Life at These Speeds

by Jeremy Jackson

Kevin Schuler is popular, has a wonderful girlfriend, and is the fastest runner on his tiny school's track team. At a track meet, on a cool March night, he anchors a winning relay, trades insults with a rival, and lets another boy run in his stead in his best event: the 800-meter run. Everything works out for Kevin - perhaps it always has. But after the meet, as Kevin rides home with his parents, the van carrying his team crashes, and everyone on board is killed.

In an instant, Kevin's world collapses. The classmates he grew up with are gone, and the grief lodges deep within, numbing him. Even his memories of his friends are lost. He barely recognizes their names.

Something else changes, too. After the accident, Kevin emerges as a phenomenal runner. At his new school, he begins breaking records in track and cross-country. His speed is seemingly effortless. He can't be beaten. He's perfect. On the inside, though, he's still struggling.

New friends help Kevin. The beautiful and brilliant editor of the school newspaper takes a shine to him. His best friend is a popular and talented running back. And Kevin grows fond of an intuitive and sensitive girl name Henny. Slowly, Kevin begins to remember his lost teammates, but his mind remains unsettled. During his senior year, still tortured by nightmares, Kevin begins wrestling with unanswerable questions: Will running help him heal? Or is his fame too great a distraction? Does physical grace inform the heart? Or is the solitude of running another way to disconnect from the world? Just as he is beginning to feel like himself again, another terrible tragedy enters his life.

Genres: Fiction, Sports, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming Of Age

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jeremy Jackson was raised in the Ozark borderlands of central Missouri on a small farm. He attended Vassar College, where he won the English Department Prize for Fiction. After college he earned his M.F.A. at the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, where he studied under Frank Conroy, Marilynne Robinson, and James Alan McPherson. While in the Workshop, he was awarded a Teaching-Writing Fellowship.

Jeremy's first novel, Life at These Speeds, was published in 2002. It was a selection of the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers program, a Booklist Editor's Choice, and is currently being developed as a feature film. In 2004, Jeremy's second novel, In Summer, was a BookSense Recommended Book.

Jeremy has also written three cookbooks: The Cornbread Book, Desserts that Have Killed Better Men Than Me, and Good Day for a Picnic. The Cornbread Book was nominated for a James Berad Award. His articles about food appeared in The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, and he was featured in Food and Wine magazine. He has appeared on NBC's Today Show, NPR's All Things Considered, and American Public Media's The Splendid Table.

Jeremy published two books for teenagers under the pseudonym Alex Bradley. 24 Girls in 7 Days (2005) and Hot Lunch (2007) were teen comedies. 24 Girls in 7 Days was translated into several languages.

Jeremy has taught at Vassar College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Grinnell College, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. He's the recipient of a Henfield Prize, a James Michener-Copernicus Society of America Fellowship, and two Iowa Arts Council Grants. He's represented by Jennifer Carlson at Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner in New York.

Reviews

[Serisop · Rating 3 out of 5]

In realtà 3.5.
"Più veloce dei ricordi" è senz'altro un bellissimo libro che mi ha tenuto compagnia SUL SERIO. Questa è una di quelle storie che, mentre leggi, ti cattura e ti fa sentire accanto ai personaggi. Quanto Kevin correva, io correvo con lui (e sono proprio negata per lo sport, quindi capite?).
L'inizio è davvero dei più tristi: un incidente, dei ragazzi morti, qualcuno che rimane solo.
Immaginate cosa può significare e i traumi che ne conseguono.
Può essere molto difficile restare in una realtà, se essa non ti piace.
Però Kevin sembra continuare la sua vita, cambia scuola e si convince di correre solo perché qualcuno glielo impone.
In realtà, però, la corsa è nel suo sangue.
Un record è ciò che ha nella testa e nessuno lo farà sparire.
L'ho trovato un romanzo davvero ben scritto, con dei dialoghi davvero appassionati. Penso che l'autore si sia davvero impegnato per rendere al meglio e per far capire a noi lettori il perché di ogni sentimento, azione o parola.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written book focuses on something that really intrigues me: how our perception of the absolute, 100% truth can be distorted for a variety of reasons: trauma, spite, grief, joy, love, etc. Reading about a high school kid dealing with this [amidst a whole community dealing with it] is pretty amazing.
readdddd iittttttt. Do it.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me inspired to run cross country or track and field...

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I read this for me, and it will be favorite for a long time to come.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the movie that is somewhat based on this book (1 Mile to You), and the book is quite good too. Similar but different explorations into a teenager’s journey of navigating the world after a tragedy.

[Silvy Herondale · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Recensione:http://wefoundwonderlandinbooks.blogs...

[Austin Lynum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely my favorite book, in a league of its own. I have read this book at least four times in eight years, and I'm starting it again. The emotional depth, wit and dynamic of the novel gives it a life of its own, something to truly be observed and lived as the characters, relationships, and story itself mature. The dynamics of Kevin's relationships with Ellie, Henny, Andanda, Jol, and himself could speak to any individual, not just the victim of tragedy in need of understanding. To any person who is considering reading this book, you will not be disappointed. In my mind, Mr. Jackson has written in Kevin a character who should speak to the young American no less than Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. A must read.

[Lys · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a suprise. It was suggested to me. I read the cover, nearly did a spit take thinking it would be so cheesey. After reading it, I can see how writing a summary to entice a person to read it would be quite difficult. A very moving book about a young highschool student overcoming a tradgedy that left a big gaping hole in his soul and memory. Not cheesey, not sappy. It traces the unconvential emotional journey this kid takes to heal.

[Alex Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, avoiding using most internal thought about the mental state of Kevin and instead had to be pieced together from conversation and how he saw the world. Only book to ever make me tear up (chapter 9). Very good book

[Olivia Barrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Given the premise - a teenage boy processing grief through running - I was quite surprised by the direction the author went with it. It had lots of fun and relatable running moments but kept you hooked with a plot that didn't exactly hinge on Kevin's running results.

This was one of those stories that doesn't spell everything out for you, but I still felt satisfied by the ending.

Three stars because the ridiculous names (many of them bird-related?) were too distracting and kept pulling me out of the story. And there were some lines/interactions/names for non-white characters that didn't sit right with me either.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm waffling between giving this book a 3 and a 4..... parts of this were truly inspiring and inspired, but parts of this dragged a bit.

The story is told by Kevin, who starts the book as an 8th grader and finishes it as a senior. It's cleverly told, and his voice is an unusual one - he has a very unique voice, one that seems older than his age. After a spring track meet, he heads home in his parent's car while the rest of his teammates take the van - they end up going over a bridge and no one survives the accident. Since there are only 3 people left in the class, he must transfer schools. He's coerced into joining the track team (and eventually the cross-country team) because the new coach has heard of his record-breaking 800 meter run.

It eventually comes out that Kevin has blocked a lot of the months after the accident. As he runs as a freshman, the silence he falls into during races helps him unblock some of those memories. These are poignant moments, and really add to the book. At first I thought he was lying about forgetting Ellie in particular, but it started to make sense when he didn't understand why his formerly new spikes were so beat up.

Somewhere around page 200, the story started to drag a bit. It felt like a lot of the same, which is indicative of belonging on these running teams (practice, race, and repeat)- but I didn't know where the plot was going. A few big events end up happening in the final pages: Kevin discovers from his new former coach Gregory that the money he's been earning as a "research subject" at the local university has been filtered to the superintendent to recruit new and talented runners at the high school. Right before that, his friend Jol borrows Kevin's car and kills himself by duct taping the air bag in so it doesn't come out when he drives off the highway. And in his final 800 race of the season and his high school career, Kevin turns around halfway through the race and runs the track backward to basically say "up yours" to everyone.

This was a very unusual book, not just because of Kevin's unique voice but because it's not so much about a kid and his coming of age (though it's part of that) but it's a story about running, how it can be something you love as much as you hate it and how something that is hard to so many can come so easily to a lucky few. I had flashbacks to my cross country days - the afternoons spent on blankets waiting for the open run to start and the comaraderie between teammates because you're only as good as yourself, there's no relying on someone else to spike the ball over a net or to toss you a basketball to make the free throw.

Did anyone else notice how after the accident, Kevin called his parents Mother and Father rather than Mom and Dad, as he did in the first chapter? It was never really addressed but it was certainly noticeable.

And did he and Henny finally get together? I like how they passed letters back and forth throughout high school.

[GiulsJups · Rating 4 out of 5]

Più veloce dei ricordi.
Effettivamente, per Kevin Schuler, è così.
Lui corre per affrontare quello che non riesce ad esprimere a parole, quello che per lui è solo dolore, solo paura.
Kevin, che è un ragazzino sfrontato e quasi vanitoso, dopo la morte dei suoi compagni di squadra, del suo coach e della sua ragazza in un incidente stradale, diventa un adolescente riservato, impenetrabile. La corsa sembra identificarlo ma lui non corre per se stesso, corre perché è l'unico modo per ricordare. Per onorare quelle facce che a volte dimentica. Per non stare male fisicamente.
Nonostante venga osannato da tutti, lui rimane umile.
Solo che c'è qualcosa che non va.
Lo sente.
Qualcuno trama alle sue spalle, e il suo coach, Gregory, è l'unico crede in lui davvero.
Nel suo ritmo alternato tra veloce e lento, Jeremy Jackson mi ha conquistato. Ho comprato questo libro perché la trama mi interessava, non lo conoscevo e mai ne avevo sentito parlare prima. Sono felice di averlo incontrato.

[Brian White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of the losses I have experienced in my life I find it healing to see how others view and process grief. This is a fascinating fictional account of a teenager who experiences a dramatic loss in his life and the road (literally) to healing and wholeness. A poignant drama that really hit home with me. I first became aware of this book when I saw the movie version - “1 Mile to You.” The movie and book are different in some ways but I found them equally powerful. I like the ending of the book somewhat better than the ending of the movie.

[Suzanne Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't quite figure out who would like to read this book, or whom I would recommend it to. It wasn't a fast-paced adventure, nor was it particularly realistic. It wasn't exactly an indictment of corrupt athletes and coaches, although that was a big part of the story. The protagonist had experienced a life-changing event, but he wasn't directly responsible for it. Why was he both lionized and vilified by his community? The whole thing just didn't hold together for me.

[Dianna Shimizu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strange book with characters I didn't like.

[Tai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so like I’ll try to spoil this as little as possible but so the whole premise of the book is it’s about a boy who in eighth grade lost his friends because they’re van crashed and they all drowned. He lost like all his friends, everyone in his town his age and his girlfriend. The whole story like stays in the shadows with him forgetting the past and even starts off in ninth grade where he can’t remember honestly anything before that point and the whole time it goes through the story of him running and just running and the whole time I’m like ok so he’s like putting his energy into running since he’s sad and stuff and he goes through all of high school being like an incredible runner and stuff avoiding people just running and studying and then at the end he goes backwards on the last lap of the race and gets a record and does it for just himself and then after that he goes to a hill and one of his friends go up and ask why he’s crying and he’s like can I tell you and it’s just like so incredible! Like for 300 pages he was isolated and just running and running and then it’s like this moment where it was like building up for three years to the point where he’s ready to face the traumatic incident. The book just had me thinking so much like at first I honestly thought the author was just really bad at writing but now I’m like oh, the whole book he avoided his past and that incident. He put all his energy into running because he could forget it all and then also remember things that he blocked out in a safe place. He was so speedy because he pushed himself so far that not a single thought would go through. Now I’m just like wow! Like first off the fact that the whole book no one brings up the incident to him and just is like oh wow he’s an amazing runner. It’s sad but honestly hit deep that the world moves on it keeps going while people grieving are left in the dust. As time went on it no longer bothered everyone so they just forget about it never even thinking that he might still be suffering because he decided to hide that pain and ignore it. Griefs funny like that it honestly has not timeline or form. For him I think he needed to avoid it till he was ready for him that was running. The admiration I have for him to get to the point he’s ready to speak about it, the event was so traumatic but he kept going he used it and outleted it into doing incredible things. It just reminds me how fragile it all is. Like how painful life can be like the process he went through was horrible and you know what maybe he won’t ever get over that. It’ll just make a home in his soul where it’s more comfortable but always there. Then his isolation the whole book just hit on a different level. It’s funny how easy it is to slip into your own abyss because it’s too hard to have or explain to others the pain. He in a way I think also just had so much fear that he didn’t want to love anyone knowing he can lose them. The sad thing is as great as it would be not to be pain and lose you need that you have love and joy. It’s only through opposition that you feel things so deeply. He protected himself to no longer feel loss but lost joy in the process. Emotions demand to be felt they don't leave until you come to term with them and no one can understand what that is because it's such a fickle thing. I do know that he is a stronger person from it. Hie process like most is taking five steps back for a while bit lead him ten steps ahead. This is pretty deep for a book I guess but it just got my mind racing about life.

[Alis · Rating 2 out of 5]

dovendo essere sincera avevo aspettative particolarmente alte su questo libro e lo avevo in lista da parecchio tempo; ho voluto approfittare di promozioni che ora girano dato lo stato di reclusione forzata e ho finalmente deciso di prenderlo. già dalle prime pagine ho percepito che qualcosa non andava ed in particolare confusione che sarebbe stata ancora maggiore se non avessi letto dalla trama il punto di inizio delle vicende. pensavo che il focus principale sarebbe stato sull'evoluzione del personaggio e di come attraverso la corsa avrebbe superato la difficile perdita dei suoi compagni di squadra e della morosa invece mi sono trovata davanti a un ragazzo di cui non si menzionano, tranne per qualche nome sparso e qualche sogno, ricordi e soprattutto stato emotivo. ho pensato in un primo momento che essendo stato un evento particolarmente traumatico giustamente avesse rimosso come meccanismo di difesa ed in parte é vero ma non viene fato capire chiaramente e non viene minimamente spiegato. di emozioni non se ne parla praticamente mai e il tema della corsa viene presentato come qualcosa che il personaggio fa perché lo ha sempre fatto, gli riesce bene e facile ma in tutto questo si rivela essere qualcosa che odia e non fa altro che ripeterlo più volte. ora, non mi aspettavo un best seller ma almeno un romanzo young adoult che comunicasse il dolore del dover affrontare una perdita importante, la ricerca della volontà di andare avanti mantenendo vivo il ricordo di coloro che non ci sono più ricominciando a vivere e mantenere un contatto con il passato attraverso la forte passione della corsa. nulla di tutto questo é stato presentato secondo la mia modesta opinione e mi ha lasciato un po' male. il lasso temporale inoltre copre circa 5 anni, ovvero il periodo in cui il protagonista frequenta il liceo e vengono presentati come un soffio di vento; i colpi di scena non mi hanno coinvolto particolarmente e in generale ho trovato il ragazzino un po' sfacciato e menefreghista; il focus é solo sulla sua carriera da corridore. gli unici aspetti positivi sono: lo stile molto scorrevole e il personaggio del coach Gregory, l'unico per cui ho provato un minimo di stima, ma mi fermo qui.

[Strega Del Crepuscolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 tazzine meno qualche piccola cosa

Più veloce dei ricordi si è rivelata una lettura particolare. Ho letto il romanzo con piacere, ma arrivata alla fine… non posso dire che sia stata una lettura del tutto soddisfacente. Insomma… mi aspettavo qualcosa di più emozionante, nonostante questo è rimasta una lettura piacevole che mi ha tenuto compagnia per alcuni giorni.
Kevin è un ragazzo normalissimo, fa parte della squadra di corsa assieme ai suoi amici e alla sua ragazza, Ellie. Alla fine di una gara, Kevin torna a casa in macchina con i suoi genitori mentre il resto della squadra prende il pullman. A notte fonda Kevin viene svegliato da una terribile notizia: il pullman è precipitato da un ponte e tutti i suoi amici sono periti nell’incidente. Mi aspettavo un mare di lacrime e un dolore devastante e invece succede qualcosa di diverso… all’inizio non ho capito subito cosa stava succedendo e la cosa mi ha lasciata un po’ perplessa, ma, mentre scorrevo le pagine, ho capito che Kevin ha rimosso dalla sua memoria l’incidente e che c’è un lungo periodo di tempo dopo il fatto di cui non serba memoria.
La scorsa primavera era diventato un campione di corsa? E davvero correva a piedi nudi? Perché, dopo aver cominciato a correre come se non potesse farne a meno, ha buttato tutte le medaglie e smesso di gareggiare?

Recensione completa sul blog Le Tazzine di Yoko qui: http://www.letazzinediyoko.it/recensi...

[_etriet_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo libro parla di lutto, di come il lutto influisce sulla persona fino a modificarne la percezione del mondo.

Kevin ha quattordici anni, quando, dopo una gara, i suoi compagni di squadra, la sua ragazza e il suo allenatore muoiono in un incidente stradale. Lui si salva solo perché è in macchina con i suoi.

Kevin da quel momento in poi, dalle superiori, comincia a correre anche spinto dalla nomea di buon corridore. Kevin corre per sfuggire ai ricordi, per entrare in un momento tutto suo, correndo, in cui può non sentire un peso sulle spalle.
Tuttavia, per un lutto, ha cominciato a dimenticare e non notare cose, momenti in cui non ricorda o non sa rispondere a domande normali di prima dell'incidente o subito dopo.

Ma dopo che qualcuno gli chiede se corre per sé, il libro parte. Diventa un grande monito sul fatto che ciò che facciamo dobbiamo farlo per noi, perché ci portano qualcosa, e non perché qualcun altro ci spinge a farle.

Personalmente però c'è una domanda, varie, a cui il libro non da risposta e avrei apprezzato se le avessero trovate, perché avrebbe dato anche una carica in più al testo.

[Secret Girls · Rating 5 out of 5]

La vita di Kevin sembra scorrere come tante altre, amici, fidanzata e sport. Lui è un talentuoso corridore ma inizialmente non prende la cosa sul serio dopo un brutto incidente però cambia tutto, la sua vita viene devastata perché in quell'incidente perde tutto : amici e amore. Per Kevin la corsa diventa la priorità, solo correndo riesce a tenere lontano il dolore e così anno dopo anno, gara dopo gara inizia a collezionare un successo dopo l'altro ma dentro Kevin si sente vuoto. I ricordi ritornano spesso alla mente e il dolore lo tormenta, ma lui ormai è diventato apatico, creandosi una corazza che lo protegge.

Solo il suo nuovo allenatore e la sua bizzarra compagna di corse riescono a scuoterlo e poco per volta Kevin riesce ad aprirsi.

Una storia emozionante e triste. Il finale mi ha lasciata un pò così, spiazzata. La scrittura dell'autore è molto fluida e leggera. Le parole scorrono veloci senza alcun freno.

Coinvolgente, travolgente, emozionante e piacevole, questi sono gli aggettivi che descrivono al meglio questo romanzo.

[Ilaria Manferdini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo libro mi ha stupito, è molto difficile parlarne perché è un insieme di tematiche toste: il lutto, la perdita, il chi vogliamo essere a prescindere dai nostri talenti, la passione, lo sport, la crescita, adulti ed aspettative. Mi è piaciuto e non ne ero affatto sicura a inizio libro, il protagonista é un bellissimo personaggio mentre i personaggi secondari li ho visti un po’ abbozzati ma è per “tenere fede” alla narrazzione a questo mondo che visto tramite gli occhi del nostro “flash” appare un po’ tutto sfocato. Lo stile di scrittura è scorrevole e piacevole, l’unico difetto dopo un po’ mi è sembrato ripetitivo in alcuni episodi e tematiche.

[Robert Lurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. Kevin is the fastest high school middle distance runner in the nation but is propelled, driven, by an incident that haunts him every minute of his day. As he navigates his high school years, he confronts corrupt adults, struggles with peer relationships and is unable to share or come to grips with his feelings and perhaps his responsibility for the tragic incident. His aloof manner is interpreted by adults as arrogance, and his masked pain frustrates his peers. In the end, Kevin makes his peace and is able to find a trusting friend to share his pain.

The author does a pretty good job with the running scenes, says the reader who has coached distance runners since 1982!

[Daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! Beautiful plot focusing on healing from trauma and running track; perhaps that sounds banal but the twists in the story make it unpredictable and way beyond the cheesy heal-through-sports narrative. Also, the writing style is really interesting, at times irritating but that adds to the depth of the character. It is that well-crafted writing where more is revealed through what is left out than through what is said. Excellent book!

(The film, however, is horrendous. Whitewashed and dumbed down. Way to take something beautiful and screw it up.)

[Nimue 07 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uno di quei libri che se non fosse per kindle unlimited non mi sarei arrischiata a comprare ... e stando a giudicare la prima parte del libro mi sarei pentita dell'acquisto.

Siccome quest'anno ho già abbandonato troppi libri per i miei gusti, non volevo replicare l'esperienza, volendo dare una possibilità in più a questo romanzo che ha come punto centrale lo sport e la perdita.

Non essendo appassionata di atletica, ho trovato le descrizioni legate allo sport di troppo ampio spazio, senza lasciare spazio ai sentimenti del protagonista Kevin, che per gran parte del romanzo mi è stato ampiamente sulle scatole, anche se a sua difesa crescendo nel corso dei quattro anni di superiori, diventa un personaggio godibile.

Se non fosse per gli ultimissimi capitoli, nei quali il romanzo si risolleva, gli avrei dato una sola stella.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and inspiring - I couldn't put it down.
A wonderful, sophisticated story that follows a young Kevin Schuler throughout his high school years as a record breaking runner. I watched the movie '1 mile to you' first and discovered it was based on Jeremy Jackson's novel. Kevin's motivations and achievements in the book were heart felt and sincere, very thought provoking.
The characters are detailed and educated and I fell in love with them. A very good book.

[Bryan Eberl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn’t the typical book I would read. Reading it back only emphasizes the ways the characters aren’t even the most loveable, and are vulgar at times (for that reason wouldn’t recommend for kids), descriptive past what I would want, yet deeply personal. I watched the movie many times, and like the movie, it is unique in the ways it helps you process death. Not quite sure how to describe that aspect of it, but the way this tale is told has healed many aspects of deep pain.

[Lauren Alvarenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a great story with a lot of emotion and character growth. Kevin is a different person from when he begins at his new school until he graduates. He learns to open up and work hard for himself and others. This book also really discusses the mental aspect of running and how it can help you deal with pain and stress but also weighs down on you.

[Carson Phillips]

I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars. It had some interesting parts but it was also very boring at times. Also, this book was confusing to read sometimes. Finally, the overall storyline and the characters were bland, and there wasn't much emotion.

[Ashley McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not someone who rereads books, however this is a book I can do that with. I’ve read it probably 5 times. One of my all time favorites. Story of a kid who witnesses a terrible accident and works to recover part of himself through running. It has loss, love, and a great message.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's well written, and made me laugh a few times, but I probably wouldn't read it again. The narrator never fully delves into his emotions regarding his buried grief, so everything is skating on the surface with some epiphanies punctuating the story.