{"product_id":"longshot-paperback","title":"Longshot - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKatie M. Kitamura\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbrilliant, spare debut novel that follows a former mixed martial arts star and his longtime coach over the course of three fraught days as they prepare for his momentous comeback match. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFour years after Rivera knocked Cal from dominance, Cal's coach, Riley, has set up a rematch--it will be good for Cal, and he's ready for it. He's been training harder than ever, trying to shake the lethargy that's plagued him ever since he lost. Knowing he's going to face Rivera again, he gets his focus and energy back. He agrees with Riley: he's ready. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut Rivera has never lost a fight, and in the final days before the match, both Cal and Riley secretly begin to doubt that he can be beaten now. The stakes are high for them--not only do they have no idea what else they'll do with themselves besides MMA, they're also desperate not to let each other down. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn taut, rhythmic language, Katie Kitamura--a journalist who has followed MMA for years--renders the urgency, discipline, and mutual affection of athlete and coach with depth and subtlety. As an excruciating tension builds toward the final electrifying scene, their plight becomes our plight, the looming fight becomes every challenge each of us has ever taken on, however uncertain the outcome. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis striking debut upholds a tradition of literary writing about gritty subject matter that includes Denis Johnson and Norman Mailer and goes back through Dos Passos, Steinbeck, and Hemingway. Fans of literary fiction will be drawn to \u003ci\u003eThe Finish\u003c\/i\u003e's stylized, sensitive portrait of two men striving to stay true to themselves and each other in the only way they know how.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003eKatie Kitamura \u003c\/b\u003ehas written for numerous publications, including \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian \u003c\/i\u003e(London). She served as Creative Consultant on the documentaries \u003ci\u003eThe Pervert's Guide to Cinema \u003c\/i\u003e(2006) and \u003ci\u003eThe Pervert's Guide to Ideology \u003c\/i\u003e(forthcoming). Kitamura lives in London and New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 208\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 11, 2009\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47435970281650,"sku":"9781439107522","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/922e377874e40227d01e12b0d0a5632c.webp?v=1778635018","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/longshot-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}