Now is the Time for Running

Product Information

It is no proper soccer ball. It is a pouch of cow-leather patches sewn together with twine, stuffed with tightly rolled plastic. Williams, a renowned dramatist, gives readers compelling characters and, in simple language, delivers a complicated story rooted—sadly and upliftingly—in very real events. After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. Fifteen-year-old Deo lives with his amai (mother), grandfather (Grandpa Longdrop), and older brother, Innocent. Innocent is 25, but he is ‘different’. His impairment is never specified, but it hardly matters. Deo looks out for his big brother.

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However, I am glad this book was written because the issues discussed are so very real and relevant. I haven't previously read a book about xenophobia or the problems in Zimbabwe, so it was very interesting & enlightening to read about them in here. I applaud the author for bringing them to light and making the struggles of so many people known. This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.Deo is tough. He cares for his older brother with the patience and love of a mother, he has grown up in poverty pursuing his dream using a rolled up pile of garbage as a soccorball. He is not a stranger to living life the hard way. But when his hard but peaceful life is shattered in minutes and all he is left with is his older brother is he tough enough? A long harrowing journey brings him to a place to pursue his dream but first he must heal and learn what it is to be a member of a team, a member of the world. Like the companion book Diamond Boy, this story doesn’t make a superhuman hero of a teenaged boy, but tells his story in real terms. Deo can’t do it all himself. His only real skill is playing soccer and his only sense of purpose, his devotion to his brother. Holding trauma and despair under his surface so he can survive and take care of Innocent, he needs help from adults who care. After some grim moments, the boys were left with no food or money, and Deo ended up on the streets. He was then recognized for his talent at a soccer game by a scout, and is provided with information to join a team of homeless kids who are given food and shelter, and train to compete in a large soccer tournament. This gave Deo hope, and eventually changed his entire life for the better.

Now is The Time For Running by Liam Rathbun - Prezi Now is The Time For Running by Liam Rathbun - Prezi

This one comes highly recommended by Bookbag. It's easy to read but tremendously affecting. And it talks about important issues - Zimbabwe matters, but Now is the Time for Running has something to say about how we treat refugees taken in by this country, too. The situation between Deo’s village and these soldiers soon escalates and Deo and Innocent suddenly find themselves running for their lives.Then again, there are many issues. Though exciting, the plot is very loose, leaving a lot of plot holes open. The writing was one of the dullest I've ever read, using the simplest sentences possible. And the characters were so irritatingly flat. The entire book, Deo was only about protecting Innocent and at some points that felt like his singular character trait. Which was VERY annoying.

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It’s clear that circumstances are dire for Deo and his family. When soldiers roll into their village and demand that the villagers bring them their food, Deo thinks “Does he not know we have nothing, that there is no food here?” At the beginning of the story, Deo, a fourteen-year-old Zimbabwean boy, has not seen much of the world. He plays soccer with his friends. He keeps an eye on his very special older brother Innocent, a sweet but damaged young man who suffered a brain injury at birth. Innocent is one of the most irresistible characters I’ve ever come across. Deo is understandably dedicated to him. The relationship between the brothers is the jewel at the center of this plot. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Now is the Time for Running has a three-part structure. Act I shows the horrors of the Zimbabwean regime and sees Deo and Innocent flee to South Africa. Act II covers the reception refugees are given in a country with problems of its own. Act III is all about healing and paths forward. And the whole thing, rather beautifully, begins and ends with football - if there is one thing that connects boys in almost every country and can break down barriers, football is it. Based on true events that occurred in 2008 this gripping novel will keep you awake till you finish it. This was another 2 hour book that I couldn't put down. Definitely one of the best books I read in 2011.Now is the Time for Running follows Deo and Innocent as they try to make their way to the relative safety of South Africa, where they think their father is currently living and working. It is a perilous journey and it is difficult to know who to trust. Deo is an engaging and sympathetic narrator and you will want to know that he and Innocent arrive safely, but safety is a rare commodity. They are led astray by one of their fellow farmworkers and left penniless and lost. No job, no money, no food. Deo ends up living on the streets. He becomes one of the glue-sniffing street kids in South Africa. Deo is playing soccer in a drug-induced fog one day but a scout recognizes his talent and skill. The scout approaches Deo and tells him about a soccer team made up of kids from the streets of Cape Town, Johannesburg, and other cities in South Africa. The kids are taken off the street, given a place to live and food to eat. They are also trained as members of soccer teams which will compete for the World Cup of street soccer. This opportunity proves to be life changing for Deo. He is able to regain his strength and sense of purpose.