When something bad happens to you, how do you cope with it? Do you dwell in the bad, or take charge to try to help and make a change? A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti is about a teenage girl, Annabelle, recovers from a trauma by running 2,700 miles across the country. She is torn between extreme sadness, anxiety, and depression throughout the book as she also tries to fight for what she thinks is right. When Annabelle starts running, she is just trying to get away from everything, but when she finishes, she is moved and inspired to continue fighting for what she believes is important. She won’t let herself think about what happened, but it slowly forces her to relive the memories and come to terms with her pain. When Annabelle tells her mother and brother what she plans to do, her mother doesn’t want her to go, she wants her to finish school. From the start, her brother, Malcom, takes charge to fund raise money for Annabelle. He even gets her friends to contribute to campaigning for her. Her grandfather meets her at a hotel and follows her in his RV while she runs across the country. As Annabelle is remembering what happened, her grandfather is always there to comfort her and cheer her up. This is an amazing story full of love, understanding, and family.
I recommend this book to people who have experienced traumatic events, especially girls. It doesn’t matter who you are, you shouldn’t have to go through hard times alone. You need a good support crew to help you get through. This book can help you understand that, even though you are going through hard times, you have face your pain and accept it, in order to move on and continue living your life.