Where is the book on the narrative continuum? Highly narrative
What is the subject of the book? The funny adventures of someone who never considered herself a runner, yet has run in many, many races.
What type of book is it? Memoir
Articulate appeal
What is the pacing of the book? Fast paced.
Describe the characters of the book. Author Dana Ayers is very funny and relatable. Reading about her adventures in running truly made me (a non-runner) want to sign up for a race. Although she occasionally mentions other friends who joined her in her running journey, the book is mostly stories she is telling about herself.
How does the story feel? The book is made up of a lot of chapters which cover individual running events. Some chapters feel as if they could have been stand-alone blog entries, but when placed in the book, they add to the complete story of Dana’s running journey. It feels very much like a friend sitting down and sharing funny stories of her running mishaps and adventures with you.
What is the intent of the author? To share her journey of becoming a runner and to inspire others to try running, even if they don’t consider themselves athletic.
What is the focus of the story? Dana’s experiences running in different races and events.
Does language matter? Dana is a very funny writer, and her way of describing some of the things that happened to her when participating in these different events had me laughing a lot.
Is the setting important and well described? As a non-runner, I didn’t feel lost when reading this book because Dana clearly described shoes, gear, trails, races, etc… that I did not know about before.
Are there details and, if so, of what? There are lots of details about different running races.
Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? No charts, but there were some images of Dana participating in different events, and it was nice to see those after reading about the events.
Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? As a reader, you definitely learn about different races and group running events, and it’s the kind of book that really makes you want to sign up for a race so you can have the same kind of fun Dana did.
Why would a reader enjoy this book? (rank appeal)
Tone
Language
Detail
Hi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI love reading funny authors! I am not a runner either, but the way you've described Confessions of an Unlikely Runner, I feel like anyone could pick this book up and enjoy it. You mentioned that reading the book felt like sitting down with a friend. I really appreciate any time a nonfiction author can adopt a conversational tone; it makes the content so much more engaging. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nicole,
DeleteThanks for your comment. Yes, definitely a conversational tone to this book. It was a quick read to begin with since it isn't an overly-long book, but the chapters just flew by with Dana's writing style. If you enjoy funny authors, you might want to check it out!
Hi Sara,
ReplyDeleteIt really does seem like the funny tone of the author informed your enjoyment of the book. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like it’s inspirational without feeling preachy, which is refreshing.
Hi Kim,
DeleteYour assessment of inspirational without being preachy is spot on. I don't think the goal of the book was to turn more people into runners, but the way the author describes things really makes you feel like you could attempt a race, too. The way she told her stories - with lots of emphasis on her misadventures, and not just her successes - made her really relatable.
This sounds like such an interesting read! And as someone who does not run, I commend anyone who does. I like that you felt motivated to share some of the experiences she had like signing up for a race. That is a sign of a good book.
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor,
DeleteThanks for your comment. Since neither you nor I are runners, I'd be interested in seeing if you had a similar reaction to the book (feeling motivated to sign up for a race, like I felt) after reading it. If you have the time to read it, let me know what you think!
Great job filling out the matrix - full points!
ReplyDelete