Run Home - by Alyssa Bermudez (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This heartrending graphic memoir by Alyssa Bermudez (Big Apple Diaries) is a moving and unforgettable story about inner strength, healing, and finding hope.

It's 2002, and 14-year-old Alyssa is a freshman at a new high school where she knows NO ONE and the uniforms are hideous! What a disaster...

Even worse? Her parents are forcing her to join the cross-country team. No one needs to run, or sweat, this much!

Over time though, Alyssa actually starts to like running. She's getting better with practice, and some of the girls on the team are really nice. Alyssa begins to find a steady rhythm with high school, cross country, and her new stepfamily.

But Alyssa's dad is sick, and she doesn't know what to do. When the worst thing imaginable happens, Alyssa will need to count on her friends, family, and herself to keep running forward.

Review Quotes

★ "A heartfelt, reassuring, and emotionally intelligent page-turner." -Kirkus, starred review

★ "[A] heartfelt and touching exploration of identity, loss, friendship, and family that offers hopeful messaging about turning to loved ones for support, developing positive coping mechanisms, and being open to any and every opportunity for personal growth." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Alyssa's voice rings with a modern, bubbly authenticity of a fourteen-year-old kid embracing new, albeit challenging, adolescent experiences... Bermudez adeptly conveys how Alyssa must learn to move within a world that is shaped by loss and yet still so full of the life and love she finds with family and friends." -BCCB

About the Author

Alyssa Bermudez (she/her) is a New Yorker from Manhattan now living in Hobart, Tasmania. As an artistic director, she creates colorful fashion and textile designs while also working as an author, illustrator, and art teacher. Her illustrations appear in books like the Lucia the Luchadora series, and she sketches live at weddings, events, and even on stage! In 2021, she released her graphic novel Big Apple Diaries, a memoir about growing up in New York City before and after 9/11, now part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum's permanent collection. When she's not making art, Alyssa enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.