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deedireads's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Written by the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, Choosing to Run is exactly what I love in a memoir. It was engaging, taught me something new, and made my world a little bigger.
For you if: You love a good comeback or underdog story, and especially if you enjoy running.
FULL REVIEW:
Des Linden won the Boston Marathon in 2018, in the worst weather conditions imaginable. She was also the first American woman to win in more than 30 years. Choosing to Run is her memoir, and it’s a damn good one.
In the book, Des gives a linear account of her professional running career’s beginnings, ups, and downs, with progressive snippets of the big race interspersed throughout. I loved this structure; it took a good memoir and gave it the momentum to make it great. We hear about how she fell in love with the sport, her sputtering start as a pro, several injuries and a chronic illness, and finally, how she started that Boston race not even sure she’d finish — and even decided to drop out mid-race before realizing she had it in her to not only finish but actually win.
My favorite kind of memoir is one by someone who feels like a regular person, someone you could get a beer with, who just so happens to have an incredible story (or find meaning in a normal life). Here, Des has done both. Her memoir made my world a little bigger — in fact, reading it inspired me to become a fan of women’s professional running, and I subscribed to the Fast Women newsletter.
I’d recommend this to not just anyone who’s run so much as a 5K, but also anyone who loves a good memoir, who lives a comeback or underdog story!
TL;DR REVIEW:
Written by the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, Choosing to Run is exactly what I love in a memoir. It was engaging, taught me something new, and made my world a little bigger.
For you if: You love a good comeback or underdog story, and especially if you enjoy running.
FULL REVIEW:
Des Linden won the Boston Marathon in 2018, in the worst weather conditions imaginable. She was also the first American woman to win in more than 30 years. Choosing to Run is her memoir, and it’s a damn good one.
In the book, Des gives a linear account of her professional running career’s beginnings, ups, and downs, with progressive snippets of the big race interspersed throughout. I loved this structure; it took a good memoir and gave it the momentum to make it great. We hear about how she fell in love with the sport, her sputtering start as a pro, several injuries and a chronic illness, and finally, how she started that Boston race not even sure she’d finish — and even decided to drop out mid-race before realizing she had it in her to not only finish but actually win.
My favorite kind of memoir is one by someone who feels like a regular person, someone you could get a beer with, who just so happens to have an incredible story (or find meaning in a normal life). Here, Des has done both. Her memoir made my world a little bigger — in fact, reading it inspired me to become a fan of women’s professional running, and I subscribed to the Fast Women newsletter.
I’d recommend this to not just anyone who’s run so much as a 5K, but also anyone who loves a good memoir, who lives a comeback or underdog story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Medical content