- Hardcover: 212 pages
- Publisher: University of Akron Press; 1 edition (July 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1931968055
- ISBN-13: 978-1931968058
- Product Dimensions: 25.1 x 14.3 x 2.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
With scrap lumber and a dream, young Bob Turner became the first All-American Soap Box Derby world champion in 1934. Over the next seventy years, pushed by curiosity, ingenuity, and determination, thousands more follow in his footsteps to try - for at least one day - to become the most famous kid in America. This book provides a history of the race from its beginning on a hillside in Dayton, to the corporate-sponsored star-studded event it became in the 1950s and 1960s. It chronicles an era of near-obscurity after the event was rocked by the withdrawal of its major corporate sponsor and by a legendary cheating scandal. Through first-person accounts, the book reveals influences of the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights and feminist movements, Vietnam, and Watergate, which helped shape the race, transforming it from a simple amateur event into an American icon.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book on SBD,
By Ed Myers (Belmont Hills,Pa. {suburb of Phila.}) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams (Hardcover)
I was in Akron and Gil Klecan came into the room with a copy. I read a few pages and had to get the book.I have read it over several times.It is the best book I have ever read on the Derby.She did a lot of research to come up with a very true account.I have been in and out of the Derby since 1946. I know most of the people she mentions. Some of the stories I had heard off hand. I never have spoken with Ballard, Gronen, and Lunn.I knew of their experiences. She Filled in the missing spaces. I have spoken with quite a few of my old friends from the Derby and they all say the same thing."The book is better then they though". For someone who knew very little about the Derby she learned it fast.Had she written a fiction book on the Derby, I would not have taken it free. I raced in 1946,7,& 8. My children raced in the 70's My oldest son placed 3rd and holds the fastest time on the Akron Hill.The chapter on The Durham Champions is superb. Sam Moore was an old friend, and a good one. Sam never told me the things he told Melanie. He was a real credit to Durham. Gronen said,"My hat is off to the sincere and honest boys and girls who raced in the Soap Box Derby.I extend an apology to them." I take my hat off to HIM for HIS honesty. The title Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams is the only title this book can have. "Cheaters?" Yes, on both sides of the fence. "Childhood Dreams?" Yes, I had them. My son made them come true. As an old SBD friend said,"Winning the local and going to Akron was like dying and going straight to heaven."
4.0 out of 5 stars
Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams: Memories of the A,
By A Customer
This review is from: Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams (Hardcover)
Just curious...I wrote a review a week ago and it has yet to appear....?
5.0 out of 5 stars
CHAMPIONS CHEATERS AND CHILDHOOD DREAMS,
By STAN HOWARD (Phenix City, Al) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams (Hardcover)
"A WARM AND REFRESHING LOOK AT THE WORLD'S GREATEST YOUTH EVENT... I SAVORED EVERY PAGE.. READING SOME PAGES TWICE TO MAKE IT LAST LONGER"IT COVERS SOME STORIES FROM THE DERBY THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE HAPPENED.. SUCH AS THE LINE OF BLACK CHAMPS FROM DURHAM NORTH CAROLINA.. AND I HAVE BEEN A DERBY FAN FOR MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS. Stan Howard
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