A new memoir, called Bike Hunt, uncovers disturbing patterns
in bicycle advocacy and other nonprofits. In the early 2000s, Sue Knaup
believed she had landed her dream job as director of the Thunderhead Alliance,
a national bicycle nonprofit. Though she had escaped abuse as a child, her
ambition obscured her descent into workplace abuse. Over the ensuing five
years, she discovered she was not the only nonprofit leader struggling against
bizarre manipulations.
Ten years after her board
fired her without cause, Ms. Knaup has published her memoir capturing not only
the disturbing group behavior she encountered, but her own role in allowing the
abuse. Her first years at Thunderhead are thrilling as she compares her
successes to her previous jobs in nonprofits. All the while, a system of
manipulation is laid out by one particular board member as he slowly gains
support from others within Thunderhead as well as the bicycle industry. Meanwhile,
she watches in dismay as bicycle nonprofits across the United States are crippled
by similar group behavior.
As she fights for her job, Ms.
Knaup’s “Bike Hunts,” searching for then giving away used bikes, become her
lifeline back to her former, courageous self and the world. Recollections of
her daring as a San Francisco bike messenger, river guide, and hitchhiker
remind her of a time when no one could bully her. Her previous experience in
the animal rights, environmental, and special populations movements help her
decipher how her time at Thunderhead went so terribly wrong.
The day after she surrenders
the fight, Ms. Knaup founds One Street, an international nonprofit serving
bicycle organizations with kindness and respect.
Bike Hunt is a tragic love story of an enchantment with and
sacrifice for a magical machine. In the end, it is a story of hope and
resilience for anyone who has ever let themselves slip away into ambition.
“Sue
Knaup’s Bike Hunt is at once a
compelling memoir, a narrative of discovery and political activism as well as a
look at bicycles as you haven’t seen them before,” said Thomas Cobb author of Darkness the Color of Snow and Crazy Heart.
“Knaup’s
story is deeply moving—sad and funny and full of moments of insight. She has
the rare talent to see with clarity where meanness or dishonesty have
prevailed, and her adventures are a thrilling read,” said Elaine Greensmith
Jordan author of Mrs. Ogg Played the Harp.
Buy your copy of Bike Hunt through booksellers worldwide
or at www.OneStreet.org. All proceeds support One Street’s service to bicycle
nonprofits around the world.
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