Customer Reviews

Danica--Crossing the Line

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I have a newfound respect for Danica Patrick after reading her autobiography. The book is an easy, one day read and dull at times, but tells you a lot about racing. I now realize that Danica does not just jump behind a wheel and start driving as fast as she can. I admire her for her courage and desire to breach a "man's world". There are times she comes across as arrogant, but yet there are even more moments of pure honesty in which she admits she is not perfect. She addresses her past mistakes and what she learned from them. I also enjoyed her witty comments here and there and I was surprised to find some of my own thoughts voiced. My personal favorite: "I've only just begun to share my spirit and my hope that someday we will live in a world where a woman can grow to become president of the United States and little boys can grow up believing it's not a mark of inferiority to stay home and raise children while their wives run the country!"

I could not have said it better, Danica.

I originally purchased this book for my daughter as she has recently turned 15 and involved with cart racing.

I read it first and was impressed not only with the racing aspects that my daughter can relate to but the life lessons to be learned by someone who has been there. It seems it's sometimes better coming from someone other than DAD.

To have my daughter passionate about racing is a godsend and I am so proud of my daughter just like the Patrick's must be of their daughter.

I recommend it to any parent of a teenage daughter AND as a gift to a teenage daughter. The boys are on their own!

The actual book is fine, but was not received as described. There were 2 sticky residue marks on the front and back covers, where there most likely had been a "sale" sticker. Can't get it off!! There were also a few pages that were bent/folded on the inside.

Danica Patrick garnered every award possible in her 2005 season on the Indie circuit and she earn it! Telling her story of hard work and determination doesn't work, not for the astute public who follows every aspect of motor racing. The writing is trite and demeaning for her outstanding achievement.
I don't know the intended audience for this title, but I'd place it in a junior high/middle school library for browsing.
I knew there was a reason it had been lying in the TBR pile since its publication.
Nash Black, author of QUALIFYING LAPS.

An excellent book for fans of Danica Patrick as well as racing fans. If your an Indy fan or NASCAR fan this is a must read book. You are given a glimpse of what makes a race car driver tick. Other drivers need to take notice Danica Patrick is not just one of the best woman drivers of all time. She is one of the best drivers of all time.

We've only heard bits and pieces of the background of Danica Patrick and what got her to Indy, but by reading this book you learn the details. Karting, Formula Ford in UK, her patron sponsors, Bobby Rahal discovering her, her families dedication to her, her romance with her eventual husband.

My own feelings about her - having been someone myself who went to England to race FF1600 at 26 - is that her biggest accomplishment was going to England at 16 for 3 years to race. She didn't get good cars, and no one was there to look out for her and it affected her results of course. It took a lot of guts. (She has guts!)

I came away being a fan of her's - I wasn't before.

Danica Patrick is currently the hottest thing in motor sports in more ways than one. Since her recent foray into NASCAR, I wanted to find out more about what was behind those beautiful eyes of hers. Her "auto" biography (pun intended) DANICA-CROSSING THE LINE is a candid glimpse into the mind of America's hottest racer.

This book is much more a glimpse into her psyche than a chronicle of her racing exploits. While the book is sprinkled with racing stories, those stories are used as a platform for Danica to explore what life-lessons a particular experience taught her. She offers the reader an up close look at the competitive fire that burns within her heart and stokes her fiery temper. She talks about her struggles as a teenager when she was going through 'racing boot camp' in England and what lessons those struggles taught her.

I was actually hoping this book would be a chronicle of her racing career from go karts to IndyCar, so I was a little disappointed at the lack of racing 'war' stories contained in the book. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned about what is going on inside that pretty little head of hers. Danica Sue Patrick may have the face of an angel, but this book proves that underneath her fire suit beats the heart of a lion...and a champion.

This book would be a great read for young girls and boys even if they aren't interested racing, because Danica talks at length about the teenage angst that she experienced both on and off the race track.