A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
When we meet Annabelle Agnelli at the beginning of A Heart in a Body in the World, she is running. She was accosted by a drunk at a local take-out and she took off. This isn’t something she planned—she started to run and didn’t stop.
“Where is she going? No idea.Why is she going? Well, sometimes you just snap. Snapping is easy when you’re already brittle from the worst possible thing happening. It is easy when you’re broken and guilty and scared. You snap just like that. Like the snap has been waiting around for the right moment.”
Annabelle runs until dark and then calls to tell her grandfather to say she isn’t going to stop. She’s going to run from their home in Seattle to Washington, DC. 2719 miles. A half-marathon every day.
Anyone who has run long distances alone knows that it’s just you and your thoughts. Annabelle has experienced a traumatic event, and as she runs she battles anger, fear, and flashbacks to what happened with someone she refers to only as the Taker. At first, Annabelle is quietly running for herself with the support of her road crew—Grandpa Ed driving the RV, and her logistics team—her younger brother and two friends. Soon, however, there is a Go Fund Me, a YouTube video, t-shirts, and interviews. Annabelle’s run attracts media attention and she is met by supporters who consider her an activist.
As Annabelle crosses the country, we accompany her on a journey that is both physically and emotionally unrelenting. She is haunted by guilt and anxiety, wondering if she is to blame for what happened. As she works through these emotions we learn, bit by bit, the details of the tragedy. She overcomes the grueling physical challenge of running 13 miles every day in the heat of summer and she finds the strength to see what the Taker did with new clarity.
This is a gripping story told through a unique narrative. I look forward to recommending it to high school teachers and students.