Drop In: The Gender Rebels Who Changed the Face of Skateboarding

by Deborah Stoll

Overview

The bad*ss story of the female, queer, bi, and nonbinary skaters who charted a path to the Olympics and changed the face of skateboarding.

Who gets to tell the story of skateboarding? Drop In is the first book to recognize and historicize the female, queer, bi, and nonbinary humans who blazed the path that led to today’s more equitable skate culture. It wasn’t easy getting here.

Like the rest of the world, skateboarding has long been patriarchal. In the 70s, it personified the punk rock, lock-up-your-daughters, middle-finger-to-the-man ethos. In the 80s, it was Miami Vice soundtracks and parachute pants, neon graphics and fingerless gloves. In the 90s it was New York City—graffiti, hip-hop, and skating in the street. Rarely did you see a woman’s name in a skate video—either on a deck or behind the lens.

The four skateboarders at the heart of Drop In defied expectations of gender, talent, physical ability, and mental capacity to fight the status quo: Alana as the first openly nonbinary athlete in Olympic history; Vanessa as a record breaking runaway; Marbie as an accidental boundary-breaking trans icon; and Victoria as the skate rookie turned social media sensation. Drop In spotlights their paths from rebellious outsiders to recognized pioneers on the historic stage of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding made its debut. Their experiences reveal a side of skateboarding that’s never been recorded, amplifying voices that have, for too long, gone unheard.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358653073
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	86,575
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Deborah Stoll is a journalist, lyricist, writer and animator. Her work has appeared in The Economist, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Portland Mercury, San Francisco Chronicle, Punch Drink, Buzz Bands, Ignite and White Hot Magazine. Her short stories have appeared in Slake, Swivel, and Fresh Yarn. Her band, Hot As Sun, has opened for Phantogram, Gotye, and Foster the People, been featured on TV shows like Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Glee, and CSI: Miami and in the movie For a Good Time, Call and the upcoming, Space Cadet. Her first book, Unvarnished, was co-written with Eric Alperin. Drop In is her first book as a solo author.

This is her website: Bubbemaisse.com

Editorial Reviews

05/13/2024

This animated report from journalist Stoll (Unvarnished) explores how “female, queer, bi, and nonbinary humans” have made skateboarding culture more inclusive. She traces how Marbie Miller, Alana Smith, Victoria Taylor, and Vanessa Torres became professional skaters and discusses the difficulties each has faced in a sport dominated by cis men. Smith, who came out as nonbinary in their early 20s, had trouble focusing during qualifying rounds for Olympic skateboarding because they kept getting misgendered. Nonetheless, they secured a spot in the 2021 games and became the first openly trans Olympic athlete. Elsewhere, Stoll recounts Torres’s spats with her sponsor over not wearing their branded clothing during competitions (the articles, made for boys, were too ill-fitting to skate in). After retiring due to injury, Torres started judging skateboarding contests, providing tips and encouragement to female participants. Other sections cover how Miller found community in a queer Wisconsin skate collective and how Taylor learned to cope with sexist and demeaning comments on her popular Instagram account. Stoll’s finely observed portraits will have readers rooting for the four skaters as they reshape the sport in their own image. This sticks the landing with flair and poise. Agent: Rica Allannic, David Black Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

This book will appeal to anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong and will give hope to aspiring skaters.” — Booklist

"…Stoll’s finely observed portraits will have readers rooting for the four skaters as they reshape the sport in their own image. This sticks the landing with flair and poise." — Publishers Weekly

"Drop In is a must-read for anyone dedicated to fighting for equality; it’s a cultural road map about refusing to accept the status quo, no matter your gender, identity, or race." — Billie Jean King, Sports Icon and Champion of Equality

From the Publisher