Life at These Speeds - by Jeremy Jackson (Paperback)

About the Book

In eighth grade Kevin Schuler is a popular kid with a decent, if not stellar, record on the track. Yet after fate takes him off a bus that crashes and kills his fellow students, including his girlfriend, Kevin inexplicably becomes a track phenomenon.

Book Synopsis

The Sweet Hereafter meets Chariots of Fire in Life at These Speeds, the touching first novel from Jeremy Jackson about tragedy and healing.

The basis for the major motion picture 1 Mile to You.

"Refreshing...Reminds us that whether we run, play football, sing or write, we need to find the joy in what we do."--Chicago Sun-Times

In eighth grade Kevin Schuler is a popular kid with a decent, if not stellar, record on the track. Yet after fate takes him off a bus that crashes and kills his fellow students, including his girlfriend, Kevin inexplicably becomes a track phenomenon. Separated from his memory and distanced from his own life, he effortlessly smashes records and gains national attention, until he finds that he can no more remain apart from himself than he can from the ground beneath his feet.

Review Quotes

"Quietly haunting...magisterial...brilliantly satisfying...a terrific first novel."--The Boston Globe

"Definitely my favorite book! A beautiful tribute to all runners, and a reminder that being true to yourself is more important than setting records."--Alan Webb, national record holder for the high school mile, at 3:53.43

"This story will leave you cheering."--Seventeen

"Full of whimsy and tragicomedy of high school. The first book in years whose ending made me weep."--David Schickler, author of Kissing in Manhattan

"Refreshing...reminds us that whether we run, play football, sing or write, we need to find the joy in what we do."--Chicago Sun-Times

"Entertaining, engaging, and finally, moving."--James Hynes, author of The Lecturer's Tale

"Subtle...[with] a deep vein of dark humor that keeps the reader a bit off-kilter...Quirky dialogue and laugh-out-loud absurdities abound and offset the book's somber story in a way that is as engaging as it is unpredictable."--Iowa City Press-Citizen

"This debut has an undeniably quirky charm."--Publishers Weekly

"A quietly remarkable achievement of pathos and wit."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"I love this book so much: It's haunting, gentle, riveting and full of beautiful, beautiful prose. A book like this is rare and precious, and it's on my special shelf of things I want to read over and over."--Thisbe Nissen, author of The Good People of New York

"Occasionally, a sleep of a book comes your way, a book whose author has not yet reached word-of-mouth status, and you think to yourself, 'My god, this is good.' Such a book is Life at These Speeds, a coming-of-age story unlike any in its genre. Written in edgy prose that perfectly mimics the sheer bravado of the young athlete at the center of the story, this novel of tragedy and redemption is infused with both physicality and grace."--Anita Shreve, author of The Pilot's Wife

About the Author

A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and Vassar College, where he later taught, Jeremy Jackson is a Henfield Prize winner and a former James A. Michener Fellow. A native of Missouri, he lives in Iowa. His books include Life at These Speeds, the basis for the film 1 Mile to You.