Book Review

THE RACE (2002)

EW's GRADE
C

Details Release Date: Jul 01, 2002; Writer: Tim Zimmermann; Genre: Nonfiction; Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Yes, extreme is a frighteningly overused appellation that's been slapped on everything from adventure sports to potato chips. Yet such a label can be applied to the titular contest of this ocassionally gripping book: an around-the-world race involving catamarans and trimarans, ultrafast sailboats whose successful navigation demands a precarious balance of cutting-edge design and old-fashioned seamanship. Unfortunately, Zimmermann, in an effort to properly frame the event, squanders the first half of The Race with an informative but ultimately distracting history of competitive sailing -- ballast that slows the reader down. A dangerously overloaded tale whose uneven pace renders it barely C-worthy.

Originally posted Jun 28, 2002 Published in issue #660-661 Jun 28, 2002 Order article reprints

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