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Jen Knox

Jen Knox

About

Jen Knox is a Fiction Editor at Our Stories Literary Journal, and worksas a freelance writer, editor, and writing tutor. She grew up in Ohio,and lives in Texas, where she is currently working on a novel entitled"Absurd Hunger."

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

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

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<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>

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<p><strong><em><span style="font-size:13.5pt;">REVIEWS</span></em></strong><strong></strong></p><p></p> <p>Jen Knox is an exceptionally gifted storyteller, who can take the events of the past and craft them invariably into engaging and compelling narratives.</p> <p><strong>--Phillip Lopate, Author of </strong><em><strong>Notes on Sontag</strong></em><strong></strong></p><p></p> <p><br /> This true tale of grit, survival and eventual rebirth of the psyche is engaging and inspirational, even to a small-town girl like me.</p> <p><strong>--Gretchen A. Phillips, Pearson Education</strong><strong></strong></p><p></p> <p>With her unique voice, Jen tells the poignant, yet raw, story of her journey to adulthood, living on the streets as a runaway and her ultimate struggle to establish her own identity as a woman who truly values herself. This is one of those books that lingers long after the last page.</p> <p><strong>--Heather McIntosh, author of <em>Small Animals First</em></strong><strong></strong></p><p></p> <p>Jen’s a runner, a runaway. Following in the footsteps of her great grandmother, Glory, who defiantly set out on her own near the same young age, and finding commonalities of mental illnesses among the women in her family, Jen must’ve realized her course was set out for her organically. </p> <p>In the writing of <em>Musical Chairs</em>, a memoir blatant and unapologetic, Jen attempts to make sense of herself within the larger family history.  Yet, for all of the similarities Jen discovered between herself and Glory, there is at least one difference: Glory ran away from family, while Jen’s running brought the both of them back.</p> <p><strong>--Jennifer Lynne Roberts, playwright and writer, author of <em>Beekeeper</em> and <em>Book of Taos</em></strong><strong></strong></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p>