BEYOND THE GAME

A competitive runner paints her face to make a strong, silent statement in this latest addition to a series celebrating athletes who take up social causes.

With the avowed intent of delivering “lessons on empathy, justice, and social good,” Maraniss chronicles Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone’s growth from childhood on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation in South Dakota (where she was “the kind of kid who tripped and fell a lot”) to her later excellence as a runner in high school and college. As a federal worker in Washington, D.C., she found her social conscience activated after facilitating a demonstration against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which had been rerouted in a clear case of environmental racism. But it was her decision to paint a red hand over her mouth and the initials MMIW (for “Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women”) on her limbs while she ran in the 2019 Boston Marathon that made her a viral sensation and inspired a wave of similar protests against an outrage that is both historical and ongoing. Hodge’s drably serious monochrome scenes, which depict the subject running or posing with diverse groups of fellow protesters, may not kindle much response from readers, but Maraniss’ story should. The author concludes with discussion questions, a pep talk from Whetstone herself, and resource lists for both children and adults.

An inspiring tale of athletic activism.