In his late 30s, celebrated essayist, journalist, and author Bill
McKibben - never much of an athlete - decided the time had come for him
to really test his body. Cross-country skiing his challenge of choice,
he lived the fantasy of many amateur athletes and trained - with the
help of a coach/guru - nearly full-time, putting in hours and miles
typical of an Olympic hopeful. For one vigorous year, which would
culminate in a series of grueling, long-distance races, McKibben
experienced his body's rhythms and possibilities as never before.
But the year also brought tragedy to McKibben and his family as his
father developed a life-threatening illness. Forcing a deeper
exploration of both body and spirit, the arrival of this illness
transforms McKibben's action-packed memoir into a moving account of two
men coming to terms with the limits of the flesh.
The author of such impassioned and groundbreaking books as The End of
Nature and The Age of Missing Information, Bill McKibben is re-nowned
as an original thinker. Here, writing with his trademark honesty and
insight, he once again creates a provocative and unconventional book, a
fascinating portrait of a man in midlife pushing his body and soul to
the breaking point - and learning some unexpected truths along the way.
