Rachel Ann Cullen's book "Running For My Life" - How I built a better me one step at a time.

In the book, the author describes in a colorful way and with sarcastic humor her struggle with depression and other mental imbalances - problems such as low self-esteem, eating to minimize sadness and depression, and the resulting eating disorder and overweight. Since depression and overweight today are very topical issues in the world, and many people have eating disorders, most of them are eating huge amounts of food, so I recommend reading it for  educational purposes as well as for fun, because sharp jokes over her own misery is her style through the whole book. However, as it is a biography, colorful examples and experiences can be remembered in a better way and they educate even more than dry theoretical books.

I can say in advance that this unhappy girl with overweight and without self-confidence will become a marathon runner over the years, but the book does not tell how the author suddenly discovered sport for herself and how she miraculously healed all the sorrows of her body and soul. The writer hated sports and efforts since childhood. In fact, sport is a stress for the body and people do not like excessive effort, but many still train because of the flood of endorphins that fill their body after the workout is done or also addiction of training, that is  often the case. However, there was no such thing with Rachel. She had been running for years on a daily basis, still hating it, pulling out just because it helped her to keep her body weight under control. The way she became a runner was a long and arduous journey, over stones and stumps, and when it seemed, that life is now going well and smoothly, some major setbacks came again.

In order to increase her self-confidence, she always needed a man next to her, no matter what kind of man, important was, that there was someone. And in these so-called relational periods, she abandoned her life and activities, including running, and focused only on her companion, which leaded her quickly into an unhealthy addiction, even if she didn't really like him.

One of her companions was also a glutton and sluggard, with whom they sat in front of the TV and devoured as much junk food as they could, and even more, so when a friend suddenly called Rachel and knowing that she had been running from time to time, he invited her to participate in a half marathon. The girl could not answer anything immediately, because she hadn't been moving for a long time, but when she saw her companion, the sauce flowing down on his greasy chin, she got sick and realized instantly, that such a life could not continue and said that she will participate with her friend on this marathon. Just to get out of this terrible phase in your life.

The body weight had always been fluctuating, thanks to her getting herself together periods and the waves of desolations. On the one hand she was happy and joyfully surprised, that the boys suddenly started to notice her and popular girls invited her to the party. On the other hand, she was confused and outraged, that they had not done it before, she was the same person, just lost some kilos in half a year and colored her hair. What if she takes back the weight again and decides to cut her hair? Do they not want to know her again? She was always the same Rachel. She felt like a faker and was now more unhappy than while she had overweight. That she was disappointing everyone. And so things like getting married against her own will were starting to happen, because she did not want to disappoint her parents and companion. Additionally, alcoholism and abuse of Prozac were parts of her life.

People often make life choices to please others, leaving their own needs completely behind, just as the author's mother did, and as much as she did not want to be like her mother, life is often going the opposite way, that we will be similar to our parents.

The first part of the book would be quite good to read for children and teenagers too, as it speaks of periods and problems that many, if not all, children need to wrestle with daily in their thoughts and deeds. And about things, that would be good to know already at a young age.

The other half is about adults' concerns and explains how such a thing as sport, which the author actually hated for years, could gradually save her life.

Most self-development books inspire people to have a positive attitude towards life and promise that when the thoughts are bright, life will also improve. In this book, the author speaks of how she tried to improve herself, but she fell down again and again in depression and how she acted when positive thinking did not come out.