Hope Runs by Claire Diaz-Ortiz & Samuel Ikua Gachagua (book review)

"Hope Runs" by Claire Diaz-Ortiz and Samuel Ikua Gachagua is a really awesome book about "an American tourist, a Kenyan boy, a journey of redemption." In short, it's a really great story!

Claire and her friend, Lara, decided to travel the world for a year and ended up at an orphanage in Kenya. There they changed the lives of so many kids with their organization Hope Runs. They also met Samuel (Sammy) whose life they would change forever.

image via Amazon
After their initial stay in Kenya, the girls end up back there for a year and train many of the kids at the home to run a marathon. They developed a real relationship with Sammy and this book is about their time at the orphanage and beyond. After they left, they helped Sammy get a scholarship to a boarding school in Maine.

"Hope Runs" tells about all of this grand adventure! Sammy getting his passport and visa (talk about endurance), his first few years at school, and eventually his desire to give back through Global Citizen Year.

The book itself wasn't as great as the story it told. I wasn't compelled to keep reading by the writing, but by the story. I wanted to hear how Sammy's life was going, where Claire was traveling. That's what really made this book good. I recommend it if you have a heart for running, helping others (in any capacity), or traveling.

There wasn't much about the running, which was something that I was looking forward to reading about. I'm not sure exactly what I wanted but the running really took a backseat in this book.

Disclaimer: I received this book in order to write an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

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