September 1, 2022
Told through excerpts from old letters, anecdotes, newspapers, political cartoons, etc., this is journalist Rosen's (White Christmas: The Story of an American Song) vibrant homage to the bicycle. The origin of the bicycle is a matter of national pride. Google "father of the bicycle," and you will find a whole page of results that all attribute the coveted title to a different person, often from a different country than the previous person. The bicycle is indicative of the political and economic history of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its rise coincided with the industrial revolution, mounting class warfare and racial tension, and progress overall. It has adapted and evolved over the decades as countries urbanized and grew more interconnected. Sean Patrick Hopkins's narration and Rosen's writing work well together, making the audiobook a fun and entertaining listen. VERDICT Although the middle section is slightly bogged down by newspaper clippings strung together in a row, and longtime readers of the New York Times might recognize some of Rosen's previous articles reappearing as chapters in here, this is nevertheless a good purchase.--Ammi Bui
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from April 4, 2022
This high-flying debut history by New York Times Magazine contributor Rosen captures the allure of riding a bike. Through vivid anecdotes, such as how the design of the bicycle led the Wright brothers to invent the airplane, Rosen makes clear how impactful the invention has been for humankind. Baron Karl von Drais, a minor German nobleman, produced the first bike in 1817, and the design was repeatedly improved upon in subsequent decades. For example, in 1888, Belfast-based veterinarian John Boyd Dunlop replaced the solid rubber tires on his son’s tricycle with “inflated rubber tubes, sheathed in canvas and an additional outer layer of sheet rubber,” leading to the widespread adoption of pneumatic tires. Rosen is equally fascinating in describing the bicycle’s changing status in countries like China, which produces more bikes per year than the world builds cars; the “Great Covid-19 Bicycle Boom” that saw people “converging on bike lanes and patronizing cycle-share systems in unprecedented numbers”; and the archetype of “bright-eyed children, bicycling through idyllic suburbs” seen in movies and TV shows like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Stranger Things. Witty prose, exhaustive research, and Rosen’s contagious enthusiasm ensure that this standout history will appeal to cyclists and non-cyclists alike.