Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness
Description
<p><b>The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon.</b><br /> <br />One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, <i>Learning to Breathe Fire </i>combines vivid sports writing with a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be human. In the book, veteran journalist J.C. Herz explains the science of maximum effort, why the modern gym fails an obese society, and the psychic rewards of ending up on the floor feeling as though you're about to die. <br /> <br />The story traces CrossFit’s rise, from a single underground gym in Santa Cruz to its adoption as the workout of choice for elite special forces, firefighters and cops, to its popularity as the go-to fitness routine for regular Joes and Janes. Especially riveting is Herz’s description of The CrossFit Games, which begin as an informal throw-down on a California ranch and evolve into a televised global proving ground for the fittest men and women on Earth, as well as hundreds of thousands of lesser mortals. <br /> <br />In her portrayal of the sport's star athletes, its passionate coaches and its “chief armorer,” Rogue Fitness, Herz powerfully evokes the uniqueness of a fitness culture that cultivates primal fierceness in average people. And in the shared ordeal of an all-consuming workout, she unearths the ritual intensity that's been with us since humans invented sports, showing us how, on a deep level, we're all tribal hunters and first responders, waiting for the signal to go all-out. </p>
Story Behind The Book
When travelling many years ago, I got a job as a nanny in a tiny fishing village working with two young girls. The village with its headland and old light tower fired my imagination. I have been creating stories for my classes about this place for the last 30 years. This one is the first in a series of Taya Bayliss stories.
Reviews
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Taya-Bayliss-Treasure-J-Gore/dp/1462894313/ref=cm_cr_dp_orig_subj"><strong><font color="#0066cc">Taya
Bayliss - Treasure Hunter (Paperback)</font></strong></a> It is not difficult to see
that Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys had some influence over the writings of
retired teacher, Erica Gore, but she has managed to bring us what we love about
those stories into a new setting (Australian) with new and interesting
characters.<br /><br />There's plenty in this story for middle-grade readers:
11-year-old Taya Bayliss is uprooted from her home and friends to move to a tiny
fishing village in South Australia; she abandons house rules to follow leads,
which then puts her and others in danger; two local boys make the path difficult
for the protagonist; and the mysterious old woman who appears to know the
details of the missing treasure.<br /><br />It's a well-constructed plot, and the
author also challenges readers to find something unusual or off-point in the
story adding another layer of mystery on top of those the story holds for
adventurous, curious pre-teens. <br /><br />***** Melanie Walsh Association of Independent Writers
