Description
Book Synopsis Before Louise Scherbyn founded the Women''s International Motorcycle Association, she was simply a working girl who loved motorcycling--at a time when women weren''t allowed to wear pants, roads weren''t hard-topped, and handlebars could come apart while riding. The hardest part? Auxiliaries she looked to for support each proved to be the wrong fit--some uncomfortably, disastrously so. All Louise wanted was for women riders to have a proper space of their own. For that she would ultimately have to forge a new path.
This book tells the fascinating story of Scherbyn''s journey in forming the first stand-alone women-only motorcycle association. Chapters cover 225,000 miles and two decades'' worth of community-building, hostilities, physical and professional attacks, recovery, sisterhood and more. Scherbyn paved the way for women motorcyclists across the world while facing a storm of threats and uncertainties, driving ahead with newfound friends and her singular, unifying vi
Trade Review
Brilliant…This is one book I look forward to reading again."—Cristine Sommer Simmons, three time motorcycle hall of fame inductee, author of The American Motorcycle Girls 1900-1950 "An engrossing tale…a poignant and multi-dimensional narrative; a carefully written, richly detailed account of one woman's vision to create a more equitable and inclusive future for all women motorcyclists."—Sheila Malone, PhD, editor, International Journal of Motorcycle Studies
"In taking up the mantle of co-author Linda Back McKay's final research project, poring through the treasure trove of Scherbyn's photos and correspondence, and crafting a breezy, conversational narrative, Vogl takes readers along for the ride as Scherbyn and her fellow female 'citizen riders' carve space for themselves in the male-dominated world of motorcycling … Imagine Louise Scherbyn's pleasure at seeing her story captured so beautifully."—Kim Heikkila, Ph.D., author of Booth Girls: Pregnancy, Adoption, and the Secrets We Kept and Sisterhood of War: Minnesota Women in Vietnam
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Author's Note: Riding (and Writing) Through Fear—Linda Back McKay
- Preface and Acknowledgments—Kate St. Vincent Vogl
- Part I: Zero to Sixty
- 1. The Call to Ride
- 2. Driving Through Applesauce: 1932
- 3. Caution Flags: 1933–1934
- 4. First Runs, First Tour, First Problems, Fast Girls: 1935
- 5. Building Community: 1936
- 6. Four Points: 1937
- Part II: Crossing the Wide Waters
- 7. Changing Gears: 1938
- 8. Pals Forever: 1939
- 9. Who Wins, Who Plays the Game: 1940
- 10. Hostilities: 1941
- 11. Standing Ready: 1942–1943
- 12. Fighting Chance: 1944–1945
- 13. Recovery: 1946–1948
- 14. A Sisterhood Found: 1949 to WIMA
- Epilogue: The End of the Road Marks a Beginning
- Bibliography
- Index
