Run for My Life

Run for My Life is a compelling memoir that chronicles the life of Daniel Kolmann who was born in Communist-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1948. Blessed with athletic talent but victimized by antisemitism and a repressive, post-World War II regime, Daniel was taken away from his family at age twelve and forced to live in a Russian-controlled sports camp where he was trained six hours a day, seven days a week to be an internationally competitive athlete. During this time, there were months when he was only allowed to visit his parents once every thirty days. As Daniel's athletic prowess continued to develop, he became the top soccer player in the camp as well as the #1 player on the junior tennis team that traveled throughout Europe in various international competitions. Despite being under constant surveillance by armed guards, Daniel's craving for freedom became the focus of his life. Although understanding that a failed attempt to escape would result in a death sentence, Daniel nevertheless stages a daring, nail-biting escape from two armed guards whose sole mission is to capture or kill him. Teen readers will be on the edge of their seats as they read Run for My Life, an exciting, inspirational, page-turning book, skillfully written by accomplished novel and memoir author, Joseph P. O'Donnell.