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Strides: Running Through History With an Unlikely Athlete
Acclaimed novelist Benjamin Cheever--author of The Plagiarist, Famous After Death, and The Good Nanny--brings his buoyant literary style to this impassioned memoir about the sport that changed his life. From Pheidippides, who rant the first marathon in 490 BC--bringing news to Athens of the Greek victory on the plains of Marathon--to our own soldiers in Iraq today, ru...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
September 18th 2007
by Rodale Books
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It's uneven. Some parts of it are rollicking and funny. Some parts are touching. Some parts are informative. Some parts are clumsy. The parts don't gel. It is as if the author set out to write four completely different books on running but ended up slamming all of them together in one work. The history is interesting but too meager an offering to make it worth buying the book. The personal stories are often interesting but sometimes Cheever reveals himself to be shallow and self-interested. He i...more
Ben Cheever just is not that good of an author (and he does feel the pressure of having a famous father): his paragraphs are choppy, they lack transition, and they often seem a bit forced. In any case, he is occasionally capable of revealing some deep personal feelings and emotions to which we can all relate, and for that he gets some credit. Besides, he conveys very well his love (obsession?) with running, so for runners this is another recommended book. Non-runners will not like this book near...more
Just finished this book -- I read the final half as I was tapering from and recovering from running my second marathon, so I was definitely in the mood for a book about running.
I was hoping for more. Ben Cheever is a great writer, and a man besotted with running, so I thought the alchemy of the two would work in my favor as a running reader, or a reading runner, but his concept for the book didn't quite work out.
I think he was trying to give a history of running, interspersed with h...more
I was hoping for more. Ben Cheever is a great writer, and a man besotted with running, so I thought the alchemy of the two would work in my favor as a running reader, or a reading runner, but his concept for the book didn't quite work out.
I think he was trying to give a history of running, interspersed with h...more
As a runner, I enjoyed reading this book, which seemed to be a compilation of thoughts, ruminations, and history about running. The flow never got quite comfortable; it was somewhat random. The author's writing was at times almost brilliant, and at times rather abstract and hard to follow. I think I would have appreciated more structure and flow to the book; I was left with the impression it was published as an afterthought from Cheever's daily journal. All said, I did enjoy the read and wou...more
A quick entertaining read. Contained some good trivia. For example some English dude in the mid-1800's who walked 1000 miles in 1000 hours. Sweet! Despite the author's rapture with the experience of running a marathon, it did not make me want to run one. Nor did it really inspire me to go out and go for a run all that much either, which is I what I was hoping it would do when I checked it out... It does have a list of 26 good books about running in the back though.
Cheever's style is highly conversational so that reading this book feels like you're on a run with him. Runners of all ability levels will enjoy this book, especially those with an appreciation for the history of the sport (both recreation-ally and competitively).
I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Kenyan runners and Cheever's trip to Kenya, as well as when he was a volunteer at the New York Marathon handing out medals. Well-written and interesting.
I hadn't noticed Strides of the shelves at work until it ended up on my cart to catalog. It was just what I needed to inspire me at this point in my training schedule. John Cheever outlines the history of running, while interspersing his experiences over a life of running. He covers running as an evolutionary milestone, the early Olympics and the different modern periods of runnings popularity. His experiences include visiting Kenya and elite training camps there, volunteering at the New York Ma...more
Cheever weaves his own running story with the history of marathons. An enjoyable read for any adult onset marathoner.
Mix of personal reminiscing, running history, and whining about his famous dad. Sort of scattered.
A very interesting look at the history of running, both global and personal, from a great writer.
Good humor, especially for those who know runners who take themselves too seriously.
Facts and memoir all in one. Great motivator. And I learned that the root of the Greek word "gymnasium" means to "exercise naked." Fortunately, I'm not THAT motivated.
I'm actually jogging again after 30 years because of this book
I'm not if this will remain a 5-star book, but it was the perfect book for me at the time I read it.
This was a fun book to roll around in. Mostly about running for runners, the author has some good times turning a phrase or two. But all the way through I kept wondering how such an accomplished writer managed to get this disjointed mess published. It follows no clear thoughts or structure, and finishing some sections is arduous at best. But still, it's about the runner's soul, and if you don't get it, then you don't have it. One star for the writing, five stars for the subject.
I bought this book because I was on a "books about running" kick. I'm still in that kick, to be honest, but my book allowance is hindering me a little. I also got this book because I knew what Cheever family the author came from.
I enjoyed it. There was a good mix of personal and historical information. I also felt that I could relate to Cheever, even though he'd smoke me in a race! The writing style suited me.
I'd recommend this book to other runners.
I enjoyed it. There was a good mix of personal and historical information. I also felt that I could relate to Cheever, even though he'd smoke me in a race! The writing style suited me.
I'd recommend this book to other runners.
I can't help it. I'm obsessed with running and now pick up any book remotely about running I can find.
I wanted to like this book more. The author has great credentials, both as an experienced runner and author. While he had some great turns of phrase and interesting tidbits about some aspects of the sport (esp. historically), the book just came off as rather disjointed for me.
I enjoyed it, but it didn't rise to my expectations.
I enjoyed it, but it didn't rise to my expectations.
The stuff about the history and biomechanics of running is absolutely fascinating. Cheever himself is kind of an ass who spends too much time talking about himself, and I get sick of him complaining about fat, slow people who dare to try to run (like me).
Even though this was the book equivalent of a guy with diahrea of the mouth running behind you the whole time in a 5K, it still had its moments, especially the Kenya and Iraq parts. List of great running-related books at the end is also interesting.
An interesting read for a fairly serious runner, but probably not for anyone else. Gives some good historical info on the evolution of the marathon.
It was interesting and somewhat funny. As a runner, the historical facts were intriguing but I found the flow, or lack thereof, was a bit hard.
One of the very best running books I have read. It's a personal journey. Great writing, well researched.
...this may even be a good read for a non-runner... maybe...
Kaufmak
marked it as to-read
Melissa Oneill
marked it as to-read
Aaron Ishmael
marked it as to-read
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“When you run a marathon, you mean it. We're built for running. We dream of flying. For now, though, we're built to run.”
—
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