“Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels” by Chaterine Mabe is a newly released book with a great basic background of roller derby today. The book starts out with a well-researched and interesting history of the sport, followed by a broad and upbeat look at who rollergirls are and what the sport is. The fun layout and large variety of pictures definitely make “Roller Derby” worth picking up, and Mabe’s writing is easy to follow and fun.

Mabe skated for the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls in Denver, CO under the name Jayne Manslaughter and was one of the leagues original members. Her writing voice reflects her passion for the sport as she explains that rollergirls call all the shots in their league, that skaters come from almost any background imaginable, and that the sport quickly becomes like a second job for those involved in it.

Mabe has quite a few interesting page-long profiles on a number of skaters in leagues across the nation, and while she does dedicate a section of the book to describing the WFTDA, she still covers those that are not members as well as banked track leagues. The target audience for this book would most likely be rollergirls who have already caught the derby fever, but the rules explanation in the back (of both WFTDA and the LA Derby Dolls banked track regulations) makes it more accessible to readers outside of the skating circle.

“Roller Derby” is a quick read with a lot of info for skaters, fans and anyone with basic questions about the sport. Mabe’s love for derby definitely comes through in her writing, and as such a young sport in its present state with so much room for evolution, I think her enthusiasm and detail on what makes a rollergirl and the legitimacy of the game will be especially interesting to look back on in years to come when it has developed much further.