Girls (and boys!) can become stronger and more resilient simply by realizing how strong and resilient they already are, and running provides a pathway to that realization.

Refusing to quit, overcoming weariness, skinned knees, and self-doubt to finish a cross-country run, the resolute narrator of I am Darn Tough realizes that she is stronger than she thought, inside and out. I am Darn Tough is a story to show how to keep going even when something is difficult. This beautifully illustrated narrative can inspire any child, anytime, who wants to run toward greater confidence in her/himself.

"Licia Morelli is a writer whose essays and poetry have been featured in Vanity Fair, The Rumpus, Johns Hopkins Press, Maine Media Workshops + College, ARTS Magazine, and other publications. Licia is a mother of two children and the Maine Literary Award - winning author of The Lemonade Hurricane (Tilbury House, 2016).