Born to Run
By Gordon Mills

Settings

Plot

Characters

Theme of the Book

This book, Born to Run, is about Debbie Ferguson is a Bahamian sprint athlete of Jamaican decent. She was born on January 16, 1976 and moved to Little London, Jamaica shortly after her birth with her mother where they lived with her grandparents. A few years later, they moved back to The Bahamas where she attended Oakes Field Primary. One of her teachers, Ms. Lockhart, noticed Debbie’s athletic ability and got her a coach by the name of Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming and she went to track practice regularly at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. After completing her years at the school and graduating, Debbie then moved up to C. C. Sweeting, where most students from Oakes Field would go to. While in grade 8, Debbie received a scholarship to attend one of the best schools on the island, St. Andrews, but her mother didn’t allow her to move until the 9th grade. After finishing her years of primary, junior high and high school, Debbie chose to attend the University of Georgia where she went to study to become a pediatric doctor and pursue her track career. She graduated in 1994, where she launched her senior athletics career. She has competed in track meets such as the Olympics, World Championships, CARIFTA, Continental Cup, Grand Prix, CAC Junior Championships, NCAA and Commonwealth Games.

Main Character
Debbie Ferguson is the true definition of what it means to be an athlete. She has a positive attitude, she is determined, discipline, dedicated and competitive. She was well-behaved at home and at school to her teachers and to others. Since she was a little girl, it was clear that she was destined for greatness. She overcame difficult life obstacles to win. Debbie was the first student in C. C. Sweeting to make a 4.0 GPA. Her teachers say she has a friendly and upbeat personality. Debbie came from a poor family background, her mother always told her, “When you goes to school, you don’t follow other children, you goes to learn. Look at the kind of work I does. You wants to does better than that, domestic work, washing and cleaning for other people. One of the family has got to come to be someone. When you in lessons and something troubling you that you don’t understand, you have a hand, you hold it up and the teacher will recognize that you need help. And before you go to play, you ask the teacher to give you extra help. I tell you, education is the key.” It is not where you come from, but where you want to go that is important.

Minor Characters
Her mother, Ms. Ferguson
Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming
Andrea Lockhart
Earla Bethel
Orinthia Nesbeth
Tommy Robinson