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The Racers: How an Outcast Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Challenged Hitler's Best

by Neal Bascomb

A fast-paced account of Grand Prix racing in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s (the precursor to Formula One) is set against the backdrop of Hitler’s rise in Germany. Two of the drivers who emerged as among the best of the time were Rudi Caracciola, a German who was featured by the Nazi party in their propaganda, and René Dreyfus, a French man of Jewish heritage. This narrative builds to their rivalry with breathtaking accounts of races in which they and others participated, while chronicling technological advances in car design among competing companies. The technology rivalries also take on nationalistic elements, pitting companies in Germany like Mercedes-Benz against one another and against other European makers, including the French company Delahye. The “American heiress” of the subtitle is Lucy Schell, a formidable racer herself as well as the financial backer for a French Delahye team. The paradigm in which these rivalries among individuals and companies are also presented as France and ideals of freedom versus German/Nazi fascism and anti-Semitism is a little forced at times (although more developed in the notes at volume’s end), but it doesn’t detract from what is, above all, a riveting story about sport, technology, and competition. Archival and personal papers are among the many sources cited in the work’s bibliography and notes. ©2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 11-14
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects: 20th Century Anti-Semitism Competitions and Contests History (Nonfiction) Sports Technology and Engineering Vehicles and Transportation World War II
Diversity subject: Jewish

Publisher: Scholastic Focus
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 323
ISBN: 9781338277418
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 796 Bascomb

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