Mary A. Perez – Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace

“A personal memoir, tragic and hopeful.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

Running in Heels is a personal memoir sent to me by the author a few weeks ago. I usually pass review copies out to other reviewers but I read the back and this caught my eye so I thought I’d slot it in next in my TBR pile.

The moment I started it I had echoes of The Glass Castle and I’d recommend Running in Heels to anyone who loved Walls’ memoirs as they have some strong parallels.

I started reading and for the few first chapters the only thing I’d say is I wished there was more. The story seemed to skim over things I’d have liked to hear more about, but it didn’t continue and within a few chapters the story flowed beautifully and I could hardly put it down. As I read on the story became more in depth as the story concentrates on Perez’s adult life.

I have to say there were parts of this book where I was screaming at the pages ‘Just change things, stop being a doormat!’ However, in the end I admired her tenacity, and true to the cover I thought she showed tremendous grit, and grace. There are some really tragic moments, but some really hopeful ones too and the whole thing is put together in a beautifully told story.

I really enjoyed Running in Heels, I read the entire book in bed over several nights, though I have severe regrets about reading the last few chapters at the public pool.

It’s incredibly well written and I really hope that Mary Perez goes on to write more. A beautifully written tale, if you like personal memoirs you’re going to love this.