Books: Born to Run

Christopher McDougall writes about his experiences during the search for super-athletes. The super-athlete in question is not a scientifically altered/enhanced human being. But these are normal human beings who are a  part of the tribe named Tarahumara. The Tarahumaras has not contact with outside world and prefers to live in the Mexican Copper Canyons. They take a long time to induct an outsider into their inner circle. It is because of their past experiences with the external world.

In order to find out more about this tribe and learn as much as possible about the joys of running, Christopher goes on searching for a man who has lives among the Tarahumara tribe despite being a Westerner. When you hear the backdrop of the story, there is a chance you would label it as a boring book which extols the virtues of running with a lot of related scientific discoveries. If you have one of those people, then you are right except about one thing. This is not a boring book.

The narrative style used by Christopher is the key in making this book an enjoyable read. During his search, Christopher discovers a lot of interesting characters in the course of his journey. Instead of telling his story as a linear narrative, Christopher leaps up ahead in his story in the middle of the narrative. This makes the whole story move months and weeks ahead when the book breaks into a new chapter. But before long, he catches up on the story he left behind in the previous chapter. The uncertainty of where we are heading makes the experience enjoyable and intriguing at the same time.

The book not only tells the importance of the story but also the will power of people who are featured in the book. Luckily for the reader, Christopher doesn't preach us. Instead, he lets the reader find the lessons on his own. When I picked up the book, I had no idea if these characters were real. After reading the book, I went looking for these characters on the internet and was amazed to find more about them.

If you have never tried out this genre, I strongly advice you to read this book. For sports fans, this is a must read.

Tags: Books,Tarahumara,Christopher McDougall



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