Run for Your Life

by Marilyn Levy

Thirteen-year-old Kisha gains confidence and makes new friends when she joins a recreation community track team, but she must face and eventually overcome the grim realities of her life when she trains for a national track meet

Genres: Young Adult

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Krystyn Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Run for Your Life by Marilyn Levy, I found this book to be really interesting and powerful at the same time probably because this book is based on a true story. The book is full of drama. This book has a lot of good vibes and bad ones. The person to read this kind of book is an understanding person and caring person. A positive person no matter what the situation is. The characters overcome stressful things and leaps for victories I would highly suggest this book to anyone with stressful lives and people that love drama. One of the themes I learned from was focus, purpose, and forgiveness can change a life. To take a bad situation and turned it into a positive one is inspirational. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to be a victim, very similar things in this book happen to me but I accepted and forgave the people in my life and moved on and is focused on school and found things that make me happy. My dream is to go to college for law and medical and earn a Ph.D. I would be the first in my family to do so. This theme is about moving on and getting your life back in order. Don’t let things that happen stop you from being successful. Don’t use a bad situation be an excuse because people are going to feel bad for you only for a minute. There is always going to be one person in your life who pushes you to be the best you can be whether it’s your mom or teacher. You’re going to have people routing for you and people hating on you. This goes for young people as well it’s just not the older people who go through stuff like this everyone does. So don’t think you’re the only one and let that stop you, let that motivate you. Without forgiveness you could never move on to big and better things in life it holds you up from greater opportunities thrown at you. I’ve never read a book so moving and interesting out all the books I read. This book could save lives and relationships. If I ever forget or have a problem on forgiving and moving on this would be the book ill read all over again. The tone of this story is sad, uplifting, and motivational. Sometimes this story leaves you anxious because things happen and you just want to see what the next move is or what it should be. But everything works out for the best in the end. Read this book!

[Yeury · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think its a great book. i really like it because its about a tru story and specially because is about track and field

[Amanda Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of my FAVORITE 7th grade reads! I still remember sitting in the car while my mom went to shop, just to finish this book. Tried reading it again as an adult & I’m very uninterested. But I remember it being very good as a pre-teen.

[Lizzy Hore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy, meaningful read.

[83fabulous]

Run for Your Life by Marilyn Levy is a book about friendship, family, and life.It really shows what some girls in the hood go through and ow they do have a chance to make it out.

Kisha is the main chacracter in this book. She seems like one of the nice girls that come out the hood, good parents, not out doing bad, and typically she is but she faces many hardships. For the most part it seems like her life is going well she on a track team, made new friends, and having a great time. Only thing wrong is her best friends acting funny and her unemployed father is getting worse everyday.

While preparing sor her second track meet Kisha hits a hara time with her parents. Not wanting to leave her little brother Kisha has to do what she has to do to get her life back together. She doesn't really know what to do but she will figure out sometimes you have to Run for Your Life.

[Sahar · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book Run For Your Life a girl named Kisha is going to troubles in her life and her parents aren't getting along. Once her friend Natonia says the community center is opening up a track team. Kisha never thought she would be a athlete but once she starts running she starts to get good and is learning each day and getting better. Once she starts to get into running she starts to learn to run for her life she gets into crime and drugs and runs so track is helping her in her crime. I liked the book but it wasn't the best book i had ever read i just think it was good. I liked the style and genre but i felt that it could've been a stronger story because most of the story never talked about the conflict and once it did the book had ended and it wasn't really the best book but it was a good book.

[Ahmad Barakat]

The book Run For Your Life by Marilyn Levy showed a different character from the beginning of the book, and the end of the book. Thirteen-year-old Kisha was a normal African American living in an Oakland house with her parents and little brother. Her best friend Natonia knows the streets and what goes on while Kisha is not very knowledgeable about it. Darrell, the new director of the community center, starts a track team for the girls in her neighborhood. Kisha, Natonia and some other girls from their school join as well in a journey till the very end. The author shows friendships and bonds as a big role in creating an emotional novel that describes the life of a struggling girl based on a true story

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not the target audience for this book but my students are. For them, I read the book and immediately realized this is a book I'll have to booktalk for them.

I really liked the analogy that addiction and poverty are forms of slavery. Fortunately, those are chains which can be cast off if the person is willing to work for it.

Due to cussing and other adult themes (teen pregnancy, drug abuse, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, and family molestation), I'll be putting this book on my "mature" bookshelf. However, I think some of my students will strongly empathize with Kisha.

[Mya Richter-Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I feel as if this book should be rated mature though. There is a lot of really triggering topics (family molestation, teen pregnancy, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse etc.). This book really shows a lot of courage, and getting up when you are down. There is a lot of girl power and I really love that! I run track myself and I honestly saw this book to be relatable. The track makes you forget all of your problems and running really makes you feel better about yourself. I give this book a 6/5 stars just because I love it so much!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the first real books I ever read on my own. When I checked it out from the library it quickly captured my attention. The struggles of Kisha's home life was something I have never experienced on my own. I would definitely recommend this book to any young girl. It really opens your eyes as you begin to see things from the main character's point of view. This book is amazing.

[Nakia]

I think that life was hard for her and she had to make a lot of choices and her mind her life was seeming to be upside down for her and Darrell and the rest of her family and friends that are in the book with her . Like her mother and her mother friends house that her mother always at Deandre and the boy Tyrone .

[Kenneth]

i think this book has a great connection to the world because it talks about the kids having a real track team and running in competitions.