Amped: How Big Air, Big Dollars, and a New Generation Took Sports to the Extreme

Visit www.david-browne.com Amped is the first comprehensive account of the history, culture, and business of action sports-skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross. Journalist David Browne interviews more than 100 athletes, pioneers, industry executives, manufacturers, and the adolescent amateurs at the heart of this movement. On his journey, he unravels the eye-opening tale of a flourishing culture that continues to reject old-fashioned stick-and-ball sports in favor of individualistic forms of expression, and that culture's struggle to hold on to its integrity despite the demands of corporate sponsors. David Browne is the music critic for Entertainment Weekly and author of Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley, which was a finalist for the Ralph J. Gleason Award. A former reporter for the New York Daily News, he has also written for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, and New York, among other publications. He lives in Manhattan. "A rapid, thrillingly written look at the industry's evolution, one that fully appreciates the dizzying heights as well as the devastating lows that extreme sports have witnessed over the last four decades."-Spin "A must buy!"-Maxim "Whether he's hanging out with the pros on the tour bus, checking in with participants at a skate camp or meeting with ESPN executives to discuss the launch of the X Games, the candor Browne elicits from his interview subjects is impressive."-Publishers Weekly "Well researched and nicely presented, Amped is an engaging look at the history and increasing popularity of action sports."-San Francisco Chronicle Also available: HC 1-58234-317-9 $24.95