whatchareadingheather's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
This was super interesting in the sense of getting to learn about the PDJ race and the physical aspects regarding taking part it, and I thought this book worked perfectly as an audiobook as the narrator gave it a bit of a cinematic feel.
norab23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
3.0
Spirit Run // by Noe Alvarez
This is a title that I have been looking forward to for a while but am now struggling to organize my thoughts about. The blurb had me excited about learning about immigration and the First Nations/Native American movement from a new angle, connecting with the land through running. The beginning of the book was very much like I expected: We learn about his experiences in the work force and about his family with a lot of focus on his parents. I learned a lot about the industry and inhumane practices, about the poverty that so many immigrants struggle with and the unfair treatment of them by the citizens of a country that would not exist were it not for the many immigrants of the past and the present.
But the deeper I got into the story, the more I struggled with it. I found myself taking a lot of breaks from it and dreading coming back to it. The group of runners was not what I expected at all, especially with the name Peace and Dignity Journey. I loved learning about their rituals and thoughts of connecting with the land, but peace and dignity seemed far from their reality within the group itself. I also started to miss the deep reflections that I enjoyed at the beginning of the book when he spoke about the issues in society and with immigration. I do appreciate how personal he got about describing the way hunger, thirst and pain drove everybody to their limits, but at numerous times, that suffering just felt unnecessary when looking at it from the outside; the consequences of petty and immature behavior sometimes.
This might be an issue about incorrect expectations, but I was honestly expecting a book that would be inspirational and maybe even show us a way forward, but instead it was mostly depressing and I never really felt a sense of closure. Alvarez told us about the multiple degrees he completed after finishing the run, but I did not really see the point of getting those and spending hard earned money on them since it seems like he did not actually use them to his advantage. I do hope we get to hear more from him in the future and see where this experience takes him.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a title that I have been looking forward to for a while but am now struggling to organize my thoughts about. The blurb had me excited about learning about immigration and the First Nations/Native American movement from a new angle, connecting with the land through running. The beginning of the book was very much like I expected: We learn about his experiences in the work force and about his family with a lot of focus on his parents. I learned a lot about the industry and inhumane practices, about the poverty that so many immigrants struggle with and the unfair treatment of them by the citizens of a country that would not exist were it not for the many immigrants of the past and the present.
But the deeper I got into the story, the more I struggled with it. I found myself taking a lot of breaks from it and dreading coming back to it. The group of runners was not what I expected at all, especially with the name Peace and Dignity Journey. I loved learning about their rituals and thoughts of connecting with the land, but peace and dignity seemed far from their reality within the group itself. I also started to miss the deep reflections that I enjoyed at the beginning of the book when he spoke about the issues in society and with immigration. I do appreciate how personal he got about describing the way hunger, thirst and pain drove everybody to their limits, but at numerous times, that suffering just felt unnecessary when looking at it from the outside; the consequences of petty and immature behavior sometimes.
This might be an issue about incorrect expectations, but I was honestly expecting a book that would be inspirational and maybe even show us a way forward, but instead it was mostly depressing and I never really felt a sense of closure. Alvarez told us about the multiple degrees he completed after finishing the run, but I did not really see the point of getting those and spending hard earned money on them since it seems like he did not actually use them to his advantage. I do hope we get to hear more from him in the future and see where this experience takes him.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
sefanya's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
Memoirs are hard to rate because assigning someone's life story a score seems wrong, but I gave this a 5 for a few reasons.
This book must have been hard to write. Aside from the act of writing and publishing a book, which in itself is no small feat, the author clearly spent a lot of time soul-searching, listening, reflecting, and working on this story.
Existing is hard as is, but the fact that they runners (who had all survived incredible hardships prior to the run) rejected despair and channeled their emotions into something bigger than themselves is commendable.
As if that wasn't enough, there were still physical, mental, social, and emotional aspects of the run that they had to deal with (in-fighting, physical assault, racism, dehydration, swollen knees, etc.). The things they accomplished were unfathomable to me, who would've quit on Day 1 (or never signed up at all). Their resilience was, for a lack of better word, inspiring.
I also found the philosophy behind the run and symbolism + explanation of the cultures fascinating. I loved learning about the author's historical and familial background, and what this run meant for them as an indigenous Mexican-American. Reclaiming one's roots, and then writing about it, is such an arduous journey. This book is truly eye-opening!
This book must have been hard to write. Aside from the act of writing and publishing a book, which in itself is no small feat, the author clearly spent a lot of time soul-searching, listening, reflecting, and working on this story.
Existing is hard as is, but the fact that they runners (who had all survived incredible hardships prior to the run) rejected despair and channeled their emotions into something bigger than themselves is commendable.
As if that wasn't enough, there were still physical, mental, social, and emotional aspects of the run that they had to deal with (in-fighting, physical assault, racism, dehydration, swollen knees, etc.). The things they accomplished were unfathomable to me, who would've quit on Day 1 (or never signed up at all). Their resilience was, for a lack of better word, inspiring.
I also found the philosophy behind the run and symbolism + explanation of the cultures fascinating. I loved learning about the author's historical and familial background, and what this run meant for them as an indigenous Mexican-American. Reclaiming one's roots, and then writing about it, is such an arduous journey. This book is truly eye-opening!
lindseygwilson's review against another edition
2.0
As a runner, I wanted to hear more about this incredible journey. As an American interested in learning more about the peoples native to this land I live in, I was hoping to gain