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Diana L. Sharples

Auteur de Running Lean

4 oeuvres 49 utilisateurs 4 critiques

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Crédit image: Me and my bike!

Œuvres de Diana L. Sharples

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Running Lean by Diana L. Sharples
Teen Fiction, Christian, romance, anorexic
ISBN 9780310734970
Teens Stacey and Calvin are high school sweethearts dealing with some very serious problems, anorexia and the death of a sibling. Calvin’s older brother died in Afghanistan and Stacey is hiding a life-threatening secret of her own. Stacey helps Calvin to deal with the death of his beloved brother. As time goes on Calvin realizes Stacey has a problem and try’s to help her. He is understanding, compassionate, sensitive and tries not make things worst. Farmer boy as Stacey’s BFF calls him is a great boyfriend and would be any girls dream.
I found this book to be intense and heartbreaking at times. It was very informative about anorexia. The characters were well thought out, real, like any teen you might meet on the street or the kid next door. I found their pain to be real, they were emotional and had me take a hard look at someone I care about that suffers from anorexia. The author Diana L. Shaples gave great insight into the life an anorexia and the worry it causes those that care about them. She handled a sensitive subject with compassion and sensitivity of someone that may have lived with this. I give 5 stars to Running Lean and highly recommend it. I can’t wait for other family members read it to see how it effects them.
I want to give a high-five to the author Diana L. Sharples and publisher Blink for bringing compelling Christian books that are entertaining and give hope to the reader with stories of faith. The Book Club Network Inc. provided me with this book in exchange for my honest review and I am so grateful for their, the authors and publishers generosity.
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Signalé
inspiremichelle | 3 autres critiques | Oct 18, 2014 |
Stacey Varnell had some very real and very deep seeded issues. Memories from her past keep rushing back. An uncle that made passes at her, claiming he like chubby girls and kids at school making fun of her weight, even her own dad calling her chubbikins. After losing weight and meeting Calvin, Stacey thought her life was going great--until the voices in her head kept telling her she was going to be fat again and no one would love her. It was a battle the voices intended to win even if it cost Stacey her life.

________________Book Quote________________

"Crazy Stacey bubble butt.
Never keeps her big mouth shut.
Chubbikins, Chubbikins.
How much does she weigh?"
_________________End Quote_________________

When Calvin Greenlee lost his brother, Michael, to the war in Afghanistan he thought he would never smile again--until he met Stacey Varnell. She comforted him and listened to his hurts, giving him a shoulder to cry on. She made his world right again and he loved her for it. But when Stacey starts getting sicker, Calvin realizes a whole new kind of heartbreak. If he tries to help her he might lose her, if he doesn't he could lose her anyway. As Calvin fights his fears of losing Stacey, she is fighting agonizing fears of her own. Can they both win the hardest battle of their lives?

Stacey fought some very serious demons. Her perception of herself was so distorted. Where she saw ugly, fat and unloveable, others saw only beauty. The voices in her head screamed she was fat when, in actuality, her clothes hung loosely on her body. She was a sixteen year-old girl full of anguish and fear, who was scarred from unkind words in her past. She had OCD tendencies and she was fighting a very verbal killer--anorexia nervosa.

Calvin--I loved Calvin and Calvin loved Stacey. He loved her with everything he had. When she was at her worst he would tell her how beautiful she was. He did his best to love Stacey through her battle with anorexia. He had a huge heart and such a cute way of tugging on his hair whenever he was upset or flustered. He loved riding his Yamaha and the hum of the motor helped him forget his worries for a little while. I loved the way he turned to God even when, deep down, he couldn't bring himself to completely rely on God to handle the situation.

________________Book Quote________________

Calvin found a relatively flat spot and cut the Yamaha's engine. He set the kickstand and swung his leg over the seat. The sound of rippling water and a breeze in the leaves gently drowned out the ringing in Calvin's ears and the echoes of a song he now hated. He sat cross-legged at the top of a ridge that fell down to the river's edge, and pinched a chunk of papery bark off a birch tree. Sunlight sparkling on the water dazzled his eyes. He mindlessly toyed with the bark while his heart reached for some kind of peace...but couldn't find it.
He was supposed to pray at times like this. Pain clamped down on his heart again.
"God..." Desperate, hurting, frightened, confused, angry. What could he say? "Please. I don't know what to do. Show me what to do. "
Taking deep, desperate breaths to ease the pain in his chest, Calvin looked at the sky and grimaced--the prayer felt meaningless, like all the words he'd used trying to save Stacey from herself.
_________________End Quote_________________

I remember watching a TV movie once that starred Tracey Gold as an anorexic teen entitled, For the Love of Nancy. That movie has stayed with me ever since just as this book will stay with me for a very long time. I could literally feel Stacey's and Calvin's fear and anguish for two very different reasons. Stacey's struggle within herself was so heart-wrenching while Calvin's struggle of how to save her was heartbreaking. I found myself wanting to reach out and hug them. Anorexia nervosa effects millions of young adults and the stark reality of this horrible disorder is vividly portrayed in the effect it has on the person's life and those that love them. I can't begin to describe the emotions she wrung out of the characters and me. I found myself crying several times throughout the book and I am certain you will need tissues too. The story line was just spot-on from beginning to end. Absolutely perfect. I also loved the way the term "running lean" connects the three majors themes in this book--Stacey's battle with anorexia, Calvin's love of motorcycles and not letting God have control of our lives. I don't believe this book could have been any better and I can't say enough about it. If you don't fall in love with the characters and the story itself something definitely wrong. Anorexia nervosa is a devastating and very deadly disorder. If you are battling this disorder or know someone that is, please read this book. I believe Stacey's struggles might help in some way. But, even if you're not effected by this disease in any way, I still highly recommend it because it is an amazing story from beginning to end!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review. The opinions expressed are mine alone. If I recommend a book it's simply because I loved it. I received no monetary compensation for this review.
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Signalé
Wanda_Barefoot | 3 autres critiques | Mar 11, 2014 |
Running Lean, I loved the aspect of teaching us about a real life situation to an eating disorder. Now, I know what to look for as my daughter gets older. Some of the tricks and techniques that Stacey used was very spot on for a lot of people.
My opinion of the book, and the reason why I only gave it three stars was due to the lack of depth. We never understand Calvin’s pain, or how his brother died or how Calvin coped with his grief. We never learn anything about Calvin other than he gets jealous, likes motorcycles, and his brother died. That is all.
Running Lean is fully impacted by the whines of Stacey and how everyone starts revolving around her. Sure, something is wrong, but “sorry” was overpowered in the book. The story felt forced to me, and I don’t know why Calvin stayed with her. You never get to experience the “love connection” before Calvin and Stacey, and why they love each other… they just seem “there”. I do understand when we go through life, us girls (no not all of us) get clingy. We demand attention, we stomp our feet when we don’t get our way, but by the time I was Stacey’s age I wasn’t whining. I knew what life was about, and I had to take it by the horns and do what is right for myself. I never seen Stacey step up to the plate til it was almost too late, and even then it was like she didn’t understand the whole picture.
I wish I could get more involved with the book, the cover is awesome, and the summary seemed like it would be well worth it. It was okay.
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Signalé
wjbooks | 3 autres critiques | Jan 13, 2014 |
This was such an enlightening read, I don’t know where to start! There was just so much you can get out of this book; especially if you are in the YA age group, or have children that age. It was especially effective if you are or know someone who was struggling with coming to terms with an eating disorder. I was surprised with the underlying faith displayed by various characters in the book, and it added another layer of depth, in my opinion. There were so many good things about this book, it was hard to describe them all. The characters, although probably not the most mainstream teenagers, were realistic and very believable. Your heart breaks for Calvin and Stacey, over and over again, as they try to work through their past and current struggles with each other, and with their families and friends.

Calvin shows a lot of strength of character in trying to research what he feels is happening to her, and then trying to support her and help her get better; even as she’s in denial. Stacey has been through so much, it’s easy to see where her fear and low self-esteem come from, and you just want to hug her and take care of her. I wasn’t a big fan of her friend Zoe, but both of them are young and impressionable and neither really knew what they’re doing. The author does a great job of giving insight into the thoughts, fears, and insecurities of teenagers and how easily this could happen to them. A definite recommended read of any mom of a teenage daughter, or son, for that matter.

Rating: 4.5

HEAT Rating: None

Reviewed By: Daysie W.

Review Courtesy of: My Book Addictions and More
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½
 
Signalé
MyBookAddiction | 3 autres critiques | Sep 20, 2013 |

Statistiques

Œuvres
4
Membres
49
Popularité
#320,875
Évaluation
½ 4.4
Critiques
4
ISBN
4