Whizz, gooey, pink champagne, base: the recreational and pharmacological use of 'Speed', from Amphetamine Sulphate to Crystal Meth is a cultural habit which has existed since the early 1900s. Although considered a cheap and somewhat filthy habit, amphetamines have tempted an array of celebrities, including Elvis Presley, Truman Capote, The Beatles, Jack Kerouac, Johnny Cash, JFK and Adolf Hitler: All were at some point - to be blunt - speedfreaks. Speed-Speed-Speedfreak traces the cultural and criminal use of amphetamine and its unholy growth.

Elvis Presley, the Hell's Angels, Hunter S. Thompson, Truman Capote, the Beatles, Judy Garland, Hank Williams, Jack Kerouac, Johnny Cash, JFK, the Manson Family and Adolf Hitler. All of the above were, at one time or another, to put it bluntly, speedfreaks.Speed-Speed-Speedfreak traces the criminal and cultural use of amphetamine and its growing use through each new and destructive cycle. Speed is both one of the biggest social problems facing the country today, an indispensible component of the doctor's medicine bag, and a huge and abiding influence on artists, musicians and writers.

Racing. Winning. That's all that matters in this exciting teen story about driving competitively. Fifteen-year-old Archie Barrington is a top kart driver, aiming to win the Challenge series and its ultimate prize of racing in Europe. He loves the speed, the roar of the engine, the tactics and the thrill of racing to the limits. Craig is his main rival, and there's also Silver, who drives likes she's got a demon inside. Archie knows he'll need all his skill and focus to win. But sometimes, too, you need plain old luck. Can Archie overcome the odds and win?

Part of a series for young African students and consisting of stories from all over Africa. The "JAWS" starters, which are at three levels, are intended to encourage children who are learning to read. In this story Sharleen drives faster and faster, frightening her friends and all the animals.

The story of visionary American running coach Bob Larsen's mismatched team of elite California runners who would win championships and Olympic glory in a decades-long pursuit of "the epic run." In the dusty hills above San Diego, Bob Larsen became America's greatest running coach. Running to the Edge is a riveting account of Larsen's journey, and his quest to discover the unorthodox training secrets that would lead American runners to breakthroughs never imagined. Futterman interweaves the dramatic stories of Larsen's runners with a fascinating discourse on the science behind human running, as well as a personal running narrative that follows Futterman's own checkered love-affair with the sport. The result is a narrative that will speak to every runner, a story of Larsen's triumphs--from high school cross-country meets to the founding of the cult-favorite, 70's running group, the Jamul Toads; from his long tenure as head coach at UCLA to the secret training regimen of world champion athletes like Larsen's protégé, Meb Keflezighi. Running to the Edge is a page-turner . . . a relentless crusade to run faster, farther.

In Killer High, Peter Andreas tells the story of war from antiquity to the modern age through the lens of six psychoactive drugs: alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, opium, amphetamines, and cocaine. Armed conflict has become progressively more "drugged" with the global spread of these mind-altering substances. From ancient brews and battles to meth and modern warfare, drugs and war have grown up together and become addicted to each other. By looking back not just years and decades but centuries, Andreas reveals that the drugs-conflict nexus is actually an old story, and that powerful states have been its biggest beneficiaries.