• Run Towards the Danger

  • Confrontations with a Body of Memory
  • By: Sarah Polley
  • Narrated by: Sarah Polley
  • Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (201 ratings)

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Run Towards the Danger  By  cover art

Run Towards the Danger

By: Sarah Polley
Narrated by: Sarah Polley
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Publisher's summary

“A visceral and incisive collection of six propulsive personal essays.” – Vanity Fair

*A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice*Named a Most-Anticipated Book of 2022 by Entertainment Weekly, Lit Hub, and AV Club*New York Times Paperback Row*

From the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of
Women Talking and the acclaimed director and actor Sarah Polley, Run Towards the Danger explores memory and the dialogue between her past and her present

These are the most dangerous stories of my life. The ones I have avoided, the ones I haven’t told, the ones that have kept me awake on countless nights. As these stories found echoes in my adult life, and then went another, better way than they did in childhood, they became lighter and easier to carry.

Sarah Polley’s work as an actor, screenwriter, and director is celebrated for its honesty, complexity, and deep humanity. She brings all those qualities, along with her exquisite storytelling chops, to these six essays. Each one captures a piece of Polley’s life as she remembers it, while at the same time examining the fallibility of memory, the mutability of reality in the mind, and the possibility of experiencing the past anew, as the person she is now but was not then. As Polley writes, the past and present are in a “reciprocal pressure dance.”

Polley contemplates stories from her own life ranging from stage fright to high-risk childbirth to endangerment and more. After struggling with the aftermath of a concussion, Polley met a specialist who gave her wholly new advice: to recover from a traumatic injury, she had to retrain her mind to strength by charging towards the very activities that triggered her symptoms. With riveting clarity, she shows the power of applying that same advice to other areas of her life in order to find a path forward, a way through. Rather than live in a protective crouch, she had to run towards the danger.

In this extraordinary book, Polley explores what it is to live in one’s body, in a constant state of becoming, learning, and changing.

©2022 Sarah Polley (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE 2022 TORONTO BOOK AWARDS * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE * NOMINATED FOR THE 2023 HERITAGE TORONTO AWARDS * A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * Named a Most-Anticipated Book of 2022 by Entertainment Weekly, Lit Hub, and AV Club

One of
The Globe and Mail’s “Best books of 2022”

“Fascinating, harrowing, courageous, and deeply felt, these explorations of ‘dangerous stories,’ harmful past events, and trials of the soul speak to all who’ve encountered dark waters and have had to navigate them.” —Margaret Atwood via Twitter

“Sad to be done with [Sarah Polley]’s superb memoir, Run Towards the Danger, but very happy I read it. Fascinating life and beautifully and unflinchingly explored. Please read.” —Rob Delaney, actor and writer, via Twitter

What listeners say about Run Towards the Danger

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Exploring Sarah Polley

I was inspired by her film, Women Talking, to learn more about Sarah Polley and explore her works. Excellent book and inspiring person.

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A must read!

Fantastic collection of essays. Love Sara’s inquisitive and rich writing! Don’t wanna give much away from it to not spoil it but this collection spanning stories from her childhood and adulthood are a must read! Love her style and cadence and her reading style was very enjoyable.

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A powerful message; a guiding light-

This book was awesome. We loved every second. This book inspired us in many ways.
I loved your performance, Sarah Polley, and it was a very powerful experience.
To all just remember, to run toward the danger

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Sarah Polley deserves another award

I’m concerned about the rampant anxiety plaguing society which results in pervasive coddling with no apparent healing results. When discussing this issue a friend recommended RUN TOWARDS THE DANGER. I listened to it while commuting weekly to Long Island for work, which gave me extra time for the essays to percolate in my mind.
Sarah Polley’s stories are intensely rich in eloquent imagery which in my experience makes them more compelling than the average “then she said…”
Thank you, Sarah, especially for the last essay. I very much want my grown children to read this book and discuss it. Your courage comes straight from your heart. Brava!!

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  • AC
  • 07-30-22

Amazing resilient person

I enjoyed her perspective on her life and how at different times in her life it changed. Her ability to find something to be grateful for in difficult times was inspirational.

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One of the best books I have listened to

A must listen/read, especially if you suffer from chronic mind body conditions. Such rawness and vulnerability. So beautifully written. So honest and insightful. Thank you Sarah.

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Beautiful, Brilliant and Profound

I’ve been a fan of Sarah Polley for nearly 25 years, not only because of her on and off screen performances, but also because of her conviction and resolution. This book brought me into her world, shedding light on the artist that she has been and continues to be. This book proved to me that she has always been the hero I thought she was.

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Thank you, Sarah!

This brave and insightful book has made me smarter, stronger, and braver. Thank you for sharing your story.

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Healing & informative

I learned a lot from her perspectives and experiences. I loved listening to it and felt it was healing for my personal experiences that have felt a bit overwhelming in my life.

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Series of essays; not memoir

Although I was hoping for a more comprehensive memoir, these disconnected essays about Polley's life were compelling and vulnerable. Interestingly there wasn't a single word about the movies in which I enjoy her most. Hopefully this at least means these experiences were not traumatic.

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