Running

"You can fill a small library with books on running, but you won’t find many that touch on queerness and feminism in the sport. . . . [Freeman's] storytelling, along with her friend Hazel Meyer’s illustrations, chronicles Freeman’s lifelong relationship with running and illuminates the 'unexpected moments of connection and joy that we runners feel when we cover some distance together.'" -- Becky Wade * Runners World *
"I found Lindsay A. Freedman’s little queer book Running absolutely delightful and surprisingly validating, as I think many queer sportspersons will. In particular, Freedman talks about how running as a sport of individualism and triumph over one’s own fears or limitations has both mirrored and supported her journey in coming out as queer in ways that made me go 'Oh yes, that.'" -- S. Bear Bergman * Xtra *
"What is beautiful throughout Running is the slow and tender movements through what it means to have a body, and what that body means in all the spaces in which it exists. . . . I hope queer people with an interest, active or passive, in running pick this book up, read through, and consider their own relationships to themselves and to a sport that is so easily made all too simple." -- Niko Stratis * Autostraddle *
"More poetic than practical, but intensely vivid and personal, Running bounces from pop-culture analysis to academic inquiry, from a catalogue of injuries (including those from a devastating incident in which a vehicle hit her) to an exploration of the elusive 'runner's high.' . . . Running is a worthwhile companion for people who want to be either—or both." -- Katie Noah Gibson * Shelf Awareness *
“Freeman serves fresh thinking as she applies the speculative energy of queer theory to her own lifelong running journey.” -- Knox Robinson * Wall Street Journal *
"Running is more than a study of the sport—it’s a fearless love letter to the core of what it means to be a runner. . . . Part-memoir, part-handbook, and part-critical theory, untangling identity, the body, queerness, feminism, friendships, the unknown, failure, pain, control, success, and beyond; the full spectrum of what it means to lace up our running shoes to return to a complicated, duplicitous, and ever-changing sport." -- Ellie Jackson * Off *
"As a researcher in gender, culture and recreational sports, as well as someone who enjoys an occasional run, I find Running truly inspirational, both in content, style and form. It is intelligent, interesting, and well-written. The small format also makes it the perfect companion for travelling or commuting. A good read altogether. I strongly recommend it." -- Karin S. Lindelöf * Idrott's Forum *
“Running is a lovely assortment of occasional pieces about the wide-ranging experience of being a runner. Runners will recognize their own practices in Freeman’s stories and reflections. And non-runners, I suspect, will come to appreciate what it is that draws us runners so steadily to this activity.” -- Scott F. Parker * Sport Literate *