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aoosterwyk's review
5.0
Amazing and inspirational book. This is a soup to nuts description of what it's like to do roller derby. There is input from other skaters and multiple perspectives, you can find helpful insight for any situation. I think this is a book to reread as you change levels and find yourself up against new challenges.
sonnet_reads's review
4.0
Derby Life: A Crash Course in the Incredible Sport of Roller Derby is just that: a crash course. Margot Atwell, also known as "Em Dash" in the derby community (one of my favorite derby names ever), offers a good primer on roller derby, touching a little bit on everything, from derby history to how to get involved with a league, from what sort of things you need to play to how to cross-train for your best derby experience. I contributed to this book's Kickstarter campaign with a few other of my leaguemates a few years back, but I never really got around to reading it. Thank you, reading challenges, for helping me remember gems on my own shelves before I go out in search of others!
I really enjoyed the Skater Stories section of the book, and I kicked myself through every page for not getting my act together and submitting anything. I've written a few things about derby since I started, some for the league's blog, most recently some playoffs recaps for Derby Central, but for whatever reason I didn't make time for this book. I loved reading the ways other skaters internalized derby and how it came out again through their writing.
This year marks a big one in derby for me, and I feel as if I'm at a standstill, waiting to see what is wrong with my knee and how long it will take to fix. It was helpful to read through Derby Life from start to finish as a sort of salve for my nerves. Remembering how I began, how I got here, where I can go. Taking deep breaths through the injury section, knowing that my body doesn't feel broken, just overworked, and praying that that's all. I just need the next steps because I've got things to do this season!
I really enjoyed the Skater Stories section of the book, and I kicked myself through every page for not getting my act together and submitting anything. I've written a few things about derby since I started, some for the league's blog, most recently some playoffs recaps for Derby Central, but for whatever reason I didn't make time for this book. I loved reading the ways other skaters internalized derby and how it came out again through their writing.
This year marks a big one in derby for me, and I feel as if I'm at a standstill, waiting to see what is wrong with my knee and how long it will take to fix. It was helpful to read through Derby Life from start to finish as a sort of salve for my nerves. Remembering how I began, how I got here, where I can go. Taking deep breaths through the injury section, knowing that my body doesn't feel broken, just overworked, and praying that that's all. I just need the next steps because I've got things to do this season!
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