You Shall Know Our Velocity

Book Description

In his first novel, Dave Eggers has written a moving and hilarious tale of two friends who fly around the world trying to give away a lot of money and free themselves from a profound loss. It reminds us once again what an important, necessary talent Dave Eggers is.

Customer Reviews:

Only Made It Halfway.......2007-04-26

I ordered this book because I had read AHWOSG and found that pretty good. I was surely dissapointed in this book. The story just drags on and on and on and never really goes anywhere. I made it about halfway through before I decided to stop wasting my time with a "story" I didn't really care about. It seems like it could be a really good book but falls so short of its potential.

painful.......2007-04-10

very
hard to beleive this endless story is by the same author who wrote his other engaging novels

Good, but not great.......2007-01-23

As others have said, there are parts of this book that are so original, they blow your mind. But, Eggers is so self-conscious in his writing, for every clever plot twist, the reader can almost envision Eggers, the wheels of his brain turning as he writes what he considers to be extremely clever passages. It gets old. As with HWOSG, the book is far better in the first half than in the second. It was a good read, but not the great read I had hoped.

Loved it!.......2007-01-19

This book was just a straight up fun read. Eggers is a very talented, lively, provocative writer. His story follows two friends on their week-long trip around the world giving away $32,000. The resulting story is laugh-out-loud funny and poignant at the same time and it leads the two to learn things about themselves they never would have thought true. I would say this book had more contour and shape than his previous "Heartbreaking Work..." and also had more to say as a literary piece. I don't know if I would recommend this book to older readers though. I think Eggers tends to appeal to young-adult audiences and anyone much older than 30 probably will not connect with this book on the same level. Nevertheless, I think it's a great piece of contemporary literature with a lot of depth and will stay a favorite of mine for a long time.

An enjoyable read .......2007-01-04

Dave Eggers is wonderful in "You Shall Know Our Velocity". The book is very comical and sensitive. I have laughed outloud several times while reading. A great book for those interested in travel and those just looking for a engaging, humorous, and sensitive human story. Also suggest reading " A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Eggers. It's brilliant!

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You Shall Know Our Velocity
Dave Eggers
Manufacturer: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0241142288

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A disturbing road-trip through Africa, Europe and the human soul

You Shall Know Our Velocity
Dave Eggers
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0141013451

Customer Reviews:

A disturbing road-trip through Africa, Europe and the human soul.......2005-08-15

I happened across this novel at a book sale at a local retailer here in Cape Town and was drawn to it by the cover image - 2 people, half-naked, in free-fall. I'm not sure how I knew it, but the two people free-falling don't appear to be in any distress. Anyway, mindful of the old adage of not judging a book by its cover, I bought the novel.

I was not disappointed. I was bemused, though; bewildered, definitely. I was also not quite comfortable with it for a long way, partly because I couldn't really tell which way it was heading, and partly because it is fairly brutal. It was definitely not put-downable, though; a credit to the author's capabilities.

The story is that of Will and Justin - called "Hand" - and their frenetic trip to get rid of some money that Will has that he doesn't want. It all occurs in the aftermath of the death of their best friend, Jack, in a freak truck accident. Jack's death appears to have occurred fairly recently, and there has been another recent incident along the way where Will has been badly beaten up, which he blames Hand for. This recurring undertone simmers throughout the novel as Will is still black and blue on this frantic trip through Senegal, Morocco, Estonia and Latvia en route to Egypt, Greenland, Madagascar or Mongolia, depending on which flights are available. You'll have to read the novel to find out what I mean.

The novel is raucously funny and touchingly poignant, often in the same paragraph as it recounts the tale of Will and Hand currently aged 26, and also Will and Hand when they were just kids, through fairly disrupted childhoods. While Will is the narrator, it is as much the story of Hand as that of Will, and contains remarkable insights nutshelling the human condition, as much in their deeds as in their thoughts. Both guys certainly seem to exist with a heavy measure of aftertaste, lives initially filled with promise which have petered out into a holding pattern of day-to-day drudgery and unfulfilled potential.

The author manages to create an amazing sense of utter desperation in both characters - even though the trip is a spur of the moment decision, it becomes so monumental that one wonders in the end if they could have survived without it. The novel is simultaneously disturbing and wonderous, containing more twists and turns than a roller coaster. If anyone out there can even begin to guess what will happen as the novel progresses, fair play to them - I certainly could not.

All in all, I ripped through the book in about 3 days, thoroughly enjoying every distressing page of it. The author's style is unique and the two characters are unexpectedly fresh. While the story itself is definitely well within the realm of extremely black comedy, the insights contained within and discovered by the reader are uplifting.

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You Shall Know Our Velocity
Dave Eggers
Manufacturer: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPW60S

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You Shall Know Our Velocity
Eggers Dave
Manufacturer: McSweeney's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UILHMM

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You Shall Know Our Velocity (SIGNED)
Dave Eggers
Manufacturer: Penguin Books,India
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ahora sabreis lo que es correr/ You Shall Know Our Velocity (Literatura)

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Ahora sabreis lo que es correr/ You Shall Know Our Velocity (Literatura)
Dave Eggers
Manufacturer: Grijalbo Mondadori Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Dave Eggers. You Shall Know Our Velocity.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: The Review of Contemporary Fiction

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Dave Eggers. You Shall Know Our Velocity.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: The Review of Contemporary Fiction
Tim Feeney
Manufacturer: Review of Contemporary Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on March 22, 2003. The length of the article is 3509 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dave Eggers. You Shall Know Our Velocity.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Tim Feeney
Publication: The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2003
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Page: 143(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Flamboyantly humble.(Dave Eggers, You Shall Know Our Velocity)(Book Review): An article from: New Criterion

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Flamboyantly humble.(Dave Eggers, You Shall Know Our Velocity)(Book Review): An article from: New Criterion
Max Watman
Manufacturer: Foundation for Cultural Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on December 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1203 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Flamboyantly humble.(Dave Eggers, You Shall Know Our Velocity)(Book Review)
Author: Max Watman
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2002
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Page: 93(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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You Shall Know Our Velocity
Dave Eggers
Manufacturer: MCSWEENEYS *
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD0B7O

Book Description

Upon receiving an unusual package in the mail, Ekaterina "Kat" Moore boards a plane to Russia, her ancestral home, to seek some answers. What she finds leads her on a perilous journey through time as Kat must flee the Russian underground. To further complicate matters, she finds herself falling in love with FSB Captain Vadeem Spasonov, a man trying to forget the nightmares of his own past. When Kat's secrets lead to the answers Vadeem needs, the treasures they find unleash an avalanche of God's design.

Customer Reviews:

Well-written mixed-genre novel.......2006-09-23

Ekaterina is a rare find of a book that expertly covers a myriad of genres; it is part romance, part action and suspense, with a dash of thriller, a pinch of historical, and a heaping helping of sound Christian theology. It is most definitely a book that will hold the attention of many different sorts of readers.

Ekaterina is a well-written and highly intriguing novel, with a fast-paced plot that keeps you turning pages, and filled with rich details of the culture and history of the Russian setting. The Christian aspect of this book is covered so well that I was shocked by the quality of the prose. The spiritual struggles that Kat has, and the way that Vadeem wrestles with God and his past, and then the way Pyotr steps in to shepherd him are all SO true to life, and shining examples of how to write about matters of God and faith without being boring or cliché!
My only complaint about the book is that the romantic interaction between the two main characters feels rushed. Obviously, the entire book takes place over the course of one week, so any romance WOULD be rushed, but it still feels a little false. The characters have great chemistry, and it's not overly sappy, but it still just smacked of unrealistic romance. However, the amount of mystery and intrigue through this book, the authentic Christian element, the attention to detail and the fantastic character development are more than enough to redeem this novel. I greatly look forward to reading the next three books in the series!

Grade: B+

Great Book.......2006-04-08

I love this book. It plunks you down in Moscow and revs your heartbeat as you go through dangerous adventures with thirty-year-old American, Kat Moore. I think this one is even better than the other book I read in this Heirs of Anton series. I can hardly wait to read the other two.

Kat is searching for her heritage, having been an orphan since she was ten. She suspects her parents of carrying secrets to their grave about her real identity. Her mysterious grandfather refuses to tell her anything and warns her not to go to Russia.

Kat ends up battling a terrorist as she and FSB agent Vadeem Spasonov dodge bullets and throat slashers. Vadeem has to overcome his own secret demons after spending most of his childhood in an orphanage. Together they solve a century-old mystery involving an ancient church relic worth four million dollars.

This is a great read, with a sweetly romantic ending and lots of action.

A great series!.......2006-01-30

I love the start of this series! I'm a Russian historian and enjoyed this book a lot. The characters are just wonderful!

Ekaterina.......2005-02-15

Ekaterina 'Kat' Moore has come to Russia from America to unlock the secret of her families past. A key, sent to her by a Russian monk that seems to be a friend of the family, is all she has to help her find what she is looking for.

However, Kat doesn't get far into her journey before she is confronted by her first obstacle. Watching a chance meeting between Kat and a known smuggler from an organization that has been stealing from Russia, FSB Agent Vadeem Spasonov believes that she has a connection with the group and takes her in for questioning. Deciding to use her to distract Vadeem, the smuggling group helps Kat to escape so she can continue to search for her families past. Vadeem chases after her, now sure she is part of the illegal group, and finds Kat just in time to save her from an attempt on her life.

I enjoyed this book so much. It has adventure, mystery, and romance. The whole plot was well written and all the characters were well developed. The romance between Kat and Vadeem was especially great. It wasn't overdone to the point of ridiculously sappy, like some books, but was simply sweet. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Nadia, which appears to be about Ekaterina's mother.

A must read!.......2004-03-24

Once I started reading Ekaterina, I couldn't put it down! The book is an enticing combination of gripping characters, foreign setting, and an intriguing plot. In short, this book has it all.

Kat Moore, orphan, travels to Russia to search for relatives and uncover the mystery surrounding her heritage. Though raised by her grandfather, Kat has little knowledge of her family history. Whenever the subject came up, the adults in her life became tight-lipped and secretive, telling her she was too young to know or that it was a dangerous subject to discuss.

When a Russian monk she's never even heard of mails her a key with no note of explanation, she decides to visit Russia and search for the answers her family has withheld from her for years. Little does she know that she's become a pawn in an international smuggling operation. From the moment she steps off the plane, she is shadowed by Russian authorities and criminals alike. Only by relying on her faith and her wits can she hope to accomplish her mission and leave Russia alive.

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Set of 4 Books: Ekaterina~Nadia~Marina~Oksana (Heirs of Anton Series, 1-4)
Susan May Warren , and Susan K. Downs
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WL71F4

Product Description

Courageous women brave paralyzing danger to uncover their past---and find their future. Only faith in God can save the descendants of Russian Anton Klassen and those they love. Softcovers.

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The Suficiency of the Book

FAVORITE BOOK

Older women, younger men, what's not to like

For Morrow Fans:

Oh Well

The Last Witchfinder: A Novel (P.S.)
James Morrow
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Second Coming of Charles Darwin

Towing Jehovah (Harvest Book)

Labyrinth

The Cat's Pajamas & Other Stories

The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel

ASIN: 0060821809
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

Jennet Stearne's father hangs witches for a living in Restoration England. But when she witnesses the unjust and horrifying execution of her beloved aunt Isobel, the precocious child decides to make it her life's mission to bring down the Parliamentary Witchcraft Act. Armed with little save the power of reason, and determined to see justice prevail, Jennet hurls herself into a series of picaresque adventures—traveling from King William's Britain to the fledgling American Colonies to an uncharted island in the Caribbean, braving West Indies pirates, Algonquin Indian captors, the machinations of the Salem Witch Court, and the sensuous love of a young Ben Franklin. For Jennet cannot and must not rest until she has put the last witchfinder out of business.

Customer Reviews:

The Suficiency of the Book.......2007-08-29

How do you explain this book? It comes wrapped in a mantle of "literature" that unravels itself slowly in a reading experience of incomparable luxury that circles back in on itself as literature. There are the big ideas, the big characters, the theme. And it is narrated by Mathematica Principia, Newton's child bound for three hundred years and surely connected in the ether with Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Test.

This is the story of Jennet Stearne, daughter of a witchfinder, and her journey which culminates in her tome, "The Sufficiency of the World" in which she observes that the wondrous of what we see is enough, that demons and angels are more than what we need to consecrate to that experience. And, yet, in its final pages, the narrator, yes a book, makes clear that we see the world short of all of its richness if we do not make room for the possiblilty of each, and, most critically, love.

There is much here remarked upon by previous reviewers. The narrative is fascinating. Issac Newton. Algonquins. Ben Franklin. Shipwrecks. The Junto. America abirth. The writing is always clever and heart wrenching at the same time. There is nothing here that you are supposed to feel that you won't, nothing you are supposed to think about that you won't. What more from a book?

I am the 20th reviewer. If you get this far, buy the book. Don't buy it used. Jim Morrow spent seven years writing it. He needs to eat for the next seven.

FAVORITE BOOK.......2007-08-09

This probably is my absolute favorite historical fiction book. I just loved it. I leant it out to a friend to read and never got it back and I immediately purchased a new one.

Older women, younger men, what's not to like.......2007-07-29

I enjoyed this book. It does go a bit overboard with the historical "moments" in her life, but it is certainly good to have a strong, forthright female character from the period that isn't part of a romance novel!

For Morrow Fans:.......2007-07-25

You have to love Morrows writing.... This was a really great book...
It was a little different than say 'Towing Jehovah' but it was recognizably 'Morrow'... Bern From Florida

Oh Well.......2007-07-22

I had great hopes for this book but by the 100th page, I had lost interest and found myself quickly skimming through the rest in search of some paragraph that would pique my interest. Morrow, sad to say, appears to have spent 7 years on this book.

The English Civil War: Papists, Gentlewomen, Soldiers, and Witchfinders in the Birth of Modern Britain

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Unique and Effective
Bit disjointed but still good
In depth history, with a focus on the people involved
Poorly Written? No, just a different approach
My Favorite Kind of History

The English Civil War: Papists, Gentlewomen, Soldiers, and Witchfinders in the Birth of Modern Britain
Diane Purkiss
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0465067565

Book Description

A popular history of the English Civil War--one of the great turning points in Western history--told through the harrowing experiences of the men and women who lived through it

In this compelling history of the violent struggle between the monarchy and Parliament that tore apart seventeenth-century England, a rising star among British historians sheds new light on the people who fought and died during those tumultuous years. Like the Magna Carta or the American Revolution, the English Civil War resolved fundamental questions of sovereignty and political rights that are still the guiding principles of democracies today. However, the price of peace included the execution of a king, brutal persecution of Catholics and Royalists, and years of tyranny. Drawing on exciting new sources, including letters, memoirs, ballads, plays, illustrations, and even cookbooks, Diane Purkiss creates a rich and nuanced portrait of this turbulent era.

Purkiss peoples her story with fascinating characters, from the obstinate King Charles I to his opponents such as the poet John Milton, from the cruel and egomaniacal Oliver Cromwell to the self-styled prophet Lady Eleanor Davies, to witchfinders, revolutionaries, and ordinary men and women. The English Civil War's dramatic consequences--the rejection of divine right monarchy in favor of parliamentary rule--continue to influence our lives. In this colorful narrative, Diane Purkiss brings vividly to life the history that changed the course of Western government.

Customer Reviews:

Unique and Effective.......2007-04-05

A fantastic example of a bottom-up history that works. Dr. Purkiss paints a picture of the English Civil War using particular examples and stories from the common man, while keeping clear the role of political events, battles, and "great men". This book provides a detailed account of the causes and implications (without oversimplifying them) of the English Civil War on a grand scale while focusing on the impact it had on the people of England, something that is essential to understanding the period. If you are looking for an account of battles and diplomacy, there are better choices, but if you want to understand the mark the Civil War left on the English people, look no further.

Bit disjointed but still good.......2006-10-10

I was able to follow the narrative despite the author's focus on accounts of individuals. This focus gave me a better sense of what it felt like to be a participant in the war (whether or not you wanted to be). Also, unlike other books I've read on the English civil war, I was able to get a sense of which events were truly important: the battle of Naseby, for example, was not merely a defeat for the Royalist forces (as was Maston Moor) but a complete route which left the Royalist forces unable to recover. I do think that the book would benefit from a timeline of important events, so that reader can be reminded of the chronological order of vents. Also a list of the important "characters", with short biographies, would be helpful so that the reader is not confused when an eyewitness who has not been heard from in recent pages reappears.

In depth history, with a focus on the people involved.......2006-10-03

If you want a history of the battles of the English Civil War, this is not the book for you. If you are interested in the human side of this horrific period, then this is a book for you. While the battles are mentioned, they are placed in a much broader context.

This is a history of the English Civil War, told to a considerable extent through the words of observers and participants. Letters and diaries of people such as Brilliana Harley; tracts by Garrard Winstanley (a leading Digger); the debate at Putney, between leaders and Levellers add a very human element to this history.

The befuddled King Charles I and his strong-willed Queen, Henrietta Maria, are portrayed in enough depth that the reader can come to understand how they sealed their fates by being unable to recognize a changing reality.

The book takes into account religious disputes, political currents, and military developments.

For any reader interested in this critical moment in English history, this is a book well worth purchasing and reading.

Poorly Written? No, just a different approach.......2006-09-04

It seems that Christopher Drost didn't really know what he was getting into with Diane Purkiss' new book. One should not read this for a comprehensive linear history of the English Civil War. In fact, there are chapters I breezed through because my interest in certain local details wasn't too high. But the forest-trees issue is precisely the point. For a good sense of the Elizabeth-James transition, one could read Leanda De Lisle's "After Elizabeth"; for the war from Charles' perspective, maybe Pauline Gregg's "King Charles I"; for the aftermath of the commonwealth, maybe Mark Kishlansjy's "A Monarchy Transformed." But these books are all broad-brush looks at how the war was perceived by royalist or Puritan leaders. Purkiss tells us what the war felt like from the ground up, and for that we should be grateful. There really isn't another work on the war that takes this particular perspective.

My Favorite Kind of History.......2006-08-23

Diane Purkiss doesn't get lost in amongst the Charles and James of the Stuart royal family, instead she concentrates on how the upheavals of the 17th century affected the ordinary person. She makes history real and textured. The everyday fabric of life presented in this book shows how the big event finds expression in small ways. Great research and great writing.

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Witchfinders
Malcolm Gaskill
Manufacturer: MURRAY JOHN PUBLISHE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0719561213

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Kings Witchfinder
Alexander Karol
Manufacturer: New English Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UJFV6Y

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THE WITCH FINDER (Witchfinder)
Thomas L. O'Brien
Manufacturer: Dell Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BW1H18

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The Witchfinder
Maurice Hilliard
Manufacturer: William Heinemann Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0434336254

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Witchfinder
Angela Wright
Manufacturer: Cornelsen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 3464085309

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The Witchfinder

Manufacturer: Award
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GTSEOE

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The witchfinder
Mary Rayner
Manufacturer: Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Not just another hard-boiled detective

Witchfinder the (Glassbook)
Loren D. Estleman
Manufacturer: Oxmoor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0446960780

Customer Reviews:

Not just another hard-boiled detective.......2002-11-21

This was my first encounter with Loren D. Estleman's tough guy detective, Amos Walker, and I was impressed. The setting is Detroit ( a town the author seems to have a strong affinity for) and Amos Walker is called in to resolve a dying man's problem with a guilty conscience. By investigating a faked picture that destroyed a solid relationship, Walker walks into a tangled web of murder and betrayal that only a skilled writer can pull off and keep the reader from becoming totally incredulous. Many red herrings shouldn't keep the careful reader from seeing the ending coming, but the individual by-play between Estleman's "tough guy" and the various characters he deals with is worth the price of admission. I'm glad I checked out this throwback to Marlowe and Spade and I'll definitely check out his other "cases."

Book Description

Gymnastics Fun and Games features ready-to-use games and activities to help elementary and middle school physical educators introduce noncompetitive gymnastics into the curriculum safely and effectively. This well-organized reference includes nearly 50 illustrations to guide physical educators in accurately recreating the activity with their students. It also features safety guidelines from the USA Gymnastics Safety Handbook.

Special features include:

• 13 warm-up and stretching games and activities that are also useful as cool-down exercises

• 26 skill-development activities that focus on jumping and landing, balances and poses, body awareness, and movement

• 12 conditioning and endurance activities for children in upper grades that improve strength, balance, and flexibility

• A handy Game Finder for quick reference to games and activities by name, number, location in the book, activity type, skill development, or suggested grade level and complexity

Gymnastics Fun and Games not only allows K-8 physical educators to take a developmentally appropriate approach to teaching noncompetitive gymnastics, but it also makes a great reference for gymnastics instructors.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of great games!.......2001-06-25

I thought this book was very helpful in finding ways to liven up my classes with my younger students. Everyone knows it's not easy to come up with something new and fun to do and this is a great book that helps with just that. It's got games for kids in kindergarten up to grade school and has helpful hints on safety for your kids. It's also got a chart that helps with finding the best games for different levels of experience for each youngster. I'd say that it is a fun book and a great find. I think it is well worth the price I bought it for.

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