Running Barefoot by Amy HarmonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I just finished my first Amy Harmon book! I can see why she comes recommended if this is an (early) example of her writing. I could not put it down. The sweet romance between Josie Jo and Samuel was beautiful and moving. Josie Jo is the heart of her family, taking over the household responsibilities once her mother passes away. Her only free time is given wholly to reading and music--both passions of hers. She meets Samuel one day on the school bus and they are assigned as seat mates. Samuel is an angry half-white boy newly come from the Navajo reservation to live with his grandparents. Josie and Samuel strike up an unlikely friendship, bonding over music and literature. But he's several years older than her and eventually breaks off the friendship so she can grow up and he can serve in the Marines. Years later they meet again and discover if their friendship can truly be something more.
The peeks into the Navajo heritage and stories were fun. Everything was treated respectfully. Josie was an interesting, unusual heroine who had to shrink the size of her dreams to fit into her changing realities. Samuel was strong and dedicated, a sigh-worthy hero in anyone's book. Their relationship was deep and life-changing for both of them, as high school students as well as meeting again years later.
There are beautiful themes in this book of God, harmony, freedom, and dreams. As beautiful as the story was, it was the writing that really spoke to me. Harmon is obviously passionate about these subjects and it came through beautifully in her writing. I wish the ending had been more emotionally satisfying after the drama and pain of previous chapters, but I did still enjoy it. The rest of her books are now going on my reading list.
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