"Quietly haunting...magisterial...brilliantly satisfying...a terrific first novel."—The Boston Globe

"Definitely my favorite book! A beautiful tribute to all runners, and a reminder that being true to yourself is more important than setting records."—Alan Webb, national record holder for the high school mile, at 3:53.43

"This story will leave you cheering."—Seventeen

"Full of whimsy and tragicomedy of high school. The first book in years whose ending made me weep."—David Schickler, author of Kissing in Manhattan

"Refreshing...reminds us that whether we run, play football, sing or write, we need to find the joy in what we do."—Chicago Sun-Times

"Entertaining, engaging, and finally, moving."—James Hynes, author of The Lecturer's Tale

"Subtle...[with] a deep vein of dark humor that keeps the reader a bit off-kilter...Quirky dialogue and laugh-out-loud absurdities abound and offset the book's somber story in a way that is as engaging as it is unpredictable."—Iowa City Press-Citizen

"This debut has an undeniably quirky charm."—Publishers Weekly

"A quietly remarkable achievement of pathos and wit."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"I love this book so much: It's haunting, gentle, riveting and full of beautiful, beautiful prose. A book like this is rare and precious, and it's on my special shelf of things I want to read over and over."—Thisbe Nissen, author of The Good People of New York

"Occasionally, a sleep of a book comes your way, a book whose author has not yet reached word-of-mouth status, and you think to yourself, 'My god, this is good.' Such a book is Life at These Speeds, a coming-of-age story unlike any in its genre. Written in edgy prose that perfectly mimics the sheer bravado of the young athlete at the center of the story, this novel of tragedy and redemption is infused with both physicality and grace."—Anita Shreve, author of The Pilot's Wife