Fifteen-year-old Deo lives with his amai (mother), grandfather (Grandpa Longdrop), and older brother, Innocent. Innocent is 25, but he is ‘different’. His impairment is never specified, but it hardly matters. Deo looks out for his big brother. I must admit, this book definitely had the feel of assigned reading. The way there are many plot holes left open so the reader can interpret what happens, the way the characters are so very flat and how the story focuses mainly on the issues it's portraying really makes it seem like a 'school' book. Though this isn't the worst book I've read for school, it also wasn't the most interesting and I definitely didn't enjoy the millions of comprehensions and activities we had to do while we were reading it. Williams, a renowned dramatist, gives readers compelling characters and, in simple language, delivers a complicated story rooted—sadly and upliftingly—in very real events.

Now is the time for running : Williams, Michael, 1962- : Free

Summary: In a dusty field in the province of Mosvingo in Zimbabwe, Deo plays soccer with his friends will his older brother Innocent watches. Then the soldiers show up and Deo and Innocent's world is turned upside down. They are now on the run, refugees from their own village, and must find a way to survive. As Deo works to protect his mentally challenged older brother while still making hard decisions, there are struggles at every turn. And during this time in Africa, refugees are not accepted with open arms. As Deo and Innocent find themselves in Johannesberg, South Africa, they find that the place that they thought would save them is the toughest place they've been yet. Deo is tough. He cares for his older brother with the patience and love of a mother, he has grown up in poverty pursuing his dream using a rolled up pile of garbage as a soccorball. He is not a stranger to living life the hard way. But when his hard but peaceful life is shattered in minutes and all he is left with is his older brother is he tough enough? A long harrowing journey brings him to a place to pursue his dream but first he must heal and learn what it is to be a member of a team, a member of the world. Based on true events that occurred in 2008 this gripping novel will keep you awake till you finish it. This was another 2 hour book that I couldn't put down. Definitely one of the best books I read in 2011. They are led astray by one of their fellow farmworkers and left penniless and lost. No job, no money, no food. Deo ends up living on the streets. He becomes one of the glue-sniffing street kids in South Africa. Deo is playing soccer in a drug-induced fog one day but a scout recognizes his talent and skill. The scout approaches Deo and tells him about a soccer team made up of kids from the streets of Cape Town, Johannesburg, and other cities in South Africa. The kids are taken off the street, given a place to live and food to eat. They are also trained as members of soccer teams which will compete for the World Cup of street soccer. This opportunity proves to be life changing for Deo. He is able to regain his strength and sense of purpose. Like the companion book Diamond Boy, this story doesn’t make a superhuman hero of a teenaged boy, but tells his story in real terms. Deo can’t do it all himself. His only real skill is playing soccer and his only sense of purpose, his devotion to his brother. Holding trauma and despair under his surface so he can survive and take care of Innocent, he needs help from adults who care.Now is the Time for Running has a three-part structure. Act I shows the horrors of the Zimbabwean regime and sees Deo and Innocent flee to South Africa. Act II covers the reception refugees are given in a country with problems of its own. Act III is all about healing and paths forward. And the whole thing, rather beautifully, begins and ends with football - if there is one thing that connects boys in almost every country and can break down barriers, football is it. The situation between Deo’s village and these soldiers soon escalates and Deo and Innocent suddenly find themselves running for their lives.

Now Is the Time for Running Summary and Reviews - BookBrowse

It is no proper soccer ball. It is a pouch of cow-leather patches sewn together with twine, stuffed with tightly rolled plastic. This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. The profound things that these boys went through shaped them into strong and successful people. This novel is a perfect portrayal of things that are happening in first world countries, and really opened my eyes. Deo was left alone with his disabled brother, and had to conceal his own pain and trauma to protect him. This shows what a mature person Deo is, and how living a petrifying life can really impact someone.Now is the Time for Running follows Deo and Innocent as they try to make their way to the relative safety of South Africa, where they think their father is currently living and working. It is a perilous journey and it is difficult to know who to trust. Deo is an engaging and sympathetic narrator and you will want to know that he and Innocent arrive safely, but safety is a rare commodity.

Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams | Waterstones

After some grim moments, the boys were left with no food or money, and Deo ended up on the streets. He was then recognized for his talent at a soccer game by a scout, and is provided with information to join a team of homeless kids who are given food and shelter, and train to compete in a large soccer tournament. This gave Deo hope, and eventually changed his entire life for the better. However, I am glad this book was written because the issues discussed are so very real and relevant. I haven't previously read a book about xenophobia or the problems in Zimbabwe, so it was very interesting & enlightening to read about them in here. I applaud the author for bringing them to light and making the struggles of so many people known.Growing up in Arizona I was reminded much as I read this novel of how immigrants are sometimes treated and thought of here in the US. My emotions moved from absolute disgust, pain, hurt to joy and peace. Then again, there are many issues. Though exciting, the plot is very loose, leaving a lot of plot holes open. The writing was one of the dullest I've ever read, using the simplest sentences possible. And the characters were so irritatingly flat. The entire book, Deo was only about protecting Innocent and at some points that felt like his singular character trait. Which was VERY annoying.