However, it’s not a straightforward journey; it’s not as simple as just getting out and starting fresh. There are consequences. There are terrible stories of those who have attempted to start a new life before her. And there’s Amber’s dad, who is falling farther into alcoholism every day, regularly beating Amber’s mother in the process. The Themes This fast-paced, mesmerising stage version, adapted by the author, was first produced in 2023 by Pilot Theatre, with Mercury Theatre, Colchester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Derby Theatre and York Theatre Royal. This edition also contains a range of teaching materials and resources designed to help educators bring the play to life for their students. Run, Rebel does an incredible job of making you realise just how dangerous and claustrophobic this sort of life can be. For a teenager like Amber, and the thousands of teenagers like her who live in abusive environments, it can feel like there’s no escape. There’s a fine line between the urge to leave and create a new life of independence and freedom, and the desperate hope that things will change, that people will change, and that everything will magically get better.

The themes made this quite a heavy read, but it was also very hopeful and empowering. There's a lot of depth and a lot of character development, and not just from the main character. I'm honestly in awe with how well written this was, and with how the author needed so few words to make such a strong point. Run, Rebel is a trailblazing verse novel that thunders with rhythm, heart and soul – perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan, Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur. I think the author did a remarkable job of drawing Readers into the story. When the main characters hurt so did I, when they were made to feel small I cried, and when they raged I was right there with them raising my fist. I think having multiple women narrate the story was amazing because we saw the generational differences in the ways the women thought and felt about their place within their community, and their expectations for the future. It also looks at the cultural clashes that can occur when first generation children grow up in society vastly different from that of their parents. I liked the dichotomy between the ‘father’ and the ‘respected community leader’. Through this the author really shone a light on how certain unacceptable behaviours can be hidden from public view. From my understanding this is an own voice story so I again feel privileged to have had a glimpse into a culture different to my own. An emotional story about abused women who rise and rebel. She has a passion for running, but her dad, being illiterate and an alcoholic, doesn't understand. According to him, women should not leave the house unless absolutely necessary. The fact that he lets her study in high school, is because otherwise no one in their family would be able to read, write or make sense of important documents/appointments.Run, Rebel is the story of Amber Rai, a girl who has grown up in a traditional Indian family in Britain. Neither of her parents can speak English very well, and they can’t read or write. So for Amber, her whole life has been spent as their translator: helping them with shopping, bills, important letters, and anything else that might be written in English. If you’re feeling trapped in a life that you feel you can’t control, this book might give you the urge you need to make a change. It shows that if you’re willing and able, you can make a difference, and things can get better. It shows that good people deserve to live a good life, and sometimes, all you need is the courage to rebel. My Favourite Verse Novels Honor killing/ crimes, domestic violence, women, girls, feminine, education, poverty, environment and circumstances, women, girls, friendship, bullying, women, girls, traumas, being a she/ her. This is a novel written in verse about a Punjabi family living in the UK. It follows our main character Amber Rai, who is trying to make sense of everything around her after her sister, Ruby, is forcefully married off.

Amber’s father is extremely traditional: women should work in the home, and there is no need for them to have an education or a worthwhile job, because those are the roles for the men. This means that Amber’s mum lives a life with no independence. She’s desperate to learn and to fit in, but her husband always stands in her way. This is the same for Amber too; she dreams of being a runner and she’s often told she’s gifted, but she’s not allowed a life of her own. Because what happened to women who did try to live an independent life isn’t something that anybody wants to repeat… Run, Rebel is a trailblazing verse novel that thunders with rhythm, heart and soul - perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan, Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur. This book is so satisfying brilliant. It’s been told in verse which I really love. Another gem that I think doesn’t get enough recognition it deserved. It’s a moving story and profoundly inspiring. A must read book!! Note: I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review as part of the blog tour. I requested this because I saw it was a diverse verse novel. I'm a huge fan of verse novels, so that was all I needed to know.Have you read Run, Rebel or any of the books I mentioned above? Let me know and let’s chat about them! Each character is a story itself but my all time favorites were JASS! TARA AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THE MOM!

This book is about Amber Rai, who wants to be an athlete. She lives with her illiterate parents who hardly speak English, and so they need her to translate for them and to help them navigate in a society they don't understand. Her father is an alcoholic, he's abusive, and he's very misogynistic. All Amber wants to do is be able to make her own choices, and not have her life planned for her like her sister's. In some cultures, it’s a curse when you’re born as a girl instead of a boy. No one ever wanted a girl. Girls were deemed as a burden and their whole life will forever be the property of their parents, husband and brothers. They have to give up their decision-making power, be small, be silent, endure and never question! Praise for Run, Rebel - a Guardian best book of 2020: A tightly crafted series of punchy, often heartbreaking narrative poems . . . Mann's brilliant, coruscating verse novel lays out the anatomy of Amber's revolution, and the tentative first flowerings of hope and change. Guardian Throughout the course of this poetic piece, we follow Amber, Surinder (her Mom), and Ruby's journey towards the better, and see their characters grow. One of the shortcomings from my point of view is it was so happy to be real I am not saying it was forced happy ending cause it wasn't at all, I just felt like it was too good to be true. Even though I was in a bad need for happy ending. And when I read the Q&As section I found out the author herself thought it was kinda strange and she wrote it " Darker" according to others opinions.Note: I think this needs to be read as opposed to listened to as I suspect there are some visual text elements that are part of the storytelling as is often the case in free verse novels.