Two Wheels Good

When I fell in love with riding a bike in New York City last year, what I found myself craving was a history-of the bicycle… that whoever wrote this history would find a way to make it personal and ruminative… Lo and behold: Jody Rosen has written that very book. My wish has come true and a door’s been blown open. I got more than I knew I wanted * New York TImes *Two Wheels Good is full of interesting moments…and is often written with real verve… his [Rosen’s] enthusiasm for what is sometimes described as mankind’s “noblest invention” is infectious * Times Literary Supplement *The engaging tone of Rosen’s memoir-travelogue-history is the grim cheerfulness of the urban cyclist. He gives a vivid sense of the cinematic pleasures of cycling through a city. * Spectator *A jovial historical narrative … Rosen rightly get us to expand our narrow Western image of the bicycle to a global perspective [and] is skilled yet selective in navigating the complex and rich history of the bicycle, taking us across continents and through centuries … a thoroughly enjoyable, and sometimes surprising read * Cycle *The bicycle has been loved and loathed… Rosen’s vibrant history explores it all * BBC History Magazine *Comprehensive … [Two Wheels Good] often feels like a leisurely ride, full of spontaneous detours into unexpected delight. But what makes the book essential is its rigorous reporting * The Atlantic *The best thing I’ve ever read on a single subject… With curiosity, conscientiousness, and an exquisitely light touch, [Joden] makes a convincing case that the story of the bike is the story of modern life – Lauren Collins, author of When in FrenchWide-ranging and inquisitive, Two Wheels Good is like an entire library of books on the bicycle – Lucy Sante, author of Low LifeTakes us on a ride-across the centuries and around the globe, through startling history and vivid first-person reporting-offering not just a wry, rich, deeply researched meditation on the bicycle and our relationship to it, but the headlong rush of cruising on two wheels into the unknown – Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of Pain and Say NothingThe stores are filled with books on little things that changed everything, but Jody Rosen’s new book offers us a real little thing-the simple bicycle-that really did change everything, from the shape of our streets to the inner life of our imaginations… this is social history as it ought to be written: funny, precise, surprising, anti-dogmatic and unafraid of following a story, brakes off, to wherever the tale might want to glide – Adam Gopnik, author of Paris to the Moon

Jody Rosen is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. His writing on culture, politics, transportation, and music has appeared in The New Yorker, Slate, New York, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications.