I will admit that I’m less than halfway through “The Boy Who Runs,” but I wanted to share this with Run Oregon readers because even though I know what happens, this book has captivated me!
A few years ago, I interviewed the subject of this book, Julius Achon (read that interview here). I know that he was kidnapped at a young age and forced to serve as a boy soldier in Uganda. I know how he escaped his captors, something few survived to talk about. And I know the rambling path that he took to achieve athletic success as a teenager, earning a scholarship to a U.S. college and then becoming an Olympian for Uganda. I’m also well-acquainted with the reasons he founded the Achon Uganda Children’s Fund and the work this international non-profit has done.
Even knowing the story, this is a book that I’m reading on my lunch break, after the kids go to bed, even as I dry my hair to get ready for work. John Brant, the Portland-based author of “Duel in the Sun,” has illustrated Achon’s story in a way that makes the story even more engaging. By the way, if you haven’t read Duel in the Sun, you should: it’s about the 1982 Boston Marathon and the battle between Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar. It’s also only .99 cents on Amazon Kindle.
So – add this book to your reading list or order your copy today! The Washington County Library co-op has five copies of it, plus it’s available as an e-book, or you can get it at Amazon.com in hardcover or electronically.
