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A review by thecafeconlecheproject
Running by Natalia Sylvester
4.0
I awoke to some tragic news Thursday morning & amidst all of the commotion that immediately ensured i did the only thing I’ve ever known to do when I don’t know how to even begin to process my emotions, I read.
I want to thank Natalia Sylvester & NetGalley for providing me with this eARC & for the much needed opportunity to be able to begin to decompress, process, & for the beautiful memories.
When I saw this book cover a while back I remember thinking - Latinas, politics, & family drama - what could be more *me*? (& while yes, it does have all of these things, I was blown away by the direction that she posited with these matters). Picture your usually coming of age story with strong familial ties, now picture it honing in on the overall well-being & character development of Mari - our first born, (come on, I know all my first born Latinx friends will understand the magnitude of what I’m implying by this) Latina daughter of a temperamental father thats running for a seat in the Oval Office.
I want to highlight what stood out to me the most & thats something that I don’t see done quite often as well as Natalia was able to execute it - & that is the fact that she truly gives the young characters she writes about a *voice*. I cant tell you how empowering it felt to read about these kids learning to find their voices, learning to stand up for themselves, & learning what & to whom their willing to stand up against, no matter the outcome.
As a young Latina woman, I know how daunting it can feel to have differing ideas, opinions, etc & how much harder it can be to voice said opinions in an environment that isn’t as receptive to change. Reading this book felt like a lyrical power move against those systems used to oppress us. So while yes, this is a book about politics, in a more traditional sense, this is a book about discovering what you’re willing to fight for.
I want to thank Natalia Sylvester & NetGalley for providing me with this eARC & for the much needed opportunity to be able to begin to decompress, process, & for the beautiful memories.
When I saw this book cover a while back I remember thinking - Latinas, politics, & family drama - what could be more *me*? (& while yes, it does have all of these things, I was blown away by the direction that she posited with these matters). Picture your usually coming of age story with strong familial ties, now picture it honing in on the overall well-being & character development of Mari - our first born, (come on, I know all my first born Latinx friends will understand the magnitude of what I’m implying by this) Latina daughter of a temperamental father thats running for a seat in the Oval Office.
I want to highlight what stood out to me the most & thats something that I don’t see done quite often as well as Natalia was able to execute it - & that is the fact that she truly gives the young characters she writes about a *voice*. I cant tell you how empowering it felt to read about these kids learning to find their voices, learning to stand up for themselves, & learning what & to whom their willing to stand up against, no matter the outcome.
As a young Latina woman, I know how daunting it can feel to have differing ideas, opinions, etc & how much harder it can be to voice said opinions in an environment that isn’t as receptive to change. Reading this book felt like a lyrical power move against those systems used to oppress us. So while yes, this is a book about politics, in a more traditional sense, this is a book about discovering what you’re willing to fight for.