And despite the book being a young adult novel, the issues it addresses-political corruption, HIV/AIDS, militia violence, child trafficking, displaced peoples, homelessness, and more-are weighty ones for any novel. The brothers set out on a journey to South Africa, hoping that their crossing will bring them to a better life. Nothing left of Grandpa Longdrop’s stories. Nothing left of the smiles and greetings of people who know you. Nothing left of babies playing in doorways. “I stand in a village that is no longer the place where I live,” Deo narrates, after the soldiers have left. Now Is the Time for Running is the story of teenage Deo and his older brother, Innocent, who flee their village in Zimbabwe after it is destroyed and their family is murdered by soldiers. As part of an author’s note in the back of the novel, he writes, “I wanted to imagine what it must be like for two brothers to successfully make it to Johannesburg after a dangerous journey, only to face the hatred of the local people upon arrival.” Ages 12%E2%80%93up.In fact, it was a news story about the deadly wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa in May 2008 that Williams cites as the source of inspiration for Now Is the Time for Running. But it's the tender relationship between Deo and Innocent, along with some heartbreaking twists of fate, that will endure in readers' minds. Nobody knows where the men with sticks and axes will be"). There is plenty of material to captivate readers: fast-paced soccer matches every bit as tough as the players the determination of Deo and his fellow refugees to survive unthinkably harsh conditions and raw depictions of violence ("The fear eats at us, burns us. The obstacles the boys must overcome%E2%80%94traveling with no shoes and little money, confronting a hungry lion in a wild game reserve, and repeatedly withstanding prejudice and mistreatment as unwanted refugees%E2%80%94move the story along briskly, while its genuine and relatable characters keep it grounded. When 14-year-old Deo's village is ravaged by soldiers, he must flee with his older brother, Innocent, who suffered brain damage at birth, which has left him childlike and sometimes unmanageable. South African writer Williams (The Genuine Half-Moon Kid) delves deeply into the oppression, poverty, and xenophobia that plague so many nations in Africa in this gut-wrenching story of an outcast, soccer-loving teen from Zimbabwe.
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