Spectator Sport Review

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Spectator Sport ReviewJames Alexander Thom is one of my favorite authors. In my classroom I have two of his books on my shelves and kids come to me looking for something to read I recommend those books first due to the power of the storytelling. Those that accept my recomendations concerning his books are never disappointed. Great stuff!
While most of his books concern the fronteir days of America's old Northwest Territory (Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, etc.) this one concerns the rain-shortened and deadly 1973 Indy 500. The race took part over the course of 3 days and was finally called after a little more than 300 miles due to rain and the fact that only 9 of the 33 starters were still on the track. Thom was at the race and the events inspired him to write this book and explore the motivations of race fans, violence on television and the news and voyeourism of all sorts.
This book however does not qualify as great - it is too up and down and inconsistent.
First - what is done well:
-Thom accurately portrays the way the 'Snake Pit' of the Indy 500 used to be - the dirt, the beer, the hedonism.
-Thom accurately captures the feel of the 500 just before the race starts. The tension, the anticipation, the pomp and ritual.
-Thom's descriptions of the Speedway and its environs are dead-on. Especially the traffic and the insanity of the some of the police who are directing it.
What does not work so well:
-Too many characters - especially the boy from Kokomo who has to see the race no matter what. The girls who break out from the Indiana Girls' School (Indiana's prison for teenaged girls)and party in the infield are interesting but also fail to advance the story.
-Thom's theme is that sex, violence and power are all inter-related. The fighter pilot war hero and the soft-porn movie starlet, and the 500 festival princess who poses naked for the camera are all supposed to tie in with the race and the mayhem that ocurred on the track, in the stands (debris and fuel were sprayed all over one section of the stands) and in the infield. However, I thought that Thom failed to connect all of these dots and the story gets too off-target. Too many themes means that he hits none of them well. It would have been better to have made two books - one exploring the violence of auto racing and the motivations of the racers and the fans, the other exploring sexuality, power and fidelity.
Fans of the 500 will appreciate:
-Transcripts of the race thrown into the text to tell the reader how far along the race is. These are actually transcribed from Sid Collins' personal tapes and include ads, Sid Collins and other local (Indy area) broadcasters such as Mike Ahern.
-Local sites such as the Indiana Girls' School, The Coke Lot, The Snake Pit and a local westside bakery that just has to be Long's Bakery.
**On a different note, why do they use a modern era Indy Car on the cover photo rather than a car from the '73 race?Spectator Sport OverviewIndianapolis' 500-Mile Race, "the world's greatest sports spectacle," was rained out three consecutive days in 1973, and marred by lethal wrecks. Thousands of drunken race fans made the Speedway a vast encampment of garbage, misery and debauchery. The event is vividly recreated through a dozen fictional characters, their lives interwoven in crisis. A true study in violence and voyeurism.

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