Once Around the Track by Sharyn McCrumb Once Around the Track by Sharyn McCrumb Once again, Ms. McCrumb has done a masterful job of making the fascination of NASCAR understandable for fans and non-fans alike. Her characters are likable, understandable folks that all of us can identify or identify with. The male driver for this all female team is a throwback to the “good old days” of NASCAR, before corporate sponsorship became God. He will make long time fans nostalgic, and maybe help new fans understand what they missed. Of course, my own personal favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, is the poster boy for the “new” driver – sleek and saleable – and Ms. McCrumb once again has a great time poking fun at him. I don’t mind – us Gordon fans are used to it ;) And as a long time fan, I do most definitely miss “the good ole days” and the “good ole boys” myself. But time goes on, and things change. Some for the better, and maybe some not so much so. The story itself is hilarious, poignant, and deeper than you would think. Remember when novels were about how people had experiences that somehow changed them – hopefully for the better or wiser? Well, Sharyn McCrumb revitalizes my hope for the American novel. She can have great fun, make you laugh, make you cry, make you sigh with nostalgia – and still make you think. You will probably gulp this book down in a sitting (if you can) and enjoy every moment of it. After you finally put it down, you’ll find yourself thinking about it for days afterward. I suspect it may even be a book that you can reread a month or a year later, and see new things in it. Deep issues tucked in under laugh out loud dialogue. Really excellent reading – and of course, excellent writing. Perhaps the one point I truly walked away with on this reading was the old adage – “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. The more I read of Sharyn McCrumb’s writing – the more impressed I am. I am coming to believe that even given our current glut of reading material – more new books per year than anyone could possibly read – some day fifty years from now, Sharyn McCrumb will be honored as a writer of enduring classics. Posted: Monday 24th December 2007, 1:01 PM Back to the Blog