Review: Running

I’m super excited to share my review of Running by Natalia Sylvester. I LOVED this book and I’m so happy that its out for the world to read tomorrow!

Synopsis

When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz’s father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes. A novel about waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero—while the whole country is watching.

In this thoughtful, authentic, humorous, and gorgeously written novel about privacy, waking up, and speaking up, Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter’s vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family, from a 60 Minutes–style tour of their house to tabloids doctoring photos and inventing scandals. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father’s political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.

But how do you find your voice when everyone’s watching? When it means disagreeing with your father—publicly? What do you do when your dad stops being your hero? Will Mari get a chance to confront her father? If she does, will she have the courage to seize it?

Why Did I choose to read this book

When I saw that this book was coming out this year I knew I had to read it! It is written by a latinx author and it seemed like a very timely book based on the description. I wanted to see what the author did with this latinx family running for the presidency.

Rating

5 Stars (An Absolutely Amazing Book!) I think this may be the first YA book I give 5 stars to.

My Thoughts

I don’t read a lot of YA but I absolutely adored this book! This is a coming of age story centered around having an opinion and politics. It is a very timely depiction of our current political climate in America and the role social media and journalism play in elections. It is an empowering and powerful story about having a voice and realizing that not having a vote is not equivalent to being helpless.

This is a book I wish I read when I was in high school. The main character Mari is amazing and I enjoyed her character development throughout the story. It was so powerful to see her stand up for injustice and it gave me hope for the future. This is the kind of stories we need right now. It is an important reminder that we have a voice and we should stand up for what we believe in.

The book made me think a lot about elections and the current political climate. I asked myself: Why are we so obsessed with the politicians personal lives? Are we voting for what we like about their personal lives, their perception or for their policies? Not only for higher positions like president and governor but also for local offices that have a huge impact in policy making.

As a latina I loved the Spanish words sprinkled throughout the book, the foods mentioned and even the struggles some of the characters faced as latinx. I think I could see a little of myself as a teenager in Mari and that is why the book hit home for me.

I am officially a Natalia Sylvester fan and I’m looking forward to reading more from her. I’ve heard great things about Everyone knows you go home.

Content Warnings

Bullying, invasion of privacy, some derogatory comments

Who I recommend this book to

Even if you don’t read a lot of YA I think you’d enjoy this book. I think anyone can enjoy this one.

Get the book!

Did I convince you to read this book? Running comes out TOMORROW July 14, 2020. You can get it from Bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.