Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America

Reprising a similar trip he took from California to New York City in 1993, in 2011 New York Times obituary writer and author Weber (As They See ’Em) bicycled from Oregon to Manhattan. Weber documented the trip for Times Web site, but here he has expanded on those posts to create a lengthier form that allows him to explore deeper themes while still maintaining the conversational style that makes his writing a breeze to read. While Weber introduces readers to people he met, his trip is more about the internal explorations of a 57-year-old man pushing his body to its limits. Weber presents “fruitful cogitation” on a myriad of subjects, such as the passing of a friend during the first week of his trip; his deceased parents; his long distance relationship with a woman named Jan; and the general feeling of loneliness that pervades the excursion. Weber never fails to entertain, and his compulsion to always move forward despite the weight of the past is as inspiring as his astounding cycling achievement. (Mar.)