Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. The authentic voice will draw readers in and help them see themselves in Mari.Ī timely call to stand up for your beliefs.Īfter surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. With subtle strokes, messages about the power of activism come through while never feeling preachy. Ruiz is multifaceted as a politician who struggles with staying true to his Latinx heritage and family while trying to cater to the pressures of his big developer donors. The characterization is multilayered even Sen. The diversity of South Florida is represented here with nuance Mari’s friends have Haitian, Dominican, and Peruvian ancestry, and Spanish is sprinkled throughout, adding to the narrative’s setting. Sylvester adeptly delves behind the scenes in political families’ lives while presenting the complexity of a young woman realizing that her parents are not the heroes she always believed them to be. Running away right before a national televised family interview, she becomes the focus of viral videos and manufactured tabloid articles. But as the Florida primaries approach, the young woman balks at the growing demands expected of her and the breaches of her privacy. Mari and her family have been by his side during every campaign, from local South Florida positions to his current role in the U.S. As her life begins to unravel, a teen struggles with her father’s decision to run for president.Ĭuban American Mariana Ruiz has always supported her charismatic father’s political ambitions.

Running by natalia sylvester