{"product_id":"in-the-city-of-bikes-the-story-of-the-amsterdam-cyclist-isbn-9780061995200","title":"In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist","description":"\u003cp\u003ePete Jordan, author of the wildly popular Dishwasher: One Man’s Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States, is back with a memoir that tells the story of his love affair with Amsterdam, the city of bikes, all the while unfolding an unknown history of the city's cycling, from the craze of the 1890s, through the Nazi occupation, to the bike-centric culture adored by the world today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePete never planned to stay long in Amsterdam, just a semester. But he quickly falls in love with the city and soon his wife, Amy Joy, joins him. Together they explore every inch of their new home on two wheels, their rides a respite from the struggles that come with starting a new life in a new country. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeaving together personal anecdotes and details of the role that cycling has played throughout Dutch history, Pete Jordan’s In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist is a poignant and entertaining read.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis unforgettable blend of travelogue and history reveals:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCycling Culture:\u003c\/b\u003e How Amsterdam became the city of bikes, where cyclists rule the streets and even pregnant women pedal through town.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Unique Urban History:\u003c\/b\u003e The forgotten story of the city’s cyclists, from the bike craze of the 1890s to the bike thieves and fishermen of today.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWorld War II Nonfiction:\u003c\/b\u003e A gripping account of the Nazi occupation, the mass confiscation of bicycles, and how two wheels became a tool of the Dutch Resistance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eExpat Life in the Netherlands:\u003c\/b\u003e The funny, poignant, and relatable story of an American who falls in love with a city, a woman, and a new way of life on two wheels.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eWhen Pete Jordan arrives in Amsterdam to study how to make America's cities more bicycle-friendly, he immediately falls in love with the city that already lives life on two wheels. His new bride, Amy Joy, joins Pete, and despite their financial hardships and instability, she eventually finds her own new calling as a bicycle mechanic as Pete discovers the untold history of cycling in Amsterdam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom its beginnings as an elitis t pastime in the 1890s to the street-consuming craze of the 1920s, from the bicycle's role in a citywide resistance to the Nazi occupation to the White Bikes of the 1960s and the bike fishermen of today, Jordan chronicles the evolution of Amsterdam's cycling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart personal memoir, part history of cycling, part fascinating street-level tour of Amsterdam, \u003cem\u003eIn the City of Bikes\u003c\/em\u003e is the story of a man who loves bikes—in a city that loves bikes.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“A charming and quirky book....Jordan’s portrait of bicycle culture in Amsterdam gives a fascinating account of a viable alternative to dependence on cars.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This highly readable book illuminates the bicycle’s integral role in shaping both the psyche and the actual city of Amsterdam.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“For anyone contemplating visiting or living in The Netherlands, \u003ci\u003eIn the City of Bikes\u003c\/i\u003e is a must read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Journal of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[W]hat could have been a straightforward history [is] something more special: history that doesn’t feel like history--just an enjoyable story from start to finish….An excellent choice for bikers and those who appreciate how a city’s history can be changed by the simplest of passions.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Jordan brings depth and color to a niche subject, delivering an engaging cultural history. By the end, readers will understand that the bike is to Amsterdam what the car is to America. Both are more than modes of transportation: they’re a substantial part of their riders’ identities.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A funny, engaging, and exhaustively researched tribute to Amsterdam’s unique biking history….Jordan is an honest, self-effacing narrator, and there’s much that’s lovably comic about his inauguration into Amsterdam cyclo-culture.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Full of personal anecdote, self-deprecating humor, local lore and a history of cycling that positively bursts with enthusiasm, \u003ci\u003eIn the City of Bikes\u003c\/i\u003e is both a memoir and an ode to bicycles - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44887981097189,"sku":"NP9780061995200","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061995200.jpg?v=1730227872","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/in-the-city-of-bikes-the-story-of-the-amsterdam-cyclist-isbn-9780061995200","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}