Out Of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia by: Michael Crawley

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    Ethiopian runners have been known for amazing feats in distance running for nearly a century. From Abebe Bikila's stunning victory in the Men's Marathon of the 1964 Olympic games in Rome (which he ran barefoot) to Kenenisa Bekele who held the men's world record in both the 5,000 (from 2004) and 10,000 (from 2005) meter runs until 2020. Michael Crawley (the author of the book) is a Scottish anthropologist and runner. He is curious how Ethiopia raises so many runners with astonishing abilities and wants to experience the magic and mystery of running in Ethiopia. He also wants to teach the world about Ethiopian runners as so many people overlook them.

     Michael decides to travel to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where he will join a team of veterans and rising stars to run with them and learn about how they train and become so good in their sport.

    Crawley takes readers on a stunning adventure throughout the Ethiopian landscape, from the intense climbs at Mount Entoto to the long and flat runs in Sebeta, all while trying to stick to the heels of the runners in front of him. You will be able to join Mike for hill runs at 4:00am and learn why people wake up so early in Ethiopia. You will learn about life in Ethiopia, the culture, food, and even a bit of Amharic which is the main dialect of Ethiopia. 

    I would definitely recommend this book for runners because it gives a lot of tips, tricks, inspiration, and useful information from world class athletes that really makes a difference if you learn from them. if you are not a runner, I would recommend this book because it has a lot of interesting information and fun scenes and photos that will keep you hooked.

    I hope you can get the chance to read and enjoy this amazing book, but watch out for the hyenas...

-Pieter Duursma





Comments

  1. Stepheny September 9, 2021 at 9:00 PM

    Oooh, another athlete autobiography! I don't usually read many books about athlete's who do sports I do not do, but now I'm definitely intrigued! Your explanation of where Crawley takes the readers at the very beginning drew me in, creating awe-enticing imagery, and making me hungry to learn more. Even though I'm not much of a runner myself, I would definitely be up for checking this book out!
    -Steph

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  2. Claire HobsonSeptember 10, 2021 at 1:56 PM

    Very interesting! I am not a runner but this does seem like a very interesting and informative autobiography that I could enjoy reading. Hearing about a few of the experiences that Crawley shares makes me want to dive into it more and learn much more about, which would mean reading the book! I'm not usually one to pick up an autobiography and read it for fun, but I might try this one out!

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  3. Hannah SongSeptember 12, 2021 at 6:48 PM

    This is super cool! I don't typically read athlete/athletic-related books, since I myself am not much of an athlete, however, this book sounds really intriguing! I also don't know much about Ethiopia or it's culture, so I might just pick this book up. Great review!

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  4. evievieSeptember 16, 2021 at 7:23 AM

    This book sounds really interesting! I don't really read a lot of books about sports (or know a lot about sports in general) but I think I'll check this one out. Thanks for the review!

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  5. Rishabh PrasanthSeptember 24, 2021 at 7:42 AM

    Great Review! I like these kind of sports books, so this is right up my alley. It seems like Michael Crawley is a cool dude and a really good runner. Even though I am not a runner, I think that I would really enjoy reading this book. I liked when you talked about the kind of runs that happened in the book. This is a good way of creating a setting to entice a possible reader.

    Nice Job!

    ReplyDelete

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