Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)
During the summer and fall of 2011, Bruce Weber, an obituary writer for The New York Times, bicycled across the country, alone, and wrote about it as it unfolded. Life Is a Wheel is the witty, inspiring, and reflective diary of his journey, in which the challenges and rewards of self-reliance and strenuous physical effort yield wry and incisive observations about cycling and America, not to mention the pleasures of a three-thousand-calorie breakfast.
The story begins on the Oregon coast, with Weber wondering what he's gotten himself into, and ends in triumph on New York City's George Washington Bridge. From Going-to-the-Sun Road in the northern Rockies to the headwaters of the Mississippi and through the cityscapes of Chicago and Pittsburgh, his encounters with people and places provide us with an intimate, two-wheeled perspective of America. And with thousands of miles to travel, Weber considers his past, his family, and the echo that a well-lived life leaves behind.
Part travelogue, part memoir, part romance, part paean to the bicycle—and part bemused and panicky account of a middle-aged man's attempt to stave off, well, you know—Life Is a Wheel is "a book for cyclists, and for anyone who has ever dreamed of such transcontinental travels. But it also should prove enlightening, soul-stirring, even, to those who don't care a whit about bikes but who care about the way people connect" (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
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Bruce Weber. (2014). Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America. Scribner.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Bruce Weber. 2014. Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America. Scribner.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Bruce Weber, Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America. Scribner, 2014.
MLA Citation (style guide)Bruce Weber. Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America. Scribner, 2014.
| Library | Owned | Available |
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- bioText: Bruce Weber, a reporter for The New York Times, began his career in publishing as a fiction editor at Esquire. He has written for numerous publications and is the author of the New York Times bestseller As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires, coauthor (with Savion Glover) of Savion! My Life in Tap, and the editor of Look Who's Talking: An Anthology of Voices in the Modern American Short Story.
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- Life Is a Wheel chronicles the cross-country bicycle trip Bruce Weber made at the age of fifty-seven, an "entertaining travel story filled with insightful thoughts about life, family, and aging" (The Associated Press).
During the summer and fall of 2011, Bruce Weber, an obituary writer for The New York Times, bicycled across the country, alone, and wrote about it as it unfolded. Life Is a Wheel is the witty, inspiring, and reflective diary of his journey, in which the challenges and rewards of self-reliance and strenuous physical effort yield wry and incisive observations about cycling and America, not to mention the pleasures of a three-thousand-calorie breakfast.
The story begins on the Oregon coast, with Weber wondering what he's gotten himself into, and ends in triumph on New York City's George Washington Bridge. From Going-to-the-Sun Road in the northern Rockies to the headwaters of the Mississippi and through the cityscapes of Chicago and Pittsburgh, his encounters with people and places provide us with an intimate, two-wheeled perspective of America. And with thousands of miles to travel, Weber considers his past, his family, and the echo that a well-lived life leaves behind.
Part travelogue, part memoir, part romance, part paean to the bicycle—and part bemused and panicky account of a middle-aged man's attempt to stave off, well, you know—Life Is a Wheel is "a book for cyclists, and for anyone who has ever dreamed of such transcontinental travels. But it also should prove enlightening, soul-stirring, even, to those who don't care a whit about bikes but who care about the way people connect" (The Philadelphia Inquirer). - reviews
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January 1, 2014
Weber normally spends his days with the stories of the dead--after all, he is an obituary writer for the New York Times. But when he decided finally to cross something major off his bucket list by riding coast to coast across the United States alone on his bicycle, Weber got the chance to do something that made him feel truly alive. This title is his witty travelog, his reflective road journal, and a vivid testament to the beauty of a journey made on two wheels. Perfect for fans of Bill Bryson's travel writing or books such as Jim Malusa's Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents and Paul Howard's Eat, Sleep, Ride: How I Braved Bears, Badlands, and Big Breakfasts in My Quest To Cycle the Tour Divide, this title is a cross-country trip every reader can enjoy. VERDICT Weber's journey is sure to inspire readers to roll their old bikes out of the shed and plan an epic trek of their own.--Melissa Culbertson, Homewood, IL
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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January 1, 2014
In 1993, at the age of 39, Weber rode from coast to coast on a bicycle. Eighteen years later he decided to repeat the task, and his account of the journey from the Oregon coast to Manhattan is a delightful, insightful saga that combines the genres of travelogue and journal of self-discovery while paying tribute to the joy and value of cycling. Weber readily acknowledges that, at 57, he lacked both the physical and mental stamina he possessed on his first crossing. As he indicates, cycling is hardly the serene activity of romantic lore; it requires intense concentration and an ability to constantly draw upon physical reserves. Yet Weber clearly retained his sharp powers of observation as he describes the changes he saw in the nation, from the ubiquitous use of cell phones to changes in the political climate. What hasn't changed, thankfully, is Weber's ability to be awestruck and inspired by the power and beauty of the landscapes he traverses. This is a thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable road story that will appeal to both cyclists and the more sedentary. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The popularity of Weber's New York Times series chronicling his bike trip will translate into great interest in the book version.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)
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Reprising a similar trip he took from California to New York City in 1993, in 2011 New York Times obituary writer and author Weber (As They See ’Em) bicycled from Oregon to Manhattan. Weber documented the trip for Times Web site, but here he has expanded on those posts to create a lengthier form that allows him to explore deeper themes while still maintaining the conversational style that makes his writing a breeze to read. While Weber introduces readers to people he met, his trip is more about the internal explorations of a 57-year-old man pushing his body to its limits. Weber presents “fruitful cogitation” on a myriad of subjects, such as the passing of a friend during the first week of his trip; his deceased parents; his long distance relationship with a woman named Jan; and the general feeling of loneliness that pervades the excursion. Weber never fails to entertain, and his compulsion to always move forward despite the weight of the past is as inspiring as his astounding cycling achievement.
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During the summer and fall of 2011, Bruce Weber, an obituary writer for The New York Times, bicycled across the country, alone, and wrote about it as it unfolded. Life Is a Wheel is the witty, inspiring, and reflective diary of his journey, in which the challenges and rewards of self-reliance and strenuous physical effort yield wry and incisive observations about cycling and America, not to mention the pleasures of a three-thousand-calorie breakfast.
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