In the Blink of an Eye: A Good Read?

Michael Waltrip and I

I’ll be the first one to say that I love to read, but I also have the attention span of a peanut so it takes a lot for a book to hold my attention.  Last night, I looked at my desk and saw my copy of In the Blink of an Eye, my dad purchased it for me at Michael Waltrip’s souvenir trailer at Pocono Raceway last Friday, where I had the opportunity to meet Michael.  I was originally going to wait and read it on my way to North Carolina in a week, but I thought to myself, “Ashley, you want to read it, why not now?  You have nothing else to do.”  With that, I listened to my advice and picked up the book.  I thought, “Alright, maybe I’ll get to read the first few chapters, I don’t want to rush through it.” Ha!  Was I wrong!  Few chapters? Was I crazy?  I read through the first ten chapters like it was ten pages!  Less than two hours later, I was reading the last line in the book.

 

Credit to Google

I hate having to pick a favorite part of a book – never liked it.  Why can’t my favorite part of the book be the whole book?  In this case, my favorite part was, in fact, the whole book.  From learning about Michael’s early childhood, to racing his go-kart with his older brother, Bobby, through his journey making it into the NASCAR Cup Series, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

 

I’m not going to spoil the whole book – because what fun would that be? You wouldn’t even have to read the book – I’ll just say that you learn so much about Michael’s childhood, his family life, his first go-kart at age eleven, and about all of the hardships and opportunities he had to endure to get where he is today. 

 

On a more serious note, Michael explains the day that changed the NASCAR world forever, the 2001 Daytona 500.  If you’re reading this, you know what happened that fateful February day…our sport lost “The Intimidator.” In this book, you get to see what Michael was thinking while in Victory Lane, the inner demons that plagued him after he heard the news, what happened in the days following, and what he thought, and felt, after Dale Junior’s emotional win five short months later at Daytona.  It puts everything into a different perspective – in a way, giving fans the closure they required after Dale’s passing – even though while reading the book, you’re hoping for a different outcome than the one you know is coming.

My personalized copy of In the Blink of an Eye.

 

Let me just say it was an honor to read this book, and no, I’m not being facetious or exaggerating what I thought, I truly mean this.  On one page, I was laughing, and as soon as I turned the page, I was crying…it takes a lot to be able to get these emotions out of people.  If you’re looking for a great book, I highly recommend In the Blink of an Eye.

 

Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.  Be sure to go to your local bookstore, or go online, and order this book!