The Racers: How an Outcast Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Challenged Hitler's Best

by Neal Bascomb

The heart-pounding story of an unlikely band of ragtags who took on Hitler's Grand Prix driver. In the years before World War II, Adolf Hitler wanted to prove the greatness of the Third Reich in everything from track and field to motorsports. The Nazis poured money into the development of new race cars, and Mercedes-Benz came out with a stable of supercharged automobiles called Silver Arrows. Their drivers dominated the sensational world of European Grand Prix racing and saluted Hitler on their many returns home with victory.As the Third Reich stripped Jews of their rights and began their march toward war, one driver, René Dreyfus, a 32-year-old Frenchman of Jewish heritage who had enjoyed some early successes on the racing circuit, was barred from driving on any German or Italian race teams, which fielded the best in class, due to the rise of Hitler and Benito Mussolini.So it was that in 1937, Lucy Schell, an American heiress and top Monte Carlo Rally driver, needed a racer for a new team she was creating to take on Germany's Silver Arrows. Sensing untapped potential in Dreyfus, she funded the development of a nimble tiger of a new car built by a little-known French manufacturer called Delahaye. As the nations of Europe marched ever closer to war, Schell and Dreyfus faced down Hitler's top drivers, and the world held its breath in anticipation, waiting to see who would triumph.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Sports, World War II, Politics

336 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

Neal Bascomb is a national award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of a number of books, all non-fiction narratives, all focused on inspiring stories of adventure or achievement. His work has been translated into over 18 languages, featured in several documentaries, and optioned for major film and television projects.

Born in Colorado and raised in St. Louis, he is the product of public school and lots of time playing hockey. He earned a double degree in Economics and English Literature at Miami University (Ohio), lived in Europe for several years as a journalist (London, Dublin, and Paris), and worked as an editor at St. Martin’s Press (New York). In 2000, he started writing books full time.

His first book HIGHER was selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writer award and was featured in a History Channel documentary. His second THE PERFECT MILE was a New York Times bestseller and frequently ranks as one of the top books on running. His third RED MUTINY won the United States Maritime Literature Award and critical acclaim around the world. His fourth HUNTING EICHMANN was an international bestseller and led to a young adult edition called NAZI HUNTERS that was the 2014 winner of the YALSA Award, Sydney Taylor Book Award (Gold Medal), among numerous others. His fifth book THE NEW COOL was optioned by major producer Scott Rudin for film. His sixth ONE MORE STEP, focused on the first man with cerebral palsy to climb Kilimanjaro and finish the Kona Ironman, was a New York Times bestseller as well.

An avid hiker, skier, and coffee drinker, he is happily settled in Seattle, Washington with his family.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many times, it reads as a history book and others it feels like a natural story. Sometimes it mixes the style drawing me out from the story. The final race felt like a rookie reporter giving a highlight broadcast of the race.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prologue of this micro history is odd. It's a completely inaccurate summary of the Battle for France. The initial 'dash to the channel' campaign (Fall Gelb in German) is conflated with its follow up (Fall Rot) that included the capture of Paris after it was declared an open city. Mr. Bascomb would have done better to crib from the introduction of Horne's classic To Lose a Battle. From there, things improve gradually. The biographical information on Laury and Lucy Schell is very good as is the background which paints an interesting picture of racing during the Interwar period. The main story, the rivalry between the Schell's team and the German Mercedes and Auto Union teams from 1934-38, is well done although the political battle theme is strained. German racers are repeatedly called Nazis but Italian racers are never called Fascists, even though the Mussolini government took over Alpha-Romeo in 1933. French racers, including the Schell's Écurie Bleue (Delahaye) team are never called Radical-Socialist Racers in honor of the Blum-Daladier governments of France. (Which would be ironic given that the Schells later bought two presumably Fascist Maseratis!) The political content is naive rather than PC, and the resulting 'bad war movie Germans' vibe is easily ignored. Overall, Mr. Bascomb does a good job of telling his story. It's obviously intended for general readers not racing enthusiasts, but that's not a flaw. The technical content is modest. I enjoyed it. Mildly recommended.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to a digital audio edition of The Racers. I was not aware that Hitler had anything to do with auto racing or that he liked cars. So I learned something new.

Even though I don't remember the names of the race car drivers in the book I thought the book was interesting to listen to. There was even a woman race car drive. I think her first name was Lucy and she had a lot of money.

The racers kept me interested through the book. Maybe if I listened to it again I might even remember r the names of the drivers. I do remember Delahaye brand name of the race car that won.

[Jeff Koslowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone into automotive and/or racing history. I got it as an audio book from my library and it reads so well. This time period is not my strong suit but it absolutely moves with the novice or the expert in mind.

[Evan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book, and a story I was not familiar with. It read fairly quickly, and while I realize this was targeted to a young adult audience, it would be interesting to read a more detailed version.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and engaging read even though I don't know much about cars. :D

[Kris Simonian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Fulían Regueyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is supposedly the younger readers version of Bascomb’s narrative nonfiction adult book “Faster” but I did not find the language to be particularly accessible. There is a lot of detail about the engineering and physics of cars that is very technical that I think a lot of young readers would have trouble engaging with. Though I suppose that could also be because I am adult who could not care less about the subject and did not want to engage with the technical details myself. This book does tell an interesting story but gets so bogged down that I found myself skimming during some sections. I thought the last part detailing the final race and its aftermath was very strong. It’s obvious that Bascomb does a ton of research and is passionate about these WWII stories so I would be open to reading more but this one was definitely not for me and I’d be curious to know how young readers react.

[Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Racers is a fictional book about car racing back before world war two. This book shows what racing was like back then and you can compare how it has changed from back then to now. In Racers there is a lot of discrimination about Jewish people racing and not being able to race. Also there is a lot of violence involved like people throwing cold water on them and punching them. I also think this book shows how dangerous racing was back then and how when you watch a race nowadays you are looking for crashes but they can be very deadly and are not a good thing to hope for.
Something I found interesting was how committed these drivers are and there are a lot of reasons to show it. The first being that when one of the drivers crashed and smashed his legs and could not walk and the doctor said no more racing but he still went back and started driving even tho he was in alot of pain. And second a driver tried to break a world record for fastest ever and did not get is the first couple of tries and then on one of the attempts he crashed and lost his life. He could have just stopped but he was passionate about it. And lastly they push so hard in the races it just shows how much they care about what they are doing.
During world war two the Nazi put a lot of money into developing new race cars. Mercedes came out with a car called the silver arrows and was destroying the other cars. This book won the CCBC choice award in 2021. As the third reich stripped Jews from there power and the Nazi wanted war. Rene dreyfus a Jewish man who loved racing who could not race on a German team still tried his hardest to be able to race because of the success and wins he was having before. I think this book is a good fit for anyone who likes fast moving books that are action packed and have a little bit of history.

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

@Kidlitexchange

Thank you to @scholasticinc for sharing an advance copy of The Racers: How an Outcast Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Challenged Hitler's Best by @nealbascomb. This book was published in October 2020.

In the years leading up to WWII the Third Reich was trying to prove dominance in all areas, including motorsports and racing. The Nazis poured money into the development of racecars and ended up backing various drivers and Mercedes-Benz who created their go-to car, the Silver Arrow. During this time, the Nazis were stripping Jews of their rites. This included the ability to drive their cars. Rene Dreyfus, was a top driver of French and Jewish heritage, who was barred from driving for both the German and Italian teams. Lucy Schell was an American heiress and a top Monte Carlo Rally driver. Women weren't taken seriously in the racing world, but she didn't let that stop her. She used her money to create a new team to take on Germany's Silver Arrows. She selected Dreyfus as her primary driver and funded the development of a new car built by the little known French manufacturer Delahaye. This book follows various drivers through competitions, politics, and deathly accidents. Ultimately, it is the story of how Dreyfus and Schell faced down Hitler's greatest drivers in one of the greatest races in history.

I love learning about WWII, so it was super fun to learn about an aspect of that time period that I'd never known about. I found it amazing how political the racing world became and it was almost as if a mini war was occurring on the track. Bascomb maintained and engaging and entertaining narrative voice throughout the book which made reading it easy and hold the attention of a middle school reader. I enjoyed learning about the backgrounds of the various drivers, how their cars were developed, the dangers of racing, and the politics of it all. The photos and advertisements included throughout the book also help bring the moment to life. This book was interesting, engaging, and had me on the edge of my seat as I had to know how the final race would turnout. I hope to add a copy to my classroom library as a few of my students race, and I believe they will absolutely love this book.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm not necessarily a fan of auto racing, I'd read and enjoyed three of this author's previous books [The Grand Escape, Sabotage, and The Nazi Hunters] so I figured it would be safe to give this one a try. I was not disappointed at all. In this well-written narrative nonfiction, author Neal Bascomb sets the scene for a showdown in 1938 between the best driver and car the Germans could provide and a French driver supported by a wealthy American woman who loved racing. In his Delahaye 145 Rene Dreyfus outraced Rudi Caracciola in his Silver Arrow in the Pau Grand Prix. While the book concludes with a detailed description of the race that will set hearts pounding wildly as the two cars and the others they left behind weave in and out of traffic and around the race course, almost neck and neck at points, the author spends considerable time introducing both racers as well as providing historical context for this story and reminding readers of Adolph Hitler's growing control of the German government. It was Hitler who poured funds into efforts to show his nation's supremacy in all things, including race cars. This awareness adds suspense to the story as does the fact that Dreyfus was Jewish. The various personalities introduced here are fascinating in their own right, and the author gives such vivid descriptions of the various races that readers will feel as though they are zipping along those tracks or mountainsides, barely holding onto their seats or hats. It's also clear, given what lies ahead when the Nazis move into their neighboring countries just what lies ahead for Europe, making this small victory on the track even more significant as it belies Hitler's claims of German supremacy in all matters. The endnotes and photographs are helpful for those interested in learning more or in immersing themselves in that time period. The book itself might even turn some readers into race car fans or at the very least leave them with an appreciation of the drivers and just how challenging this activity actually was/is.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vroom! Thanks to @kidlitexchange for the review copy of this book on auto racing in the years before WWII. @nealbascomb’s narrative nonfiction takes a look at racing in Germany, France, and surrounding countries in the 1920s and 30s. This book will hit the spot for a lot of readers! It releases October 6!
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I have read a lot of WWII books and yet I’ve never read about Hitler building the motor sport world so much before he began his takeover of Europe. That part was interesting and so was seeing all of the cars. I had to stop and show my husband when I read they were breaking speeds of over 250mph! In these cars! Wait until you read it and see the photos!
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Oh and by the end I was definitely rooting for René!
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I will buy this for my MS/HS library and book talk it with my readers who look for cars!

[Leah Darby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super interesting. I didn't really know anything about racing or the role it had during WWII, so this was all very new to me. The author did a great job with explaining the details of the cars and races in a way that was easy to understand and intriguing. I loved how he wove stories about many different racers together. This book read more like a novel than nonfiction, it was really entertaining.

[Janine King · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting lesson in history regarding the role of race car driving in pre WWII Europe and the history of the European auto industry. Lots of names in the first several chapters made for a confusing read at times. Skimming through the blow by blow details of several races got me through a little faster.

[Vicky Finney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mix between informative and narrative non fiction. I greatly enjoyed the detailed race chapters (which were neither too detailed or too short), and the approachable car desriptions that never left me feeling dumb.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not what I would normally have picked up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Both the writing and the research are fantastic. This is a great book for anybody interested in racing, history, or who wants to read a nonfiction book but prefers a more story focused style.

[Jdub Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure that this is a four, but probably closer to 3.5. It is so often interesting to learn about lesser known events from history and this is well enough written, but it does seem to lack a little something.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Racers is a fascinating tale about the origins and evolution of Grand Prix racing. The research is in-depth, but The Racers reads like an adventure story, thereby keeping one's interest throughout the narrative.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not big on racing stories, but I admire what is going on with this project, resurrecting a piece of history that the Nazis tried to erase.

[JL Salty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the details on this book! Excellent writing.
I finished it, wanting more, to know what happened next. But that was never the intended story.

[Sam Hopper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to know the history behind this as I had no idea it even existed. While some of the races were excellently told, I felt it was too technical for my taste.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book, I had no idea this race happened!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - so outside of my usual areas of interest, but worth reading.