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About

Said to be a man who writes with his pen dipped in his soul, bestselling author Tom Winton has been listed as one of Amazon's Top 100 "Most Popular Authors" in both Literary Fiction and in Mystery, Thriller and Suspense.

Tom's novels have been likened to such classics as Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and more. His titles are Beyond Nostalgia, The Last American Martyr, Four Days with Hemingway's Ghost, Within a Man's Heart, A Second Chance in Paradise, Forever Three, and a short story collection The Voice of Willie Morgan.

Born and raised in New York City, Tom has done everything from working on a railroad gang in the Colorado Rockies to driving a taxicab in Manhattan. He's also been a mailman, a salesman, an entrepreneur and more. Living now somewhere in the Smoky Mountains, he's busy tapping keys as he works on his eighth book.

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

It took me two and a half years to write Beyond Nostalgia, on a part time basis. While doing the seven drafts I laughed, I cried, and I even got turned on a few times. I loved the process and I hated it. When I finished it twelve years ago, I sent out a fair amount of queries. Two or three agents showed interest – read a few chapters — but there was no cigar. Disgustedly, I threw the manuscript into a closet, and there it stayed for eleven years. Alongside it, on that closet floor, I left a piece of my soul.

Reviews

I have no doubt that it will be huge once it gets the attention of the right people, and be compulsory reading in schools one day. For me it was on par with Harper Lee, JD Salinger or John Steinbeck as American social commentary, and whoever first compared it to Gone With the Wind got it spot on. Mark Williams—Mark Williams International It's very difficult to write what is called a literary novel without coming across as wordy or plain rambling. I find Faulkner and Joyce and Lawrence, among others, all too fond of the sound of their own words and unable to "get on with it". There is no merit in words for their own sake in a novel: the object is to tell a story and take the reader's imagination and keep it. You've done that brilliantly. All the usual trite approvals with regard to voice, scene setting and dialogue apply, so I won't insult you by adding to them. Nicholas Boving You write about romance, and that includes sexual activity, in a way that is moving and never salacious, I think you understand women and you love your characters; why shouldn't the reader fall for them too? All in all, Tom, it's a very powerful, very well told piece of history. It entertains, it has a moral and it speaks to the spirit. What reader can ask for more? Lee Shore I love it when I find a book so touching like yours. The story itself is the force of it all, you capture human emotions going against real life obstacles. You've done a wonderful job and it took me a while to find the words fit for a comment. Even so, I find them useless, all I can say it's been a beautifully haunting read. Congratulations and I wish you the best of luck with it. Julia Siboney--Children of Light Beyond Nostalgia is a story told with such tenderness and depth that it will break your heart. Though not sappy-sweet in sentimentality, it is warm and loving. It evokes our own fragile memories of that true and eternal love that happens but once in a lifetime and of making choices that will sometimes haunt us forever. It reaches out and grabs the hopeless romantic in all of us. The vivid imagery of his New York neighborhood and the memories of an unforgettable bygone era will touch many of his readers, but in the end, it will be the moving story of two young lovers and the heartbreaking cards they are dealt that will have readers reaching for the Kleenex and reminiscing about the one that got away and took their hearts with them. Powerful in its simplicity and honesty. Isabel Lopez My goodness! Your book is wicked! You write with such a unique voice, it's like I'm the person narrating your story, and I already feel what's happening, happened, and will happen even though I don't know what is, did, and will. That is remarkable. Your premise is engaging, and will appeal to many people, particularly Americans who will love the USA setting and Americana environment in your story. It's like your book is a Billy Joel song, but in book form! I am definitely backing this baby! Kevin Wong--Author of Heroes of Destiny Oh Thomas, I absolutely love your story. The place, the pacing, the sweet youth of Theresa and Dean, you have captured it all, the language. I have no idea why, but I kept thinking about Eddie and the Cruisers all through the story, and I don't even remember what that movie was about.. Dean's voice (your writing) is so perfect. I feel him peeling off the shells of the protective coating he's layered to protect himself and her. This is about more than love it is about intimacy, opening your heart and soul. K.C. Hart

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

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