Join us at Needles & Pens on Thursday May 2, 2013 – 7:00 p.m.
for a reading of: “In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist,”
the new book by zine legend “Dishwasher” Pete Jordan
About the Book: Peter Jordan’s “In The City of Bikes” describes how, since the dawn of cycling in the 1890s, the people of Amsterdam have embraced the bike not only as their preferred mode of transport, but as a part of their humanity that they defend by instinct and with undying vigor.
Jordan combines ten years of meticulous historical research with his own memoirs to illustrate why in Amsterdam, the streets are not merely bike-friendly or bike safe. Rather, the bike is King of the Road in no uncertain terms, making the capital of Holland unique among the world’s cities. This is the first book in any language to examine these key aspects of urban transport and Dutch culture.
The cycling adventures of Amsterdammers have played a critical role in the life and the history of the city. Huge throngs pedal out to the country for the annual tulip festival, with every bike & body covered with that flower. During the 5-year Nazi occupation babies were born under pedal-powered generator lights and citizens resisted German attempts to control and confiscate their bikes. The Dutch Resistance relied on disguised women to move messages and downed allied pilots around the city. The bike served as a means of endurance, being essential to a Dutch person’s soul.
Pete Jordan is also the author of “Dishwasher: One Man’s Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States.” Pete’s work has been featured on NPR’s This American Life and the New York Times.
