brush this off as a child's idle suggestion, a true spark has been ignited, which quickly bursts into a firestorm of planning, organizing, and training as the family makes Shamus's dream come true. They partner with an organization, Ainsley's Angels, and dedicate a summer to running across America, coast to coast, donating adaptive running chariots along the way to other families.
This is an incredibly moving story. Shaun's love for his family shines through in every description, and their shared dream project is inspiring. I lost count of how many times I choked up or outright cried (yes, even at the mechanic). I think this is exactly the kind of true story many of us need right now. Shaun is an engaging storyteller, and you feel like you're in a moment with a friend, living the scene, as he writes.
August 30, 2022
A great read.
Following along Shaun’s life was one thing, but reading about the cohesiveness of family was the best as well as how inclusion is so important for any child with special needs.
This young man, Shamus, is the motivation for not only the run across America but also down the Mississippi. Yes, I said run: follow Shaun as he pushes his son in a special running chair while his wife and son Simon take care of Shaun’s needs: hydrated, snacked up and those feet that were running.
To read how Nicole maneuvers the motor home towing a trailer full of special chairs to gift (and you get to “join” them as they gift them).
A few laughs and a few tears will be shed reading this book.
Following along Shaun’s life was one thing, but reading about the cohesiveness of family was the best as well as how inclusion is so important for any child with special needs.
This young man, Shamus, is the motivation for not only the run across America but also down the Mississippi. Yes, I said run: follow Shaun as he pushes his son in a special running chair while his wife and son Simon take care of Shaun’s needs: hydrated, snacked up and those feet that were running.
To read how Nicole maneuvers the motor home towing a trailer full of special chairs to gift (and you get to “join” them as they gift them).
A few laughs and a few tears will be shed reading this book.
February 18, 2024
This book is a MUST READ! The Evans family delivers a beautiful story of inspiration, love, and pure determination to overcome challenges in delivering their message of inclusion and bringing Shamus’ dream into life. Thank you for sharing your story ❤️
June 12, 2024
‘Better Together’ is the perfect title for this book. The support and love that they have for each other is undeniable. Sharing their journey cross country with them makes you feel as if you tagged along. Thanks for including us in your story, Shaun. Looking forward to your next book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews