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A fascinating ride
Hang on! This is a thrilling ride through professional racing, as seen through the eyes of a pioneer who "just did it" long before Nike advised us to. Like the best autobiographies, this book explores one extraordinary person's life while at the same time inspiring all of us to excel despite the odds. I first met Lyn St. James many years ago at a women's sports conference. She's a beautiful woman, with an intense gaze and a ready laugh -- not what most of us would expect in a professional race car driver. And despite her impressive resume full of "first woman"'s, St. James remains grounded and generous, committed to helping other women learn to drive, race, and win. An excellent gift for people -- especially female people -- who need some inspiration. -- Mariah Burton Nelson
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She's a Better Driver Than An Author
It's hard not to like Lyn St. James. She wasn't the first woman to drive at Indy but until Sarah Fisher came along she was the most accomplished. I was looking forward to a book that would recount her successful career and provide unique insight into her accomplishments.She does provide that in this book regarding the amazing challenges she faced just to get into the field in her last race at Indianapolis. For many underfunded teams, the challenge of qualifying can far surpass what happens on race day and St. James recounts the ordeal with great clarity. The problem is that the rest of her career is barely touched on in anecdotes about the past while talking about her last season. I came away from this book learning very little about her life outside of Indy or even her racing career in other auto racing competitions.More importantly, she failed to share many personal feelings or emotions in the book. The most personal story she tells is about how she lost a pet that was hit in a freak accident at a race track. That story moved me, but little else did.She also fails to discuss the overall state of racing. Currently open wheel racing in the United States is in a shambles due to a split between sanctioning bodies. She never talks about the issue and barely mentions the growing success of NASCAR.Finally, the book contains a number of self-help types of advice throughout the book. They're meant to be inspirational but come off as tired and hackneyed.The book is a pleasant read and St. James is likeable. The problem is that the book could have been so much more and falls far too short of what it could have accomplished.
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A compelling read even if you are not a race fan
Our minister interviewed Ms. St James as part of his sermon today. Her book was available to us and I just finished it. A great read! A compelling narrative about racing and life lessons. What a class act and role model for young people and inspiration for her peers.
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