another request: books

[angelo_caduto86]

I've read Lance's book, touring books, the yellow jersey... does anyone have a read list they would like to share?

I know Dirt Rag has a fiction contest coming out....but I am looking for novels

The Yellow Jersey was the best cycling fiction I have read. Barbara Savage's tour book was good, as was Mom Can I ride accross the Country..

[Goride]

I found The Immortal Class by Travis Hugh Culley to be an outstanding read if you're looking for more bike specific books. Incredible book, I ended up getting drawn into it and reading it within 3 or 4 days.

Other good reading? Currently I'm reading Stupid White Men and then I've got Hell's Angels waiting to be cracked open. Not Hunter S Thompsons Hell's Angels mind you, which was a great book on its own, but Hell's Angels written by Sonny...can't remember his last name. He was the leader of the Hell's Angels back in the day.

Want some good countercultural reading? Pick up Culture Jam by Kally Lasn, founder of Adbusters. Great read even if it is a bit preachy. After that pick up No Logo by Naomi Campbell...more indepth look at how consumer culture and corporate interests are taking over our lives and taking away our civil liberties. Fast Food Nation is another great book I've read recently. Damn near perfectly written and very well researched it is a far more graphic and heart stopping read than The Jungle was when I read that. Things in the fast food and meat packing industry have changed since Upton Sinclair viewed them yes, but they have changed for the worse. I could go on and on...but Nickle and Dimed on Not Getting by in America was a good read also. It is a story about trying to make it on minimum wage in America, and how its almost impossible to pull off. Made me seriously rethink living wage and affordable housing.

Those should keep you busy for a while I'd think...

-brad

[MrTB]

FRIDAY by Robert Heinlein, DEMON BOX by Ken Kesey,THE ULTIMATE RUSH by Joe Quirk, METAL COWBOY by Joe Kurmaskie. Some of the Messenger sites contain good reading as well if your willing to dig for it.

[angelo_caduto86]

Maybe there should be two categories....cycling books and non-cycling books.

really enjoyed METAL COWBOY by Joe Kurmaskie, but then I like those travel stories in general

any more cycling books?

[leapfrog]

i second the suggestion to ready travis culley's "the immortal class :bike messengers and the cult of human power." no matter what aspect of riding you are into, you should get sometihng out of this book, that doesn't just pertain to riding either.

there is a new book out about critical mass....but im not sure what it is titled and i havent read it yet, but i've heard only positive response to it.

for more statisitcal political-esque reading, i would suggest asphalt nation by jane holtz kay. its a scathing critique of car culture and everything connected to it.

thats all i can think of now with only one bagel in my system.

[bmw72]

I just finished The Immortal Class also, great book. I'm on the hunt for another book about messengers called Nerves of Steel. I cant seem to find it around here. Metal Cowboy was cool too.

[leapfrog]

i just got metal cowboy from the library today. speaking of...the library is a great resource for bicycle books. the main library in your city (if you have more than one) will have the biggest selection. i've found some awesome books around the period after bikes had their greatest impact on society.

on the nerves of steel...it is a hard book to find, but don't look too hard. well in my opinion, which i detailed in the latest issue of my zine, i didn't care for it at all. to me, it was repetitive and didn't have much substance to it. but hey, you might like it.

[MrTB]

I also enjoyed THE IMMORTAL CLASS by Travis Hugh Culley. I also had the chance to meet and talk with Travis at the Chicago Bike Show. Anywho, THE ULTIMATE RUSH by Joe Quirk is about a rollerblader who works for a messenger service which employs mostly bikers. Is this book cycling specific? Perhaps not, but a good read nonetheless. I could'nt find it at the book store so I went through the local library.
DEMON BOX by Ken Kesey is travelling stories but not about bikes. This was also a good read, including an awesome kids story called LITTLE TRICKER THE SQUIRREL MEETS BIG DOUBLE THE BEAR.