I’m Booked: ‘Running Home’

[Published in SCAD District] 

https://scaddistrict.com/im-booked-running-home/ 

I love a few things more than family, running and the outdoors, and “Running Home” by Katie Arnold incorporates these themes into a stunning memoir about coping with grief and loss. 

Throughout the book, Arnold explores memories from her past as she struggles with her ill father and newborn babies. Her complicated relationship with her father unfolds and she pushes herself as an athlete. Although Arnold is a writer by trade, she turns to the trails in her darkest times. What started as a form of escapism becomes a serious and, at times, all-consuming hobby. She goes on to run distances that seem unfathomable to any normal person. Throughout this journey, Arnold expresses a side of running that many may not understand. 

On her runs, Arnold can quiet the noise of her overwhelming life. As her shoes hit the trail, everything else fades away. Meanwhile, Arnold is grappling with her childhood and how her absent father played a role in her upbringing. The connection between life’s big questions and running might seem unusual but blends beautifully and authentically in this book. 

Warning! This book made me sob. It made me call my Dad and tell him that I love him. It made me want to lace up my running shoes and listen to nothing but the sound of my breath. “Running Home” truly had a lasting impact on me. Arnold says intriguingly, “I’m running to forget, and to remember.” I think non-runners will still appreciate Arnold’s way of dealing with her struggles, and it might even inspire people going through their own hardships to find something seemingly insane to bring them back to earth. Although some parts were slower than others, I highly recommend “Running Home.”

I’ll be back soon with another book review, but until then, I’m Booked.