... eloquently written ... This is a powerful American coming-of-age story about a Mexican American who seeks to embrace his heritage while forging his own path forward. Certain to make a lasting impression on readers across generations and backgrounds, all of whom will be inspired by the young Álvarez.
Álvarez writes movingly of his mother's endless shifts at the apple-packing plant and his father's backbreaking labor in fruit picking and construction ... Álvarez witnesses moments of transcendence--ceremonial prayers, outpourings of grief, bursts of joy--but his narrative sometimes gets bogged down in the dramas of irritable runners and leaders engaged in power struggles. The drama is at least engaging: his fellow runners, including a Canadian indigenous woman named Zyanya Lonewolf, emerge as distinct personalities ... a complex, thought-provoking journey shot through with flashes of glory and hope.
... lyrical if uneven ... The story of the striving, first-generation kid made good is a familiar one; Álvarez makes his ache ... Sometimes Álvarez’s language seems vague and overly laden with the weight of his mission ... At other times, it’s not clear how this epic run, with its attendant difficulties, relates to Álvarez’s desire to help his family.
Spirit Run is a very different kind of running book ... Spirit Run is a narrative deeply rooted in the body, both as a singular organism and a part of humanity’s whole. It ambitiously conveys how complex the relationship between body, land, spirit and groups of people can be ... The book itself is a fascinating memoir of a very specific attempt to practice justice and connection ... The prose in Spirit Run is lyrical in its description of land and body, of human pain and hope. At times, the pacing is uneven — not unlike being on a run — and the story lacks some specifics ... The result can leave the reader wanting, but overall, Spirit Run succeeds in a major way: combining the acts of a body with the sowing, and sewing, of humanity and land.
... an extraordinary debut memoir ... The luminous writing of this well-crafted memoir seems as much a form of prayer and self-discovery as the marathon itself. Recommended for not only its appeal to long-distance runners, but also its contribution to the literature of modern social justice.
Throughout the book, in between presentations of the run and the runners, Álvarez deeply considers what the run represents. He notes, correctly, that the run stood in defiance of the negative connotations of running historically attached to immigrant populations ... The fact that the run, in a powerful way, reclaims the act of running as a positive one, highlights the biggest shortcoming of the book; simply stated, there is not enough of the run in Spirit Run ... Throughout, Álvarez delivers moments of profound insight as he re-develops his own relationship with the land ... A reverent examination of the spiritual links to oft-trodden ground, Spirit Run stumbles at times, but still crosses the finish line.
Álvarez debuts with a spellbinding narrative of his coming to terms with his place in America today ... In electric prose, Álvarez writes of returning home and forging a new connection with the land and its communities ... This literary tour de force beautifully combines outdoor adventure with a sharp take on immigration.
