With Grace Under Pressure
A novel about the many reasons a woman is motivated to run,
and the obstacles, conflicts, relationships and encouragement
that influence her to keep moving along her life journey.
by Molly Rae
Meet the Women of
With Grace Under Pressure
Japlo
A mother, a teacher, a refugee.
During a raging civil war in her home country of Liberia, her family brutally ripped apart, Japlo runs to save her life and the life of her young daughter, seeking refuge in the company of similarly determined women, to offer hope to the husband she left behind.
Anna
A dreamer, a doer, a dedicated daughter.
Anna is on a quest for success, armed with entrepreneurial ideas and an impatience to make it all happen. In the meantime, she stocks shelves and cares for her father, betrayed and abandoned by his wife, dependent on Anna who grows more angry and resentful with each passing opportunity.
Eva
A conflicted wife, an insecure sister-in-law, a hidden prodigy.
Eva is finally ready to return to college and a career now that her children are older. But a surprise pregnancy and pervasive depression fracture her relationship with her husband and leaves her temporarily alone, free to discover the talents she has hidden within and the joy of pushing through her pain.
Kristina
A childcare provider, a shy poet, a dejected girl friend, not girlfriend.
Kristina’s romantic plan for her longtime friend is shattered shortly after high school. Vowing to lose her unhealthy habits and win him back, she purchases her first pair of running shoes. By joining a running group she learns that her true value lies in her depth of compassion, not the size of her body.
Grace
A competitive athlete, a pioneer in women’s sports, a broken-hearted coach.
Grace’s childhood was filled with stories of her father’s running fame and the magic of the four-minute mile. Growing up in Chicago in the 1960’s she tags along with her father as he coaches high school boys — there isn’t a girls team—and learns to run fast and compete hard. Years later, she tells these stories to groups of runners on their weekly jogs along Lake Michigan, through Lincoln Park, and back. It is on these runs that Grace meets and guides four women through personal transformations, creating the connections each of them is seeking, so they may heal their hearts with grace under pressure.