Author: Don Aker

I first met Aker five years ago when he gave a presentation to a group of students at the school I was working at. Similar to many teacher-turned-authors, his journey began in the classroom as a means of hooking students on reading.

Running on Empty is a clear example of someone who knows their audience. The main character, Ethan, is a prime example of an entitled young person who can’t see beyond himself. This makes you frustrated with him and recognizing he probably matches the personality of someone you may know (to some degree). For a young adult, it will probably resonate closely as they will most likely be able to put someone they know directly in those shoes.

Quick summary: Ethan wants a car, smashes up his rich dad’s vehicle, is forced to pay the repairs as a lesson and tries to find a way to build his savings to buy the car. As you can imagine, the plot revolves around the method he uses to build up that savings.

While enjoyable and page turning, at no point did I ever empathize with Ethan. Even in his “turning point” moments, I kind of shrugged and kept going. In some respects, I do applaud Aker for not giving him much growth as it portrays a realistic picture of a person who can’t see beyond themselves. While Ethan started his transition at the end of the book, some people take longer… much longer… and with even harder lessons.

A great read, especially for students.