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About

James R. Gilbert An avid fly-fisherman, surfer, sailor, ocean-lover, reader and worrier, Jim Gilbert's career as a journalist spans three decades beginning as a staff reporter for The Provincetown Advocate, and culminating as the founding editor-in-chief and ultimately owner of ShowBoats International, the first publication devoted to the field of luxury yachting. A recognized authority on the subject of large yachts and its industry, Jim is a frequent speaker at industry events and has appeared on such outlets as CNN, Discovery Channel, and The History Channel. He is the recipient of the International Superyacht Sopciety's esteemed Leadership Award, and was instrumental in founding The SeaKeepers Society. He is the founder of the annual SeaKeeper Award, which for many years was presented in Monaco under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert to HSH Prince Rainier, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Jean-Michel Cousteau, James Cameron, Walter Cronkite, HRH Prince Khaled and other luminaries in the field of marine conservation. Jim splits his time between his home high in the Andes of Ecuador, the trout streams of the American West and the striper beaches of Cape Cod. He recently sold his waterfront home in the Florida Keys. At some point in the near future, most people will understand that the lifespan of their beachfront houses is measured in decades, not centuries. Jim also jokes, "I've always loved the sheer beauty and the extraordinary sophistication of large custom yachts. But I always thought in the back of my mind that down they road they would also make excellent no-income housing in a post-apocalyptic world."

Description

The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon. One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, Learning to Breathe Fire 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. 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. 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.

Story Behind The Book

Set amid a reclusive community of aging yachts in mid-Atlantic, The Admiral is a swashbuckling tale of people riding out the holocaust on land caused by a risen sea, the effects of climate change and social collapse. The changes are still happening and Aqual, the scarred, tenacious granddaughter of The Admiral, founder of Akkadia, believes her people are becoming too complacent, too comfortable with their lives despite the ominous signs around them. When she breaks all Akkadian law and custom and rescues the crew of a small sloop under attack by pirates, she sets in motion a chain of events that change forever her view of the world, and perhaps the course of human history. Accused of treason, she escapes her captivity to lead her tiny, outnumbered Akkadian navy in a furious sea-battle against a pirate armada. Her vindication ultimately comes, not from her extraordinary victory, but from the revelations of the sloop’s rescued crew about new perils from ongoing climate change. And she learns The Admiral had long ago foreseen the role she would play in his vision to rebuild a saner, wiser civilization atop the ruins of the old world. - See more at: http://christophermatthewspub.com/admiral/#sthash.6qTrO6mT.dpuf

Reviews

<p class="CMPSTDGAR10CxSpFirst" style="margin:.85em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:'Droid Sans', HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:21.450000762939453px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(68,68,68);background-color:rgb(107,149,168);">“Deep inside the aquatic landscape of our captivating seas Jim Gilbert takes us on a thrilling adventure; a story filled with awe and danger that weaves in the important fact of a rising and a changing sea. A story like this will inspire us all to protect our water planet and ultimately ourselves.” —Jean-Michel Cousteau, Cinematographer, author, Founder and Chairman of the Ocean Futures Society <p style="margin:.85em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:'Droid Sans', HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:21.450000762939453px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(68,68,68);background-color:rgb(107,149,168);">“Gilbert writes about the sea and sailing in a way that provokes awe and admiration. His novel, The Admiral, is propelled by an unforgettable warrior woman, who leads a marooned people in their struggle to survive in a future determined by the implacable consequences of global warming.” —Paul Brodeur, former staff writer at The New Yorker and author of The Stunt Man and 10 other works of fiction and investigative journalism <p style="margin:.85em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:'Droid Sans', HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:21.450000762939453px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(68,68,68);background-color:rgb(107,149,168);">“The Admiral is an adventure novel, with urgent moral consequences, about a perilous and costly future. Gilbert writes about boats and the water so well that a reader sometimes seems to be staring at the same harbors and horizons as his characters.” —Alec Wilkinson, staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of The Ice Balloon and nine other works of literary journalism <p style="margin:.85em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:'Droid Sans', HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:21.450000762939453px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(68,68,68);background-color:rgb(107,149,168);">“Master of ocean lore and master storyteller Jim Gilbert combines high adventure with deep thoughts in this provocative white-knuckle voyage into the future.” —Dr. Sylvia Earle, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society, Founder, Mission Blue, former Chief Scientist, NOAA <p style="margin:.85em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:'Droid Sans', HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:21.450000762939453px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(68,68,68);background-color:rgb(107,149,168);">“Jim Gilbert’s first book is stunning. He vividly describes a future world after the catastrophic collapse of the ice sheets raises sea level — but not THAT far in the future. As the author of a scientific book about rising sea level, I was delighted to find that it is scientifically plausible. But the novel stands on its own, with good character development, setting up new social and political possibilities. Fascinating technologies to deal with the challenges after our current technologies fail. Suspenseful. One of those books that is hard to put down. Entertaining and enlightening.” —J. Englander <p style="margin:.85em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:'Droid Sans', HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:21.450000762939453px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(68,68,68);background-color:rgb(107,149,168);">“<span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);">Sit back and get ready for a post-apocolyptic ride that seems so feasible you begin to wonder if this is fiction or the forecast a magical clairvoyant sailor?” —Capt. T. Kaufman - See more at: http://christophermatthewspub.com/admiral/#sthash.6qTrO6mT.dpuf

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Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

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