Whip It

I blew through this book in one night, that's how captivating and terrific Bliss' whip-smart, funny voice is. (If this were in audio, I can hear "Juno" actress Ellen Page with a slight Texas accent.) Bliss desperately seeks her niche in a small Texas town of limited opportunities (which include the beauty pageants her mother pushes her into). Her teen frustration rings true as she longs to be a part of something meaningful while still maintaining her identity. Her best friendship with Pash is a joy; female teen readers will want to be part of their circle. The book is at its best when Bliss discovers roller derby and joins the team, but lags when she spends time with her new rocker boyfriend. Their breakup is predictable and the family show more resolution/big finish is straight out of Hollywood (the author is a screenwriter). But these are minor quibbles in what's otherwise a rockin' good read. show less

Whip It is a fantastic book! I wanted to read it before seeing the movie, and let me tell you it does not disappoint. From the very first page, I was laughing hard enough to embarrass myself in public. It's hard to describe to non-reading friends how something as simple as letters and words can be strung into sentences and thoughts that can have such a strong effect on a person, but if you read Whip It and don't bust out guffawing and snorting at totally inappropriate moments then you'd better check your pulse, baby.

Bliss Cavendar - damn that's a great name - and she's a phenomenal character... character being the operative word here. She doesn't fit in at all in Bodeen, but Bliss is totally comfortable with herself - a real rarity for show more a teenage girl. She is thoroughly authentic, with an original voice and genuine understanding of who she really is. I fell in love with her, and with all the delightful misfits orbiting around her.

Shauna Cross is an amazing storyteller. She "gets" small-town Texas as only a native can. The relationships she writes are so fresh and dynamic, you just can't help becoming absorbed in their lives. The story is incredibly engaging and just... FUN! It's wonderful to reading something so witty and enjoyable after a hard days work. Whip It is a real treat! show less

The book opens up in the most mild manner way - Bliss Cavendar talking about how she assumes that she is really adopted - there is no way she is the daughter of pageant mom, Brooke, or the non-confrontational father, Earl. Born and being raised in Bodeen, Texas - and hour's drive from Austin, yet vastly left behind in the modern age - Bliss thinks of nothing but escape. Her best friend Pash, a straight-A honor student, also dreams of escape in different ways. Together they wreck havoc - as much as is possible in Bodeen. During a family shopping trip, however, Bliss picks up a flier for a Roller Derby match. Begging Pash to take her, the two encounter a world full of misfit girls and hot boys. Heaven for the achingly different Bliss show more Cavendar, an absolute hell on earth for mother Brooke.

The book is written with true knowledge of the subject, toned down just a tad. Just a tad. Having met and seen Roller Derby girls - women - in action while reporting on The South Texas Rolleristas, I know how completely intimidating these people can be, but how awesomely sweet they are in reality. It makes sense since Cross has partaken in the sport where no man is woman enough to play - see what I did there? The book offers little challenge as an adult - it took me a few days to read because I made an attempt to pace myself with it - and I imagine it wouldn't be too hard for its target audience to knock it out of the park. But it's still an in depth look of how teenagers felt, feel and will probably always feel in the future. So lace up those skates, amigos, you're in for a ride.

God, that was such a horrible way to end that. Seriously. show less

I learned a little bit more about roller derby with this book, but was just a little bit disappointed with the romance. Bliss lives in a tiny nowhere Texas town about an hour outside of Austin. By random chance, she decides to go to a roller derby and falls in love and decides to join. While derbying, she meets this boy who's in a band. And while the romance with the boy is going on, all the derby stuff takes a backseat to the story. She's still doing it and she still loves it, but the boy becomes the central focus of the story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the derby had stayed the focus of the story. It would have been a more female-empowering message that way. But still a fun read.
Bliss lives in a tiny nowhere Texas town show more about an hour outside of Austin. By random chance, she decides to go to a roller derby and falls in love and decides to join. While derbying, she meets this boy who's in a band and develops a romance, despite warnings not to. So, of course, the romance fails and she’s back to derbying with more heart again. She also has to keep it all a secret from her beauty pageant mother, who wouldn’t understand. show less

This is a great easy read. The characters are really interesting and the plot speaks for itself. I think as a whole everyone can find a connection in this story whether or not you knew anything about roller derby before picking it up or seeing the movie. The themes in this book are easy to relate to: break-ups, rebellion against parental control, hating your job, fights with your best friend. Overall, it is a very good book.

High school misfit Bliss Cavendar, aka Babe Ruthless, dyes her hair blue, loves indie music and wants OUT of the tiny Texas town that makes her feel like she must have been misplaced by her real family who are surely living in some cool urban setting like San Fransisco or NY City. Instead, Bliss has a beauty pageant obsessed mother who hopes Bliss will be able to win the big name crowns she never did. Bliss is going through the motions to please her mom, mostly keeping her sarcastic thoughts to herself, when she discovers Roller Derby--a no holds barred counter culture scene she desperately wants to join.

Bliss has never been athletic and at the Derby tryouts she has to pretend she is already 18, but after some streaking laps around the show more track in her old Barbie skates she earns a spot on the Hurl Scouts team (think a gang of bad-girl girl scouts.) To get to the team's practices in Austin she has to tell her parents she's taking an SAT prep class and hitch a ride on the senior center's bingo bus.

Of course the local Miss Bluebonnet beauty pageant is on the same night as the biggest derby event of the season.

A fast, fun read. If you enjoyed the movie, you'll love the book--the author wrote the screen play--and if love the book you'll want to see the movie. With smart dialog and family members that bicker but ultimately come through for each other, Whip It reminds me a little of the movie Juno--and of course Ellen Page stars in both. show less

Cross, Shauna. (2007). Derby Girl. New York: Henry Holt. 240 pp. ISBN 0-8050-8023-6 (Hardcover); $16.95

The voice of Bliss, a.k.a. Babe Ruthless, Derby skater is the factor that moves this book up the ladder for me and has it climbing into the “recommended” category. I laughed throughout. "Think of all the elastic that had to die just to make these panties." 21 "And then it occurs to me that if I die my mother will get her ultimate wish. She'll get to dress me. And that thought just pisses me off even more. I vow to stay alive in protest." 32 The butt crack letter, especially appeals to this first grade teacher who now has a standard butt crack lecture to parents about how even first graders would rather look at and butt cracks than show more do math. What I especially enjoy about the voice in this is the way the reader catches glimpses of a pretty frightened and very normal teen trying to talk a bigger game than she has. She can pass herself off as 18. She can skate and compete with the big girls. She tries oh so hard to be that much hipper, but she still needs her family, she still needs those connections, and she even needs limits and standards. The book goes a bit over the top with the slap-stick like plot lines (the roller derby beauty queen is a bit much and the mother verges too often into stock character land—the unreliable narrator-daughter notwithstanding). The ending is a bit forced with mom and dad suddenly turning into the Babe Ruthless fan club leaders. The voice and the humor in this book are more than enough to allow me to recommend it to high school students without regrets. show less