Year of the Dunk: A Modest Defiance of Gravity - Couverture rigide

Price, Asher

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0804138036 ISBN 13 : 9780804138031

Editeur : Crown Pub, 2015

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

“Journalist Price gleefully narrates his quest to dunk a basketball as a not-so-young adult...A springy mix of science writing, memoir, and history that is by turns informative, entertaining, and endearing.” –Publishers Weekly

“Price faced down numerous psychological and physical obstacles, as well as dramatic setbacks off the hardwood, but his optimism, perserverance, and development are at the heart of this good-natured chronicle of his efforts.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Year of the Dunk is a science-sprinkled narrative so deftly spun you won't notice how much you're learning. It is by turns challenging, inspiring, suspenseful, and constantly hilarious. Price's exploration of the limits of his own hops is undertaken on behalf of all who have ever set a lofty goal. This is one of the most enjoyable sports books I've read.” –David Epstein, author of the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene

 “White men, it seems, can jump after all. In fact, they can soar, as Asher Price shows in Year of the Dunk, his craftily documented pursuit of the slam. As Price pursues his quest to throw down a rim-clearing stuff, his opponent is not just gravity, but time. Price’s journey to reshape his body and upgrade his hops becomes a fun meditation on the mid air slam dance that for decades now has fascinated millions the world over.” –Roland Lazenby, author of Michael Jordan: The Life

“From a seemingly simple quest—to launch his creaky body high enough to ram a basketball through a hoop ten feet off the floor—Asher Price has spun a high-flying tale of science and sweat that’ll captivate even the most earthbound reader. Year of the Dunk is nerdy, fun, and full of surprises.” —Earl Swift, author of Auto Biography

“In this quirky and endearing memoir of personal growth, Price leaps gamely from his own underdog story to the historical and scientific narratives that underlie his quest to dunk. He explores the evolution and biomechanics of jumping, unpacks the racial tensions bound up with dunking, and gives us the low-down on all those high-tech sneakers. Two thumbs up.” —Alex Stone, author of Fooling Houdini

“It’s good! Year of the Dunk recounts science writer Asher Price’s quest to train his body to dunk a basketball. And it’s good! The book as well as the shot.” —Gregg Easterbrook, author of The King of Sports 

Présentation de l'éditeur

By embarking on a quest to dunk a basketball at the age of 34, journalist Asher Price investigates the limits of human potential—starting with his own.
 
We all like to think that (with a little practice) we could run faster, learn another language, or whip up a perfect soufflé. But few of us ever put those hopes to the test. In Year of the Dunk, Asher Price does, and he seizes on basketball’s slam dunk--a feat richly freighted with distinctly American themes of culture, race, and upward mobility--as a gauge to determine his own hidden potential. The showmanship of the dunk mesmerized Asher as a child, but even with his height (six foot plus) and impressive wingspan, he never pushed himself to try it. Now, approaching middle age, Asher decides to spend a year remaking his body and testing his mind as he wonders, like most adults, what untapped talent he still possesses.
 
 
In this humorous and often poignant journey into the pleasures and perils of exertion, Asher introduces us to a memorable cast of characters who help him understand the complexity of the human body and the individual drama at the heart of sports. Along the way he dives into the history and science of one of sports' most exuberant acts, examining everything from our genetic predisposition towards jumping to the cultural role of the slam dunk. The year-long effort forces him to ask some fundamental questions about human ability and the degree to which we can actually improve ourselves, even with great determination.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Crown Pub
• Date d'édition: 2015
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0804138036
• ISBN 13: 9780804138031
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 269
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
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