Second Wind

by Kate Fagan

Deena Jackson's world has come crashing down. Just before her senior year of high school, her father is diagnosed with cancer. Deena has always been a shy, quiet girl, unnoticed by her high school classmates. But something changes as she watches her dad struggle. She puts on a pair of sneakers her dad had gotten her the year before and she goes outside to run. Then, aided by her dad's belief in her, Deena sets out to make the high school cross-country team. What she doesn't know is how difficult, and how inspiring, her journey of self-discovery will become.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Kate Fagan is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run, which was a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for literary sports writing. She is also the author of three additional nonfiction titles, a former professional basketball player, and spent seven years as a journalist at ESPN. Kate currently lives in Charleston with her wife, Kathryn Budig, and their dog, Ragnar.

Reviews

[Vincent Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was gut-wrenchingly powerful, mixing joy and sorrow in a sundae of mixed emotions. you feel her joy as she's on par with the school's Track captain, even though she never ran beforehand. as her track skills rose, her dad's health was slowly being ripped away by cancer similar to a chainsaw on full blast. imagine losing a parent in your 40s per se. it's hard, yes, but it'll be less brutal thanks to them likely dealing with tragedies before. say the same thing happens when you're eight or even seventeen years old, and it'll wreck your life for a very long time.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a runner, an injury prevented me from perusing that avenue just when I was beginning to start. I found this book inspiring, none the less. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read and I will be passing it around to my children to read. I hope that it,in some way helps them.

[Erin Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second wind

Quick and easy read will bring tears to your eyes. Great story for runners of all kinds! Very well written.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

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