  | Seven million steps : the true story of Dick Gregory's run for the hungry Author: Barnes, Derrick | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
In April of 1976, a man sets off on a grueling two-and-a-half month run. A Herculean effort. His goal: raise awareness about the epidemic of poverty and hunger in America. Seven million steps. That's how far activist Dick Gregory journeys on his remarkable Food Run.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Gregory, Christian |
| Illustrator: | Morrison, Frank |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (12/15/25)
Booklist (+) (02/01/26)
The Hornbook (12/23/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 11/03/2025 Authors Barnes and Gregory begin this stirring account from the life of activist and comedian Dick Gregory (1932-2017) with a question: "No matter where you come from or what family you belong to.... what would you do if you knew someone who goes to bed every night without having supper?" In Morrison’s dynamic oil paintings, a child puts their head down on a table, a figure in silhouette gazes into an empty refrigerator, and an adult and two children are shown alongside bare pantry shelves. To raise awareness about global food insecurity, Gregory proposes "what seems like a wild idea": running from Los Angeles to New York City while abstaining from nearly all nourishment. Leaving in April 1976, Gregory travels 50 miles a day on foot, at every stop touting the cause and at times joined by runners and even celebrities. Urgent second-person lines that invest readers in the protagonist’s effort prove as elegant as the visuals of Gregory moving fluidly across a range of landscapes. It’s a compassionate, powerfully told portrait that asks of readers, "Will you simply stand still... or will you run until you can’t run anymore?" Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Contextualizing back matter and authors’ notes conclude. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) - Copyright 2025
Booklist - 02/01/2026 *Starred Review* Terse but powerful prose and majestic pictures will profoundly move anyone who encounters this commemoration of a 1976 cross-country run for hunger by activist and comedian Dick Gregory. “What would you do,” writes Newbery Honoree Barnes in conjunction with Gregory’s son, “if you knew someone who goes to bed every night without having supper?” His skinny, bearded, strong-featured figure shining with purpose in Morrison’s stately illustrations, Dick undertakes a 3,500-mile trek from L.A. to New York, mostly fasting, to call attention to the tragic reality of global hunger and food insecurity. “You’re just a somebody who’s trying to do the right thing, doing your part, from town to town to town.” Dick stops to talk with people, and he’s accompanied on parts of his route by Muhammad Ali and other supporters, but mostly he runs 50 miles per day alone. He arrives in New York on July 4 to little fanfare, but having certainly proved the depth of his commitment to do what he could to help others in need—“because isn’t that what we’re here for?” A final challenge awaits readers before the coauthors’ closing personal statements: “Will you simply stand still . . . or will you run until you can’t run anymore?” - Copyright 2026 Booklist.
