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Ladarius

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Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games

by Lopez Lomong

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Ladarius said: " When my teacher asked us to pick out our independent reading book, Running For My Life, an autobiography by Lopez Lomong, caught my attention because the review on the back of the book talked about a boy who wanted to go to the Olympics to run track. When my teacher asked us to pick out our independent reading book, Running For My Life, an autobiography by Lopez Lomong, caught my attention because the review on the back of the book talked about a boy who wanted to go to the Olympics to run track. Only this guy was from South Sudan. I wasn’t disappointed in his story. It was powerful and inspiring.
Lopez Lomong was a boy who came from poverty, was uneducated, was separated from his family at a young age and grew up in a refugee camp. Yet, he became a role model for kids like me. Through all his hardships and trials, Lopez knew God had a plan for his life. After seeing Michael Johnson run in the Olympics on TV, Lopez said, “God Himself had brought me to Kakuma. I always thought He must have had a reason for bringing me here. Now I had it. Now I knew where my destiny lay. Michael Johnson opened a wider world to me. By God’s grace, I would get there” ( Lomong 57). I was surprised by the fact that, except for the rebels, all the people in his life encouraged Lopez to follow his dream of going to the Olympics. That was inspiring to me. Reading Lopez’s story makes me wonder why anyone would think life isn’t fair when his story proves you can do anything you set your mind to and work hard to achieve it.
The book is not only interesting to read but an easy read also. The story flowed and the author used vocabulary that is familiar. Not only did Lopez paint a good picture of things that happened to him with his words, but he also included actual pictures of major events in his life. That made his story come to life even more. He used powerful lines a lot throughout the story. “I did not know it at the time, but my childhood just ended. I was six years old” (Lomong 2). There is a lot of emotion in those words. Everybody deserves a childhood.
Overall, Running for My Life is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a book worth reading to learn the story of one person’s life that gives the message that no matter where you come from, what race you are, what gender you are or how much money you have, you can still do what you want to do. I’m looking forward to seeing Lopez run in the next Olympics... ...more "

Oct 21, 2019 11:00AM · see review