Whip It Paperback – September 15, 2009

Originally published as Derby Girl this American classic deserves to be widely read. It is really a growing up story and concerns the plight of the last abused minority – children. Along the way we learn lots about Roller Derby and the people who people that sport. Roller Derby started here in the good old USA and was recreated in Austin, Texas. Do you know what a whip-it is? How about the meaning of derby kiss, dork, mod, raver, goth, and kibosh? Here’s your chance to learn and have a fun read along the way. For me, one of the big interesting and endearing features of Derby life is the names of the teams and the names of the ladies on the teams. Where else can you find a team named Cherry Bombs or Holy Rollers or Fight Crew? In what other sport will you find players named Tinker Hell, Dinah Might, or Malice in Wonderland. The names add to the fun. By the way the movie Whip it is just as good but slightly different. Razor starts off as Blade in the book, but he is always Razor the coach in the movie. Bliss dumps her rocker boy friend in the book and keeps him in the movie. Earl is the shape-shifter in both narratives but his shape shifting is off stage in the book and on stage in the movie. Movie and book – experience both and then hit the trail and see an actually event. You’ll be fully informed about jammers and blockers and have a great time in the process.

bliss cavendar wants all of this stuff to happen, and.. luckily, it all just kind of happens. without trying, without much strife, without much conflict, without much conversation, she magically finds herself the best roller derby girl in austin with the hottest boyfriend and the best grades. then her parents come around and let her do what she wants despite having the opposite feelings slightly earlier, and when her boyfriend betrays her, she.. kinda gets over it in a way that a sixteen year old girl never, ever has.the book was fluffy and enjoyable, but for a book written to empower girls to follow their dreams and carve out places to fit in, and a book glorifying the inclusive pro-girl sport of roller derby, the book was rife with fatphobia- on almost every other page, bliss complains about fat tourists, fat customers at her restaurant, roller derby women who are fat, any woman who is fatter than she is, and how fat her mother is. what a bummer.

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 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.

Bliss is a 16-year-old girl who lives in a tiny town with a mother who is obsessed with beauty pageants. Bliss, who is much more comfortable in thrift store clothes and sneakers, is like an anti-beauty queen. And once she discovers roller derby, she's like Barbie gone bad.Bliss hasn't been on skates for years, but after a wobbly start (which I could so relate to), she finds her balance (and her derby persona, Babe Ruthless) and is soon jamming and blocking with the rest of the team. Here's a quote: "At practice, the humiliation factor decreases as my skating improves. Even though I'm covered in bruises, aka 'derby kisses,' I feel surprisingly proud of what I'm learning to do. (It's so weird; I'm kind of like a jock.)" Ha! Every derby girl knows what those 'derby kisses' are all about.Set against the backdrop of Austin's derby scene, Bliss has many experiences that average teens will recognize--clueless parents, first love, and BFF issues. Through it all, Bliss understands herself and is not afraid to stand up for who she is and what she needs. Her independence and sarcastic wit hooked me right away.

If you love derby, then you would like this book! Although, if you love derby that much, then you have probably already seen Whip It, which is the movie version of this book.You know how some people tell you that that if you see the movie, you've got to read the book? Well... this isn't one of those times. The movie is pretty much verbatim the whole book. The only differences are Bliss' age (she is younger in the book) and a couple details about her relationship with the hipster guy.I knocked out this whole book in a late afternoon on the porch, so it is definitely a pretty quick read. The language is what you would expect of a girl Bliss' age, as it is written from her point of view.

I loved this book! In fact I couldn't put it down, I read the whole thing in one day, and now I'm bummed that it's over. I love roller derby, I go to EVERY bout in my hometown, Austin, TX, and I'm counting the days till the next one. I think for me it was great to read a book that not only reminds me of me when I was 16 (although my parents were way cooler) but takes place in my hometown. Besides the personal sentiment, I think the book was well writen and funny. I'll probably read it again.

Adored the film, the cast, the plot, the action. Realised it was a book. Had to try that too. And yes, once you've seen the film, you will see the actors in their respective roles. Can't be helped. But the book itself is a wonderful little tome from a writer whose own adolescence and youthful outlook fed into the story she creates here.Bliss hates her small-town high-school life, with obligatory fast-food job and pageant-obsessed mother. She's not the popular type, doesn't want to fit in, can't wait to escape. A chance encounter with Roller Derby brings her one wheel (ha ha) closer to her ambitions as she finds people she identifies with, and starts to see who she is capable of being. Oh and there's a guy in a band too.The Derby scenes are quite brief (sadly, for fans of the film), this is more about Bliss, her friend Pash and her family (and the teen romance), but there is a lot of humour in there, and the action itself is explained well enough to picture the scene, the excitement and Babe Ruthless on skates.Realistic portrait of a 16-year-old in the very midst of becoming a woman, with her mother a close second in terms of character portrayal.Enjoyed the author interview at the end (it's quite detailed as well), and I'm glad to have read the source material of a much-loved recent favourite film. It was well-adapted.

Apologies to the author, but the whole way through the book I was picturing the characters in the film. The book is great but I think the film is the exception that proves the rule, although heavily based on the book the film is a fraction better (great cast).

Love this book and became my inspiration to join a local Roller Derby Team

This is brilliant read.. couldn’t put it down..

Love this book and the film