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Winner of the 2020 Readers’ Favorite Bronze Medal for Fiction – Social Issues, this is the story of one summer in Alabama and three families entangled in youth racing. Ambition and greed produce unintended consequences when combined with high-speed vehicles and teenagers.
Chad Gibbons and his family want him to graduate from competitive go-karting and launch his racing career. The legendary Kilgore racing family have great ambitions for their small empire, but Uma sees their world very differently from her husband, Monroe – and it’s haunting her. Elle Dillanger finds her family in crisis – her son survives a tragic car crash and is charged with manslaughter while her marriage is breaking up.
In this coming-of-age story, Chad no longer has his best friend by his side, dreaming with him of fast cars and victory laps. He meets Jessica, a smart girl racer with a different perspective, and Chad’s trajectory begins to change. At the Kilgore’s White Party, she convinces Chad to take on his biggest challenge – Rodeo Kart, a national karting competition. And when his eyes are finally opened, he must face his future with honesty and courage.
Wheelboys challenges society’s complacency with youth exploitation and questions adult motives and corporate responsibilities.
A deftly crafted and thoroughly entertaining novel that reveals the dark side of competitive sports in general, and auto racing in particular… Wheelboys is especially and unreservedly recommended.
Midwest Book Review
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