Title: Roller Babes
Author: Tim Patten
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-4917-8329-0 (sc), 978-1-4917-8328-3 (e)
Pages: 343
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Simone Wolff
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Pacific Book Review
Historical fiction takes it for granted that the past is best understood from within. Bare facts rarely stir our sympathies the way a story does, especially one with characters we can see ourselves in. In “Roller Babes,” Tim Patten undertakes this task in the service of women’s roller derby, using storytelling to capture the struggles and triumph of an all-women’s roller derby team in the 50’s. His sensitive treatment of women’s lives and his dynamic use of research proves that fiction really can add new depths to history.The protagonist of “Roller Babes” is Lottie Zimmerman, a scrappy, sporty Jewish girl from the Bronx who finally finds her place in the world as “The Little Lunatic,” feisty roller derby heroine. She and her friends train at a rink after seeing the derby on TV, and although her friends end up going their separate ways, Lottie stays on to become a star. Determined to make it as a professional athlete, Lottie sticks with the team as it tours the U.S. and even goes to Cuba, honing the roller babes’ skill and showmanship. It’s a feel-good story as Lottie’s queer, multiracial generation of skaters replaces the bigoted, petty older generation and she (correctly) envisions roller derby being taken over by women.
Lottie’s friends’ fates represent alternate paths for a woman of the day–pregnancy, financial ruin, school teaching, marriage, etc.; in fact, Patten is extremely thorough in representing the range female experience of the 50s, including intersecting identities of race, sexuality, and class. Because of his own identity, or perhaps just because of the light, breezy style of his prose, we never get too deep inside these experiences–Patten tends to present scenarios without really inhabiting them. Even so, it is exciting to see these struggles that women still face placed in a historical context, and the frequent presence of racism, sexual assault, harassment, and homophobia accurately represented in the stories of women’s lives.
“Roller Babes” is a quick, fun read–albeit with its heavy moments–but it is difficult to say who would be its ideal reader. It reads most like a young adult novel, but may be a bit tame compared to the gritty narratives teens are now used to. The book also closely resembles a pulp novel, but one with an unusual amount of historical research behind it. It’s not a heady read by any means, but by the end any reader will have some new knowledge and a warm heart. Whoever discovers this book will be treated to a sensitive, 50’s-slang-filled rendition of a past where women discovered new ways to play, love, and live.
