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Study Guide: The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (SuperSummary) Paperback – July 11, 2019

Analyzing literature can be hard — we make it easy! This in-depth study guide offers summaries & analyses for all 98 chapters of The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. Get more out of your reading experience and build confidence with study guides proven to: raise students’ grades, save teachers time, and spark dynamic book discussions. SuperSummary Study Guides are written by experienced educators and literary scholars with advanced degrees in relevant fields. Here's what's inside:

• Chapter-by-chapter summaries — Refresh your memory of key events and big ideas
• Comprehensive literary analysis — Unlock underlying meaning
• Examination of key figures in the text — Follow character arcs from tragedy to triumph
• Discussion of themes, symbols & motifs — Connect the dots among recurring ideas
• Important quotes with explanations — Appreciate the meaning behind the words
• Essay & discussion topics — Discover writing prompts and conversation starters

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• Print length 118 pages
• Language English
• Publication date July 11, 2019
• Dimensions 6 x 0.27 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 1079823433
• ISBN-13 978-1079823431
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (July 11, 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 118 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1079823433
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1079823431
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.2 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.27 x 9 inches
• #6,595 in Study Guides (Books)

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Ominous history for Biden: Incumbents trying to win over their parties often struggle to win again

FILE - Jimmy Carter, left, and Gerald Ford, right, shake hands before the third presidential debate, Oct. 22, 1976, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/File)

President Joe Biden talks on the phone as he walks to board Air Force One at McGuire Air Force Base, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Burlington County, N.J. From left, Natalie Biden, Biden, Finnegan Biden, and first lady Jill Biden. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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ATLANTA (AP) — There’s plenty of worry among Democrats about whether 81-year-old President Joe Biden is up to the job itself or the task of defeating Donald Trump.

Previous presidential campaigns offer lessons. None convey reasons for optimism.

Going back to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, several presidents eligible for reelection faced significant primary challenges or questions about whether they should run again. George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford pushed forward and won their nominations, only to be defeated in November. Johnson opted to withdraw — and Democrats lost anyway.

Biden had no real primary fight. But his allies now acknowledge how poorly the president performed in his debate against Trump. They’ve fretted privately about Biden’s ability to serve until he is 86, and, more immediately, whether he can keep the job by defeating the Republican former president — himself a 78-year-old saddled with a felony conviction , other indictments and voter concerns over his values and temperament.

The warning from history is ominous: Incumbent presidents still working to consolidate and reassure their own party this late in a first term typically do not get a second.

George H.W. Bush and the ‘culture war’ of 1992

An Ivy League-educated Episcopalian, Bush was a moderate Republican and never a favorite of the Christian right or anti-tax, small-government activists.

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Bush appealed to the right flank ahead of his victory in 1988, saying, “Read my lips: no new taxes.” He was riding high in 1990 after a quick U.S. military victory drove Iraq and Saddam Hussein from oil-rich Kuwait. Within months, though, Bush broke his tax pledge, the U.S. economy began to falter (albeit mildly in retrospect), and the president grew vulnerable.

Primary challengers emerged, notably Steve Forbes, an anti-tax crusader, and commentator Pat Buchanan, a Christian conservative. Bush won every primary but many by unimpressive margins. Buchanan, rather than endorsing Bush enthusiastically, used his GOP convention speech to enlist religious conservatives in a “culture war” against Clinton, liberals and secularism — standard Republican rhetoric today but a more divisive tone alongside Bush’s talk of a “kinder, gentler” nation.

Democratic challenger and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton hammered Bush as out of touch with middle-class Americans. And billionaire Ross Perot entered the contest as an independent.

On Election Day, 62.6% of voters opted against Bush. Clinton won 370 electoral votes, the second-highest total for any Democrat since 1964.

Jimmy Carter and the Kennedy ‘dream’ in 1980

A former Georgia governor, Carter was a moderate Southerner from outside the liberal Democratic power structure. His 1976 nomination and eventual victory over the Republican incumbent Ford was less about ideology, though, and more about Carter’s promise never to lie to Americans disillusioned after Vietnam and the Watergate scandal.

Legislative successes followed, but Carter rankled Washington Democrats. Global inflation, U.S. unemployment and interest rates climbed, and Carter’s popularity fell.

“Carter was never expected and accepted by the establishment,” said Joe Trippi, a 1980 Kennedy campaign staffer.

Sen. Ted Kennedy mounted a primary challenge in 1980, inspiring young progressives like those who had once adored his slain older brothers. Carter famously said of Kennedy, “I’ll kick his ass.” The president won enough delegates for the nomination, even as the Iran hostage crisis compounded his problems.

Yet in defeat, Kennedy used his convention speech more to rouse his own supporters rather than reconcile with the incumbent. “The work goes on, the cause endures ... and the dream shall never die,” Kennedy declared, exposing Carter’s weaknesses.

Against Republican Ronald Reagan, Carter carried just six states and Washington, D.C.

Gerald Ford and the budding Reagan revolution in 1976

Reagan won two general election landslides, but the foundation was his 1976 primary challenge against Ford.

A mild-mannered Michigander, Ford had a unique path to the White House. President Richard Nixon elevated him from House leadership to the vice presidency in 1973 after corruption forced Spiro Agnew’s resignation. Ford ascended to the presidency a year later when Nixon resigned because of Watergate.

Controversially, Ford pardoned Nixon. He faced inflation, high unemployment and roiled energy markets. And he had to prepare quickly to seek his own election, never having been part of a national campaign.

Ford hailed from Capitol Hill’s center-right, a Republican cohort that mostly accepted the federal government’s expanded scope since Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal. Reagan, meanwhile, was corralling conservatives who never embraced FDR’s America and blanched at the Civil Rights Movement and social revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s.

In the ’76 primaries, Ford won 27 contests to Reagan’s 24. That gave the incumbent 1,121 delegates, just 43 more than the insurgent challenger. Reagan had dominated most primaries in the South, the most conservative region of the country.

In the fall campaign, a wounded Ford made a late comeback against Carter but fell short. Carter carried the South. And Reagan was positioned to take the Republican mantle four years later.

When a president did step aside: LBJ and 1968

Ford, Carter and Bush are not perfect parallels for 2024: Biden did not draw a credible primary challenge and, even with the debate fallout, he has a well of personal goodwill across his party. Perhaps the best comparison, then, is Johnson .

The assassination of John F. Kennedy thrust Johnson into the Oval Office in November 1963. Known as LBJ, the colorful Texan trounced Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964. Johnson amassed the most sweeping legislative record since FDR: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare and Medicaid. But Johnson vastly expanded U.S. involvement in Vietnam — and lied to the country in the process. He also found himself unable to shepherd Americans through social changes of the era.

Presidential campaigns were shorter then, so it was not until March 31, 1968, that Johnson mulled his sagging standing and announced his intentions. After weak showings in early primaries, which were not then binding affairs, Johnson said in an Oval Office address , “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”

What followed, though, is not necessarily encouraging for Democrats hoping to hear the same from Biden.

New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy — whose son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is mounting an independent presidential bid this year — joined a spirited Democratic nominating fight and secured momentum by winning the California primary in June. But he was assassinated in Los Angeles minutes after his victory speech.

Democrats were left with a raucous convention in Chicago — also the site of the 2024 convention . They chose Vice President Hubert Humphrey to take on Nixon, the Republican former vice president who had lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960 and then dropped the 1962 California governor’s race.

Neither Nixon nor Humphrey were broadly popular, and the resulting general election was close, with independent George Wallace a key factor. Nixon outpaced Humphrey by about 500,000 votes out of 73 million cast, and he secured 301 electoral votes.

Seven months after a beleaguered Democratic president stood down, his party met defeat. Republicans, with a president-elect who would one day resign in disgrace, had their comeback story.

American runner Weini Kelati's Olympic journey from Eritrea to Paris is a childhood dream in the making

Before Weini Kelati was running 10,000 meters to a finish line, she was running long distances to school in Eritrea.

Born in Tsada Christian, a small village in the central region of Eritrea, Kelati, 27, said it wasn't unusual for kids to walk four to five hours to get to school every day — or to run, if they were tardy.

Running would eventually take her far beyond the African country to Oregon, where her journey to become an American Olympian started 10 years ago and where that dream was cemented last month with a first-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. 

Stream every moment and every medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock, starting with the Opening Ceremony July 26 at 12 p.m. ET.

Kelati’s father died when she was young, and she watched her mother struggle to raise her family. She knew she wanted to help her, but the "how" didn't become clear until middle school.

"In sixth grade I was in a PE class and sitting down and watching what everybody was doing," Kelati said. "And my teacher comes to me and he said, 'You need to run because that’s how you earn grade.'"

Kelati was confused — after all, she had run to school earlier that day and was sore. But her coach told Kelati to run as fast as she could, and she uncovered a hidden talent, outrunning her classmates and even older kids.

Kelati started competing, but to her, the sport was always about more than just winning a medal or getting on a podium. It was a way to help her family.

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"Even though the life I had was a very hard one, she wanted me to stay close to her," Kelati said of her mother. "She was just like: 'It doesn't matter. If we didn't have anything, I just wanted you to be with me.'"

Eritrea gained its independence four years before Kelati was born, after a decadeslong war with Ethiopia. It is one of the least developed countries in the world, according to the United Nations , and one of the most repressive, restricting freedom of expression, opinion and faith, according to Human Rights Watch . The country has never held elections.

Kelati said that when her running prowess took her to the World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in 2014, she saw an opportunity to stay in the U.S. and help her family from abroad. Afraid of being stopped, she didn't tell anyone about her intentions.

Seeking asylum

Kelati beat her personal record during that race. Her mind, however, was not on crossing the finish line, but on an Eritrean flag she saw from the stands.

Eritreans are a tight-knit community. An Oregon family who had heard about the Eritrean athletes competing in the event came to the track to cheer them on. 

Kelati saw their flag and ran to them. She said she told them she wanted to stay in America and asked them for help.

"Back home it's very safe to just go with any family and ask them like, 'Hey, can I stay with you?' It’s fine," Kelati said. "Here I thought it was the same thing the first day when I landed, but it wasn’t."

After they realized Kelati was serious about staying, the family agreed to help. They bought her a cellphone, which she used to call home and tell her mother she was seeking asylum in the U.S. 

"I had to call and tell her when I made my decision," Kelati said. "I let her know. And she cried a little bit. But that was OK."

It would be eight years before Kelati saw her again.

Through a relative, Kelati found a cousin she didn’t know she had in Leesburg, Virginia, who took her in. She said she told her cousin she wanted to find a job to help her mother, but her cousin insisted that she should enroll in school.

She could get paid to run, her cousin told her, if she worked hard in high school and earned a scholarship to college. 

Eventually Kelati gave in, enrolling in Heritage High School in Leesburg. Even though she didn’t speak any English, she soon found a home on her track and field team .

She was recruited to the University of New Mexico, where she won the 2019 NCAA Division I cross country championships, and she eventually went pro.

Back in Eugene

In 2021, a couple of days before the trials for the delayed Tokyo Olympics, Kelati got big news: The country that she had sought refuge in was claiming her as one of its own. She was getting U.S. citizenship.

In the excitement of becoming a citizen, Kelati said, she didn’t sleep well or account for the heat awaiting her during the trials that year. She was forced to drop out almost three-quarters through the 10,000-meter race, watching her Olympic dreams for Tokyo fly away.

Kelati said she was frustrated, but in the three years since then, she has changed her mindset. She said she tried to stop focusing on results, instead learning to trust her training. When the 2024 trials rolled around, she found herself on the track in Eugene again.

Kelati said she blocked all the memories that usually come flooding back when she is in Eugene and focused on the race. One foot after the next, she ran the 10,000 meters for half an hour at a steady pace. 

As she neared the last few laps, it was clear she was in the top three — necessary to secure her Olympic spot — but, she said, her competitive spirit took over. Kelati pushed and outran Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer, momentarily falling back into second place but ultimately beating them by tenths of a second to take first place.

Kelati is Paris-bound, but her job isn't done.

"I just want to race hard and have the best results in my life," she said. "I wanted to be one of the runners that I used to watch in TV, you know?"

Even though she will compete in red, white and blue, Eritrea remains close to Kelati's heart. The close-knit Eritrean community that as a young girl helped her navigate a foreign country and find her way to Olympic glory has rallied around her. In the days since the trials, she said, she has heard from Eritreans all over, cheering her on.

"I'm so thankful for everyone that supported me and followed my journey," she said.

Ten years after her journey to become a U.S. Olympian began, Kelati thinks back to when she was in middle school and saw, for the first time, Olympic runners crossing the finish line. 

She’s one of them now, and she hopes she will be an example to people watching her.

"I hope this inspires them," she said. "If you don’t give up on what you wanted to achieve in life, I know you can live your dream one day."

Raquel Coronell Uribe is a breaking news reporter. 

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The Running Dream Lesson Plans for Teachers

Teaching The Running Dream

The Running Dream lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. Inside you'll find 30 Daily Lessons, 20 Fun Activities, 180 Multiple Choice Questions, 60 Short Essay Questions, 20 Essay Questions, Quizzes/Homework Assignments, Tests, and more. The lessons and activities will help students gain an intimate understanding of the text, while the tests and quizzes will help you evaluate how well the students have grasped the material. View a free sample

Target Grade: 7th-12th (Middle School and High School)

Length of Lesson Plan: Approximately 159 pages. Page count is estimated at 300 words per page. Length will vary depending on format viewed.

Browse The Running Dream Lesson Plan:

Full Lesson Plan Overview

Completely customizable.

The Running Dream lesson plan is downloadable in PDF and Word. The Word file is viewable with any PC or Mac and can be further adjusted if you want to mix questions around and/or add your own headers for things like "Name," "Period," and "Date." The Word file offers unlimited customizing options so that you can teach in the most efficient manner possible. Once you download the file, it is yours to keep and print for your classroom. View a FREE sample

Lesson Plan Calendars

The Lesson Plan Calendars provide daily suggestions about what to teach. They include detailed descriptions of when to assign reading, homework, in-class work, fun activities, quizzes, tests and more. Use the entire The Running Dream calendar, or supplement it with your own curriculum ideas. Calendars cover one, two, four, and eight week units. Determine how long your The Running Dream unit will be, then use one of the calendars provided to plan out your entire lesson.

Chapter Abstracts

Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter of The Running Dream . They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of important characters. The Chapter Abstracts can be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read. Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a "key" for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but can serve to be an excellent refresher of The Running Dream for either a student or teacher.

Character and Object Descriptions

Character and Object Descriptions provide descriptions of the significant characters as well as objects and places in The Running Dream . These can be printed out and used as an individual study guide for students, a "key" for leading a class discussion, a summary review prior to exams, or a refresher for an educator. The character and object descriptions are also used in some of the quizzes and tests in this lesson plan. The longest descriptions run about 200 words. They become shorter as the importance of the character or object declines.

Daily Lessons

This section of the lesson plan contains 30 Daily Lessons. Daily Lessons each have a specific objective and offer at least three (often more) ways to teach that objective. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, in-class handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about The Running Dream in a classroom setting. You can combine daily lessons or use the ideas within them to create your own unique curriculum. They vary greatly from day to day and offer an array of creative ideas that provide many options for an educator.

Fun Classroom Activities

Fun Classroom Activities differ from Daily Lessons because they make "fun" a priority. The 20 enjoyable, interactive classroom activities that are included will help students understand The Running Dream in fun and entertaining ways. Fun Classroom Activities include group projects, games, critical thinking activities, brainstorming sessions, writing poems, drawing or sketching, and countless other creative exercises. Many of the activities encourage students to interact with each other, be creative and think "outside of the box," and ultimately grasp key concepts from the text by "doing" rather than simply studying. Fun activities are a great way to keep students interested and engaged while still providing a deeper understanding of The Running Dream and its themes.

Essay Questions/Writing Assignments

These 20 Essay Questions/Writing Assignments can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment on The Running Dream . Students should have a full understanding of the unit material in order to answer these questions. They often include multiple parts of the work and ask for a thorough analysis of the overall text. They nearly always require a substantial response. Essay responses are typically expected to be one (or more) page(s) and consist of multiple paragraphs, although it is possible to write answers more briefly. These essays are designed to challenge a student's understanding of the broad points in a work, interactions among the characters, and main points and themes of the text. But, they also cover many of the other issues specific to the work and to the world today.

Short Essay Questions

The 60 Short Essay Questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of The Running Dream by describing what they've read, rather than just recalling it. The short essay questions evaluate not only whether students have read the material, but also how well they understand and can apply it. They require more thought than multiple choice questions, but are shorter than the essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

The 180 Multiple Choice Questions in this lesson plan will test a student's recall and understanding of The Running Dream . Use these questions for quizzes, homework assignments or tests. The questions are broken out into sections, so they focus on specific chapters within The Running Dream . This allows you to test and review the book as you proceed through the unit. Typically, there are 5-15 questions per chapter, act or section.

Evaluation Forms

Use the Oral Reading Evaluation Form when students are reading aloud in class. Pass the forms out before you assign reading, so students will know what to expect. You can use the forms to provide general feedback on audibility, pronunciation, articulation, expression and rate of speech. You can use this form to grade students, or simply comment on their progress.

Use the Writing Evaluation Form when you're grading student essays. This will help you establish uniform criteria for grading essays even though students may be writing about different aspects of the material. By following this form you will be able to evaluate the thesis, organization, supporting arguments, paragraph transitions, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. of each student's essay.

Quizzes/Homework Assignments

The Quizzes/Homework Assignments are worksheets that can be used in a variety of ways. They pull questions from the multiple choice and short essay sections, the character and object descriptions, and the chapter abstracts to create worksheets that can be used for pop quizzes, in-class assignments and homework. Periodic homework assignments and quizzes are a great way to encourage students to stay on top of their assigned reading. They can also help you determine which concepts and ideas your class grasps and which they need more guidance on. By pulling from the different sections of the lesson plan, quizzes and homework assignments offer a comprehensive review of The Running Dream in manageable increments that are less substantial than a full blown test.

Use the Test Summary page to determine which pre-made test is most relevant to your students' learning styles. This lesson plan provides both full unit tests and mid-unit tests. You can choose from several tests that include differing combinations of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, short essay questions, full essay questions, character and object matching, etc. Some of the tests are designed to be more difficult than others. Some have essay questions, while others are limited to short-response questions, like multiple choice, matching and short answer questions. If you don't find the combination of questions that best suits your class, you can also create your own test on The Running Dream .

Create Your Own Quiz or Test

You have the option to Create Your Own Quiz or Test. If you want to integrate questions you've developed for your curriculum with the questions in this lesson plan, or you simply want to create a unique test or quiz from the questions this lesson plan offers, it's easy to do. Cut and paste the information from the Create Your Own Quiz or Test page into a Word document to get started. Scroll through the sections of the lesson plan that most interest you and cut and paste the exact questions you want to use into your new, personalized The Running Dream lesson plan.

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Trade for $10.9 million ‘dream target’ can renew astros dynasty.

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 28: Christian Walker #53 of the Arizona Diamondbacks walks through the ... [+] dugout in the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers during Game Two of the World Series at Globe Life Field on October 28, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The Houston Astros have made the playoffs for seven years straight, including an improbable trip to the American League Championship Series last year to cap off a season still mired in doubt as late as September . Despite that resilience, this year’s edition had been all but counted out of postseason contention (I raised some questions myself ) as they opened to a losing record.

But things changed in Houston after the team surged to a 17-8 record in June and they now sit just two games behind the Seattle Mariners for the lead in the American League West. With the trade deadline just a few weeks away, the Astros have placed themselves in a position to add, with one of the most tantalizing prospective trade assets firmly in their sights.

“The Astros, now a clear threat to win the West yet again, seek a starter (or two) and a hitter (possibly a 1B if it’s a clear upgrade),” according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “The dream target is thought to be Diamondbacks 1B Christian Walker, a free agent to be.”

Walker is certainly an addition that can help propel the Astros back into World Series contention, renewing the most productive dynasty in recent MLB history just as it seemed well and truly dead.

To open the year, first base was manned by $58.5 million veteran Jose Abreau, but his struggles saw him optioned to the minors in May, then released in June. Jon Singleton, Mauricio Dubón and Joey Loperfido have since shared the role, but the potential to slot in an everyday slugger is appealing.

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Walker is earning $10.9 million in his final season of arbitration, suggesting he could be dealt by the Diamondbacks if the front office prefers some kind of future return over his potential contributions for the rest of this season. The Diamondbacks currently sit at .500, two games out of a Wild Card spot and more than nine games out of the lead for the competitive National League West division.

If the Diamondbacks are listening to offers for Walker, their asking price is sure to be high, even if he’s a one-year rental. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner is slashing .268/.340/.513 with 22 homers and 64 RBI, the most long balls of any first baseman in the majors. The price would be steep, if the Diamondbacks are willing to trade Walker at all.

“Yet, let’s say Arizona were encouraged to sell, especially since Walker is in the final year of his contract and may not re-sign,” FanSided’s Mark Powell suggested . “Getting something of substance for him now makes a lot of sense for the D’Backs.”

Powell proposed a trade that would send Loperfido, one of the most promising young players in baseball, along with right-handed pitching prospect Alimber Santa to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Walker. Historically, Astros owner Jim Crane has been willing to give up significant young talent to keep the dynasty running, as he did to add premier starters Justin Verlander in 2017 and 2023 and Zack Greinke in 2019.

“It’s a pretty interesting group, and they will not hold back at the deadline,” projected The Athletic MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal during a recent appearance on “Foul Territory.” “They will try because they have done that repeatedly under Jim Crane in the past.”

Pitching might be the team’s most pressing need at the deadline, as injuries have devastated their staff, with starters Verlander, Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia and Jake Bloss all currently sidelined . And finding some blockbuster potency at first base might be more likely by adding a player from a less competitive team, like Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Andrew Vaughn of the Chicago White Sox — both of whom would give the Astros team control beyond the rest of this season.

But few additions would renew the Astros’ postseason dynasty hopes more dramatically than Walker.

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Who Might Replace Biden on the Top of the Ticket?

President Biden is said to be weighing his political future after his halting debate performance. Here’s a roster of some possible backup candidates.

President Joe Biden’s debate performance left some Democrats wondering who else might be suitable for the ballot in November. Credit... Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

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By Chris Cameron and Adam Nagourney

• Published June 28, 2024 Updated July 3, 2024

President Biden’s poor performance in the debate against former President Donald J. Trump has prompted widespread panic and pessimism within the Democratic primary over Mr. Biden’s status as their presumptive nominee. As the president is said to be weighing his political future , some Democrats are raising the possibility of nominating an alternative candidate and considering a roster of names.

At the top the list is Vice President Kamala Harris, whose status as Mr. Biden’s running mate makes her an easy candidate for the party to turn to as an obvious successor. But a crop of Democratic governors and other figures are often mentioned as well.

A candidate switch would most likely require Mr. Biden to agree to step aside. The risks of him doing so are real. Some of the highest-profile figures listed below have never endured the vetting and road test of a presidential race. There is a long list of candidates who looked great on paper and withered on the campaign trail.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds,” said Barbara Boxer, the former senator from California. “Being vetted for president is like no other vetting. We don’t know how these people would do.”

Here are a few of the contenders being discussed:

Kamala Harris

Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor and senator of California, has at times struggled to define her role at Mr. Biden’s side . Initially charged with addressing polarizing and intractable issues like illegal migration and voting rights , she has been viewed by Democratic donors and supporters of Mr. Biden as a potential political liability. Though those concerns have eased, she has been weighed down by low approval ratings that are barely higher than the president’s .

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As the sixteen-year-old protagonist of the novel, first-person-narrator Jessica Carlisle is a star track team athlete who has lost her leg in a tragic accident. Faced with an identity crisis and the loss of an activity that both defined her and gave her purpose, Jessica must come to terms with her tragic loss and find a way to start over. With the help of her family, doctors, and teammates, she learns to walk again with the use of a regular prosthetic. With her specialized running prosthetic, Jessica is able to run again. While physically healing, she addresses her mental state, and with inspiration from Rosa, a classmate stricken with cerebral palsy, Jessica finds the means by which to overcome her past and redefine who she is and what she stands for.

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