Book Review: St. Dale by Sharon McCrumb

Even before getting our drivers licenses, and even before we moved, I signed up for library cards for the Chalotte/Mecklenburg County Library. A day after unpacking, I headed to the local branch intending to get back into the Carp 500 (click the Carpe Libra link on the right for more information). However, when I came across Sharyn McCrumb's St. Dale, it seemed appropriate, as a NASCAR fan, that this was the first book I check out as a resident of North Carolina.

St. Dale tells the story of a group of diehard Dale Earnhardt fans embarking on a memorial bus tour the year after Earnhardt was killed on the final turn of the 2001 Daytona 500. The book is less a story, though, than a bundle of NASCAR trivia and history wrapped loosely around a very simple plot. Each fan, or pilgrim, on the tour had reasons to say their final goodbye, including one whose car Earnhardt had fixed on a dark Mooresville road - several months after his fatal wreck at Daytona. The story doesn't get very complex, so there isn't much else to say. It was occassionally funny, and I enjoyed the old racing stories and the characters were very well done. McCrumb managed to be both respectful and skeptical of the outpouring of grief, which really did become a bit bizarre, following The Intimidator's death.

Speaking of which, the author claimed to be exploring how Americans choose their saints these days, as opposed to canonization by the Church, but I didn't really feel educated after reading the book, so either she failed in her presentation or there just isn't much substance to the subject. Or it could be that I just don't care.

If you're not a race fan, you probably wouldn't appreciate St. Dale, unless you happen to be a big fan of Sharyn McCrumb. I liked it, though, and I rate it a 7 out of 10.