Danica--Crossing the Line (Paperback)

by Danica Patrick (Author), Laura Morton (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Danica Patrick's life moves at 220 mph. She drives every race and lives every day like she has something to prove -- and she does. As a 5-foot 2-inch, 100-pound woman, she had to qualify a little quicker and race a little faster than the boys -- just to earn the respect she would otherwise be given if she weren't the "girl on the track, driving the princess mobile." But you don't get to be an IndyCar driver without talent and determination. Danica is living proof that if you work hard and aim high, you can do whatever you set your mind to, that you can rise to any challenge, and that what makes you different is what makes you great.

Sharing secrets and stories, tales from the track, and insights into her personal life, Danica reflects on her extraordinary rise from a ten-year-old go-kart champion to a twenty-three-year-old Indy star. An inspiration to all, she offers her unique perspective on how to compete in life, how to stand out, and how to get the respect and attention you deserve.

About the Author
Danica Patrick, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, is the highest qualifying and finishing female driver in the history of the Indianapolis 500. Danica was nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete for the 2005 ESPY Awards and named the second most influential driver in motor sports by Racer magazine. She is listed as one of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry, by Automotive News, and was named a finalist for Sportsman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation.

Laura Morton is the author of twenty-three books and has written seven New York Times bestsellers, including books with Melissa Etheridge, Joan Lunden, and Marilu Henner.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743298306
• ISBN-13: 978-0743298308
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,215 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great promise as a driver does not make great reading, August 10, 2006

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Danica: Crossing the Line (Hardcover)

Danica Patrick is currently THE star and main attraction on the IRL racing circuit, being a 24 year old, good looking driver who shows great promise and who happens to be female. She is currently in her second season on the IRL, but despite several great finishes (including a rousing 4th place at the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2005), has yet to win in the IRL.

I saw "Crossing the Line" (219 pages) at my local library, and the curiosity factor was such that I simply had to pick it up. Danica tells her life story (such as it is, at age 24) and it's nice but simply does not make for great reading. The more interesting pages are when she explains her decision to do certain picture shoots that show off her femininity, for which she (rightly so) doesn't apologize (drawing the line at requests from Playboy and the like). But she doesn't have a lot of life experiences to share, and how could she, at age 24? This book was released in late April of this year, to coincide with (cash in on?) the build-up for the buzz of this year's Indy 500...

All that said, Danica, after teasing with jumping to the NASCAR circuit for 2007, has signed on with a new IRL team for next year, and whatever (big) money they are paying her, I'm here to tell you that she's underpaid, as she is almost single-handedly is keeping the IRL circuit from falling off the cliff. Danica shows great promise as a drive, and I'll be interested to see if she can fullfill those promises, but "Crossing the Line" is not a great book, and I'm being mild.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and inspiring :->, May 1, 2006

By	Little Miss Cutey (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Danica: Crossing the Line (Hardcover)

Danica Patrick is amazing. She took the auto racing world by storm in 2005 in her record setting rookie season. She became the first woman to ever lead a lap at the Indy 500 and her fourth place finish was the highest ever for a female driver at that race. 2005 also saw her named Indy Racing 2005's rookie of the year, she got married and wrote this book too.
She's only 24 years old so it's early to choose to write her biography, but did so because there was a lot of interest in her story and she knows she's overcome a lot of things and achieved so much already, she thought it was time. She's also a role model to younger girls.
This is very interesting (even for someone like me who's not into racing so much). She's made a lot of sacrifices - she left school, left her family and left for England to train. She writes how it's hard to be the only female around for a while because she might be labelled a B whether she opens her mouth or not. It can be challenging.
I think this book will appeal to so many different people - young kids (girls AND boys), sports fans, women (even those not interested in car racing) etc. There is something here for everyone and it's inspiring for younger kids too.
This is a great read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dual Identity, May 19, 2006

By	Jay C. Tipnis (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Danica: Crossing the Line (Hardcover)

Danica Patrick exploded to the forefront of Indy racing last year when she was picked up by Rahal/Letterman racing. She justified her popularity by putting her money where her mouth is and qualifying in the top ten of the 2005 Indy 500, and she further made history by leading the closing laps of the race. Had fuel concerns not been an issue and an untimely slip, she could have very well won the race. This is the highlight of the book for many and though it isn't covered in great detail, it gives us a window into her mindset during the race. So what is covered in the book? Although she is relatively 'new' to the mainstream of racing, she has been around for about 14 years. Her book briefly touches upon her days as a kart racer and in England before moving on to her exploits over here. Although she's only been in one full season of Indy, only her race at Montegi and Indy are covered. Much of the time is spent in providing background on her past. While interesting it does present the duality of her character. She spends a lot of time in the book explaining how she's out to prove a woman can be equal to a man in terms of racing and talent. There's no doubt on that score. However, later on the in the book she discusses how she uses her looks and her marketability to her advantage. They seem to be opposite sides of the same coin. On the one hand she doesn't want to fully embrace her identity as a female racer if it will hold her back but she wants to flaunt it when it does help her. Interesting duality. The book is a quick read and does have some interesting information. Those looking for more details on her actual driving best check elsewhere.