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Fast Girl : Don't Brake Until You See the Face of God and Other Good Advice from the Racetrack
Life in Ingrid Steffensen’s New Jersey suburb was safe, comfortable, and predictable. A college professor, wife, and mother of a preadolescent daughter, her carefully cultivated world was comprised of the usual family, work, book clubs, yoga classes, and date nights. Then, one day—thinking she’d be a good sport and maybe learn something about what made her car-crazed husband tick—she put a helmet on her head, took her Mini Cooper to the racetrack, and learned how to drive it really, really fast. Soon, what began as a whim became a full-blown obsession—and a freeing journey of self-discovery.
In the eventful, exhilarating year that followed her first lesson, Steffenson dove head-first into high-performance driving. In the process, she discovered the terrifying and addictive thrill of pushing her limits, learning an entirely new set of skills, and tackling danger head-on—and found that doing so liberated her in a way that she hadn’t even known she needed. Fast-paced and fun, Fast Girl is the quirky, real-life chronicle of how one woman stepped outside her comfort zone, shrugged off the shackles of suburban conformity, and changed her entire perspective on life through the unlikeliest of racecar driving.
In the eventful, exhilarating year that followed her first lesson, Steffenson dove head-first into high-performance driving. In the process, she discovered the terrifying and addictive thrill of pushing her limits, learning an entirely new set of skills, and tackling danger head-on—and found that doing so liberated her in a way that she hadn’t even known she needed. Fast-paced and fun, Fast Girl is the quirky, real-life chronicle of how one woman stepped outside her comfort zone, shrugged off the shackles of suburban conformity, and changed her entire perspective on life through the unlikeliest of racecar driving.
- GenresMemoir
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2012
5 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 23, 2013
This book could be about mountain climbing or whitewater kayaking or any activity that requires intense focus and advanced physical skills.
It happens to be about club-level performance-sportscar driving, accessible to anyone who can afford a car, a helmet, and several hundred dollars for a weekend away from home.
Unlike the average book about racing, it’s not about cars and winning, though both those areas are covered. Rather, it’s about one woman’s midlife discovery of her ability to exceed her own (and others’) expectations—and have a ball while doing it.
In that regard, it’s an Everywoman book. For those of us involved in the same sport, it’s also the best description of the female driving experience ever penned.
Ingrid’s literate, sassy style describes her transition from suburban career mom to track tigress, and how these opposite worlds mix and match to create a fuller life.
The book covers all aspects of driving: the differences between street and track skills/technique; the mentality behind it all; typical track environment and training event; the emotional changes and challenges involved in a dangerous skill; an analysis of its actual (or not) dangers; the logistics of owning a track car and the gear needed to participate in the sport; how performance driving can affect a marriage; the morality of participating in such an un-green activity; the many faces of competitive spirit; and pretty much everything involved in transitioning from a clueless member of the driving public to a master of vehicle safety and thrill.
It’s also laugh-out-loud funny in spots, more so for guys and gals who know the scene, but plenty entertaining for minivan-driving mommies and other non-racers. More important, Ingrid makes sense of a passion utterly bewildering or offensive to people outside autosports. So even if they have zero interest, they can now at least understand why other people love it. And find the road to their own expansion and excitement.
It happens to be about club-level performance-sportscar driving, accessible to anyone who can afford a car, a helmet, and several hundred dollars for a weekend away from home.
Unlike the average book about racing, it’s not about cars and winning, though both those areas are covered. Rather, it’s about one woman’s midlife discovery of her ability to exceed her own (and others’) expectations—and have a ball while doing it.
In that regard, it’s an Everywoman book. For those of us involved in the same sport, it’s also the best description of the female driving experience ever penned.
Ingrid’s literate, sassy style describes her transition from suburban career mom to track tigress, and how these opposite worlds mix and match to create a fuller life.
The book covers all aspects of driving: the differences between street and track skills/technique; the mentality behind it all; typical track environment and training event; the emotional changes and challenges involved in a dangerous skill; an analysis of its actual (or not) dangers; the logistics of owning a track car and the gear needed to participate in the sport; how performance driving can affect a marriage; the morality of participating in such an un-green activity; the many faces of competitive spirit; and pretty much everything involved in transitioning from a clueless member of the driving public to a master of vehicle safety and thrill.
It’s also laugh-out-loud funny in spots, more so for guys and gals who know the scene, but plenty entertaining for minivan-driving mommies and other non-racers. More important, Ingrid makes sense of a passion utterly bewildering or offensive to people outside autosports. So even if they have zero interest, they can now at least understand why other people love it. And find the road to their own expansion and excitement.
June 8, 2018
I was given this book to read by my sister-in-law, a fast car enthusiast. I found it a pleasant read. The author has a good sense of humor as she describes her family life, career, and new love, driving fast in her yellow Lotus. It might resonate most with people in their forties wondering what is out there to spice up their nice, but unexciting life.
July 2, 2017
The author took up running and then bicycling because of her husband. When she turned 40, she took up her husband's sport of racetrack driving. A little more detail than I would have wanted--racetrack driving is not high on my agenda of things I might like to do.
June 30, 2014
Most of this poor review has to do with the book not living up to the catalog description. So, if you're looking for a book about a suburban mom who becomes a racer, this isn't for you. Why? Well, for one, she doesn't RACE. She's done several Driver's Education events at major tracks (nothing to sneeze at) but she doesn't go beyond the intermediate level and uses a stock car. (Granted, she goes from a Mini Cooper to a Lotus Elise but it's not an ACTUAL race car.)
My other MAJOR problem with this book is that it's 80-90% fluff. You get a little of her journey, how she got into it, what she thinks about when she's driving, the rush of clearing out her "Mommy Mind" with the focus of high speed driving, but not much else. In fact, she spends the majority of the book covering such asinine topics as: what kind of underwear to wear to the track (lacy boy shorts apparently though I'd side with the comfortable cotton bikini bottoms), what sort of food to expect (fried everything, duh!), what sort of swag people bring and what that indicates about their racing commitment level, and lastly, whether the rush of the sport is worth the environmental damage it causes. (Ok, that last one was sorta interesting but she doesn't provide much beyond basic calculations and then the general defense that everyone needs to kick back somehow.)
Overall, VERY chick lit. If you're a middle-class suburban mom intrigued by racing, by all means read it. But if you're looking for a real book about an actual female racer and her struggles in the sport, find something else. Maybe the "Grey Wolf" she mentions meeting has written something. (Guilty for enjoying the one chapter where she mentions her brief contacts with other women at the track.)
My other MAJOR problem with this book is that it's 80-90% fluff. You get a little of her journey, how she got into it, what she thinks about when she's driving, the rush of clearing out her "Mommy Mind" with the focus of high speed driving, but not much else. In fact, she spends the majority of the book covering such asinine topics as: what kind of underwear to wear to the track (lacy boy shorts apparently though I'd side with the comfortable cotton bikini bottoms), what sort of food to expect (fried everything, duh!), what sort of swag people bring and what that indicates about their racing commitment level, and lastly, whether the rush of the sport is worth the environmental damage it causes. (Ok, that last one was sorta interesting but she doesn't provide much beyond basic calculations and then the general defense that everyone needs to kick back somehow.)
Overall, VERY chick lit. If you're a middle-class suburban mom intrigued by racing, by all means read it. But if you're looking for a real book about an actual female racer and her struggles in the sport, find something else. Maybe the "Grey Wolf" she mentions meeting has written something. (Guilty for enjoying the one chapter where she mentions her brief contacts with other women at the track.)
February 21, 2013
Having read Gillian Flynn's chilling novel Gone Girl recently, I would much rather be reading Ingrid Steffensen's book instead. Fast Girl is the entertaining and thought-provoking tale of why a suburban mom and art history professor developed a passion for performance driving on a race track.
It all started when she ventured to a BMW Club driving school at Watkins Glen racetrack in New York. She was initially terrified, but grew to love the sensation of speed and her newfound confidence and sense of adventure. This book has an engaging, humorous tone that pulls in the reader. It would make a great book club book and would be fun to discuss.
It all started when she ventured to a BMW Club driving school at Watkins Glen racetrack in New York. She was initially terrified, but grew to love the sensation of speed and her newfound confidence and sense of adventure. This book has an engaging, humorous tone that pulls in the reader. It would make a great book club book and would be fun to discuss.
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March 12, 2013Ingrid Steffensen is a New Jersey mom, an art history professor, a banker’s wife—and a race car driver. Her memoir, Fast Girl, explains how she left the norms of suburban life in the dust and learned to love the race track.
Read Literary Mama's full review here: http://www.literarymama.com/reviews/a...
Read Literary Mama's full review here: http://www.literarymama.com/reviews/a...
October 11, 2012
Pretty good! Not quite as technical as I was hoping, but very entertaining. Well worth the read, and the late fines at the library.
October 20, 2012
This middle-age suburban mom and professional is who I wanted to be at one time. Delightful read.
August 24, 2014
This book was an ok read. Meeting the author was far more fascinating. She is a bundle of energy, some of which came out in the book.
February 15, 2014
Fun book about a woman taking up car racing later in life after she becomes a professor, mother and wife. I learned about race car driving along the way.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews